Coming up

Please find details below for all our forthcoming events, meetings, apiary visits and social events. We look forward to meeting you there!

Winter Programme 2026-27

As the active beekeeping season draws to a close we have our exciting Winter Programme to look forward to. Despite our monthly meetings normally taking place on the third Tuesday of the month, please note due to speaker availability it has been necessary to deviate from that slightly, so please take a note of the dates. All meetings, unless otherwise stated will take place at our usual venue (Saint George's Church Hall, 110 Eastbourne Road, Polegate, BN26 5DF).

• 22 September 2026, refreshments and chat from 19.00

Preparing for Winter - Lynfa Davies, NDB (via Zoom)

The dynamics of a colony are cyclical and understanding how and when we can support our bees throughout this cycle is key to the colony’s success as well as our own success as beekeepers. For the bees, winter forms a significant part of this cycle, and it is essential that they start this period in a strong, healthy position to maximise their chances of making it through to the next spring. Reported winter losses have been high in recent years, and this talk will explore some of the reasons why and what we can do to minimise this happening to our colonies.

• 27 October 2026, refreshments and chat from 19.00

Nutrition, Food and the Fat Body - Margaret Murdin, NDB (in-person)

Margaret Murdin, NDB, will explore the fascinating relationship between nutrition, food and the honey bee’s fat body — an organ with vital roles in energy storage, metabolism and immunity. She will look at how the quality and availability of food affect bee health, development and resilience throughout the colony. This promises to be an illuminating talk on an increasingly important aspect of honey bee biology and good beekeeping practice.

• 17 November 2026, refreshments and chat from 19.00

Our AGM and Honey Show

• 08 December 2026, Christmas Social @ The Sussex Ox, Milton Street, BN26 5RL

Always an annual highlight, this is an opportunity to celebrate the end of the year with bee pals over a glass of something at one of the best Sussex pubs. There will also be another chance to taste my next batch of locally made mead, so do come along.

We look forward to seeing you there!