Bees for Development have written to ask for our help:
"This our only fund raising campaign in 2018 and we are asking you to support work in northern Ethiopia.  The government in Amhara identifies people most in need, and we train those interested to learn beekeeping.  We work with them for two years - it takes this long to learn new skills and build their own resilient income.  We have trained over 800 people like this in the past two years.
We are not just interested in people - we are interested in bees too:  to see them protected, and their habitat restored.  We are rewilding areas of degraded forest, working with poor communities over many years to continue protecting forests as they regenerate.
Please help by donating here: https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/donation/to/4665/30259/
You might like to visit our online shop for some inspirational do-good, feel-good, Christmas gifts.
Please give the gift of giving with our Good Bee Gift Cards.  A perfect gift for those who 'already have everything'.
As I write this on Friday afternoon, we still have £4,000 of matching funds available to double your donation.  By the time you reach our website - it might all have been used - or you might be lucky to have your donation doubled.  Either way, please give whatever you can - every donation helps with this work.
We are a very small charity running on a shoestring, and we are extremely careful with how we use your funds.  £35 supports one person to get started with bees, while £200 supports them for 2 years as they learn their way out of poverty. 
You can gain a measure of how well your money is used, and how far it can reach, by watching this very brief interview (3 mins) with the Ethiopian girl Alemnesh http://beesfd.org/thebiggive/#video .  Please enjoy the film, and then give what you can, so that next year we can help more young people out of crushing poverty.
Thank you for your interest and support, Nicola and the team at Bees for Development"

Last year the National Bee Unit (NBU) Inspectors saw an increase in cases of European Foulbrood (EFB) in Somerset taking us to the unenviable position at the top of the EFB county table.
The shocking statistics are a wake-up call for us all to be extra vigilant. As beekeepers we must be prepared to monitor our bees for disease and recognise when things are not right.
The NBU’s Read the Comb Day is designed to help us know what to look for - to know when all is well and, conversely, when it is not.
The day will be delivered by our Regional Bee Inspector Simon Jones and his team of Seasonal Bee Inspectors who will be joined by former National Bee Inspector Richard Ball. The focus will not be confined to EFB; other bee diseases will be in the mix.
South East Division is hosting this event at Ansford Academy, Maggs Lane, Castle Cary, BA7 7JJ.
The cost will be £5 per person with tea and coffee provided; bring your own lunch. More details about buying a ticket will be available nearer the time.
SBKA is making EFB a focus for our work in 2019 - we're planning a series of activities to help everyone to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to recognise EFB.
​Thanks go to South East Division for organising this event.
We hope to see you on June 15! 

If you’re interested in honeybees - or know someone who is - then one of our beginners’ courses could be perfect for you.
 
Somerset Beekeepers are running courses around the county this winter which covers beekeeping basics followed by practical hands-on experience with live bees.
 
Beekeeping is a big commitment and requires a gentle hand, patience and on-going learning.
 
On the courses experienced beekeepers explain what’s involved in keeping a colony of bees through a series of lectures and practical sessions.
 
The craft spans lots of different elements including animal husbandry, environmental knowledge, woodwork and processing the products of the hive like honey and wax.
 
Find out more on this page of our website.
 
What people are saying:
“It was very informative and there was lots of support from expert beekeepers who were on hand to answer questions. The theory was well backed-up by the practical sessions in the apiary later in the season.”
 
“I find beekeeping very calming and I enjoy doing something very slowly and methodically and being surrounded by thousands of bees knowing they are unlikely to harm me.
 
“The course offers the opportunity to find out about something which at first seems fairly straightforward but, the more you learn, the more you see there is to learn and the amount of knowledge you can acquire seems never-ending.”
 
“Beekeeping is hugely rewarding; I’ve discovered these incredible creatures appear to operate at some higher level, living for the colony, and it is a joy to watch them at work.
 
“I’ve managed to do a bit of woodwork to build frames for the hive, have started gardening to encourage pollinators, harvested the most glorious honey I’ve ever tasted and have overcome my fear of stinging insects!” 

Somerset Beekeepers Association has just been added to AmazonSmile’s charity list - and that means your purchases can support our work!
AmazonSmile
What is AmazonSmile?
It’s a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices and shopping features. Your shopping experience stays the same, but every time you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon donates to your chosen charity.
How much will we get?
If you select Somerset Beekeepers Association, Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to us. And it won’t cost you, or us, any extra.
How do you get AmazonSmile?
If you already have an Amazon account, you can begin shopping instantly. Simply visit smile.amazon.co.uk to get started.
Log onto to your Amazon account and search Somerset Beekeepers Association in the ‘pick your own charity’ search bar

• Select Somerset Beekeepers Association
• You’ll receive an email from Amazon and you’re ready to shop
• Shop as you normally would, knowing everything you buy will be helping our work to support beekeepers and honeybees in the county.

If you’re using a mobile device, make sure you purchase through smile.amazon.co.uk rather than the main Amazon site. If you use the Amazon app here’s a handy workaround:

• Shop on the app as you would normally, adding items to your basket
• Before you checkout, switch to smile.amazon.co.uk on your mobile browser to complete the process.

If you use an Apple device:

• Visit amazon.smile.co.uk in your Safari browser
• Tap the share button and scroll right to select ‘add to Home Screen’
• Click add and then delete your old Amazon app.

 And with Christmas less than six weeks away, it’s time to get shopping!
amazon.smile.co.uk