Today we issued a press release about this season's honey harvest to coincide with the BBKA's publication of the annual honey survey.
According to the survey, beekeepers in the South West ​saw their honey crop drop to 18 lbs per hive. But many of our members are reporting far lower totals.
One of our Vice Presidents, who has been keeping bees for 61 years, says 2017 is the worst season ever and averaged just five pounds per hive.  
The reason? The weather is the main culprit: A great early Spring when colonies built up rapidly followed by a hot June and wet July - if only the weather of those two months had been reversed... 

SBKA Lecture Day takes place on February 17, 2018
Location: Edgar Hall, 8 Cary Court, Somerton Business Park, TA11 6SB
Tickets: include the day's lectures and light refreshments but not lunch.
​Tickets at £5 are available from Divisions' Secretaries, by cheque from SBKA Treasurer Mrs C Kennedy, Allways, West Shepton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5UH and online (cost £5.90 including 90p booking fee) - click here.
Tickets for the SBKA Special Lecture on April 25, 2018 are FREE!  To register click here​
Location: Edgar Hall, 8 Cary Court, Somerton Business Park, TA11 6SB

We would like to know about your 2017 honey crop!
An accurate picture of the harvest gives us an opportunity to localise the BBKA honey survey work so we can talk to the press and our MPs about the state of our bees and if, say, a husbandry factory is identified, take steps to support improvement.
Please spare a few minutes and let us know:
1. Quantity of honey per colony
2. How does this compare with last year
3. Rough split between Spring and Summer honey
4. Your explanation for why the crop was up or down on the previous year
5. And your name and location
Please email Anne Pike, Chairman

Take a look at the latest issue of the SBKA Newsletter! Find out about forthcoming events, what's been going on and how SBKA is working to support Somerset beekeeping.