About us

We welcome people who may be interested in taking up beekeeping as a hobby or a profession. Feel free to come along to a Branch meeting, e-mail the Branch Secretary or give one of us a ring.

Full membership of our Branch currently costs per annum. This price also includes one years membership of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), public and product liability insurance and bee disease insurance for up to three hives.

The local Association has the following main activities :-

• Providing a focal point for local beekeepers to meet and discuss issues of mutual interest.

  Integrated Pest Management Branch meeting June 2006

• Providing a source of reference for members of the public.
• Offering a swarm collection service.
• Providing information and courses to prospective beekeepers.
• Provide encouragement and advice for new beekeepers, including a mentoring arrangement for people who have taken charge of their first hive.
• Provide encouragement for members studying for the various BBKA examinations.
• Attending local events to promote beekeeping.
  

  Langstroth observation hive Green Fayre July 2006	Mike, Mark and Scott Westhead Carnival July 2006	Martin and his son Westhead Carnival

• Promote good bee breeding in the local area, by starting a selective queen rearing programme.

A majority of our members come from in and around the areas surrounding Ormskirk, Chorley, Wigan, Leyland, St. Helens, Skelmersdale, Hesketh Bank and Bolton. If you are interested in beekeeping but think that you live too far away or that you are not in our catchment area come along to a Branch meeting anyway and take the first steps into an 8000 year old craft!

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Officers

Chairman

Ray Dowson became Ormskirk & Croston Branch's Chairman in 2005. He previously held the position of Branch Treasurer for ten years. Ray has also been the Treasurer of the Lancashire and North West Beekeepers Association since 2001 and represents Lancashire at the annual BBKA delegates meeting. He started keeping bees in 1991 and subsequently joined our Branch. Ray is a member of BIBBA and is keen to promote the native dark honey bee by raising his own queens. He currently runs between five and seven National Hives.
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Vice-Chairman

Mark Ball became Ormskirk & Croston Branch's Vice Chairman at the AGM in 2007. Mark started keeping bees in the summer of 2006 and currently has three colonies in National Hives. Mark passed his BBKA Basic Examination in the summer of 2007. Although relatively new to beekeeping he attended several shows throughout the summer to promote beekeeping to the general public and is also responsible for the Branch web site.

Secretary

Penny Oakley was elected at the AGM in 2007 as the Ormskirk & Croston Branch's Secretary. Penny attended the Branch's 'Introduction to Beekeeping' course in 2006 and also passed her BBKA Basic Examination in the summer of 2007. Penny started keeping bees with her husband Mark in the summer of 2006 and they currently have five colonies of bees in National Hives.
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Treasurer

Keith Hemming has served as the Ormskirk & Croston Branch's Treasurer since the AGM in 2005. He has kept bees since 2003 and they are all housed in top bee space Commercial Hives with top bee space National Hive supers and ancillary equipment. Currently, Keith has four colonies and one nucleus on three different sites.
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Committee members

Martin Smith has previously held the positions of Branch Secretary and Branch Chairman. Martin is also the Secretary of the Lancashire and North West Beekeepers Association and was appointed to the BBKA National Executive Committee in January 2005. He has been a beekeeper for over twenty five years and uses Langstroth and Jumbo Langstroth hives. Martin learnt about beekeeping in Hampshire in the time of Frank Vernon and John Cossburn and he also used to attend the bee meetings at Bill and Mary Dartnell's over twenty years ago.
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Eric Bradbury was elected to the committee at the AGM in 2005. He started keeping bees in 2004 and currently has fifteen colonies of bees in National Hives. Eric is a second generation beekeeper (after his father) but only acquired his own bees later on in life.
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Mark Oakley was invited to join the committee in January 2007. Mark attended the Branch's 'Introduction to Beekeeping' course in 2006 and also passed his BBKA Basic Examination in the summer of 2007. Mark started keeping bees with his wife Penny in the summer of 2006 and they currently have five colonies of bees in National Hives.
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Derrick Harris was elected to the committee at the AGM in 2007 and began keeping bees in 2005. Currently he has three colonies housed in Commercial Hives. However, ever the optimist, he hopes this number will increase over the year ahead.

Edwina Abbott

John Wilkinson

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Out apiary

We maintain an out apiary of several National Hives located in Kings Moss (near St Helens in Merseyside). Our monthly Branch meetings and new beekeeper's practical sessions are normally held there from April through to September. When hives are being opened remember not to stand in front of a hive's entrance because you'll obstruct the returning flying bees.

For the address, directions and map of where to find our out apiary click here. For your own safety please don't visit the bees without an experienced member of the Branch to assist you.

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