British Beekeepers Association

Two new sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets Pluckley, Kent, Sighting - 08/06/2026 Whitfield, Dover, Kent, Nest - 13/06/2026 Details: www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/bee... www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet...

Two new sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets Pluckley, Kent, Sighting - 08/06/2026 Whitfield, Dover, Kent, Nest - 13/06/2026

Please remember the BBKA Forum is available for a wide range of friendly chat and questions about beekeeping www.bbkaforum.co.uk

Please be aware that some beekeepers are reporting colonies low on stores and at risk of starvation.

Honeybees blend a special “baby food” to give their larvae a balanced diet, with adult bees also able to regulate their feeding to avoid overconsuming certain nutrients, according to a study. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The July 2026 edition of BBKA News is out soon. Queens - Jane Medwell Bee Guards – Prof. Giles Budge/Dr. Celia Costa Healthy Bee Plan – Rebekah Clarkson International Meeting of Young Beekeepers – Serena Watts + regulars, features, news, apiary tips, letters, puzzle & recipes

A new study demonstrates that honeybees can evaluate the reliability of their own communication, actively adjusting the vigor of their "waggle dance" based on the truthfulness of the information they provide. phys.org/news/2026-06...

Non-native species week runs from 22nd- 28th June. Check for details here: www.nonnativespecies.org/what-can-i-d...

The next in the BBKA's monthly series of Zoom talks is: ‘The Hive in July’ with Jack Silberrad, NBU Regional Bee Inspector, tonight, Tuesday 16th June at 7pm. A Zoom link has been sent to associations for circulation to members

29 sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets have been confirmed in England by 12.6.26. 2 new this week reported in Kent & East Sussex Please remain vigilant and report all sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app Details: www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet... www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/bee...

The Rules on the Quality and Labeling of Honey in the EU will come into force on 14 June 2026. ebaeurope.eu/the-origin-o...

29 sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets have been confirmed in England by 12.6.26. 2 new this week reported in Kent & East Sussex Please remain vigilant and report all sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app Details: www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet... www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/bee...

This study provides a diagnostic screening of agrochemicals in commercially managed honey bee colonies during a time of colony loss. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Update 12.6.26 2 further credible reports of Yellow-Legged Hornet sightings Folkestone, Kent - 8 June. Robertsbridge, East Sussex - 9 June. Earlier sighting Tunbridge Wells. confirmed as a primary nest

Majorca had captured 22 Asian hornets and removed the first nest of 2026 as part of the new trapping and invasive species control campaign. www.democrata.es/en/agricultu...

The BBKA's microscopy assessment closing date is the 30th June. To apply please request a link which is available from your local exam sec. Assessments will be held on the weekend of the 26/27th September. Contact sec.exams@bbka.org.uk for venue information.

Earlier this year Jane Medwell presented a BBKA webinar on methods of comb changes including Shook Swarm and Bailey Comb Change. Jane is a Master Beekeeper, BBKA Examiner, trainer and Exam Secretary for Warwickshire BKA. She is also a BBKA Trustee. youtu.be/vRF23pGB2IM?...

Interested in beekeeping or looking for information about honey bees? Please visit the BBKA's website for a wide range of information. www.bbka.org.uk

The BBKA Member Hub is now the main repository for beekeeping resources and training materials available exclusively for BBKA members only. The Member Hub can be accessed by: Using this link: memberhub.bbka.org.uk Or Using the pink button on the home page of the BBKA website: www.bbka.org.uk

A new biopesticide to manage the bee-killing varroa mite has been developed. Researchers say it could help battle growing resistance to varroa treatments in Australia. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...

The National Bee Unit's BeeBase website contains valuable information on honey bee disease incidence. Maps are available to illustrate outbreaks Image shows AFB & EFB in 2026 www.nationalbeeunit.com/diseases-and... www.nationalbeeunit.com/diseases-and...

The next in the BBKA's monthly series of Zoom talks is: ‘The Hive in July’ with Jack Silberrad, NBU Regional Bee Inspector, on Tuesday 16th June at 7pm. A Zoom link has been sent to associations for circulation to members

One woman has made it her life's work to save honeybees from the most unusual places. www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwal...

27 sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets have been confirmed in England by 5.6.26. 3 new last week reported in Kent & East Sussex Please remain vigilant and report all sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app Details: www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet... www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/bee...

Three hives in Clitheroe have tested positive for European foulbrood (EFB), a contagious bacterial disease affecting honeybee larvae. www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/2615857...

A new report has predicted a shortfall of close to 300,000 beehives for this year's peak crop pollination season in August, as the deadly parasite varroa mite wipes out bees. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...

A new report has predicted a shortfall of close to 300,000 beehives for this year's peak crop pollination season in August, as the deadly parasite varroa mite wipes out bees. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...

27 sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets have been confirmed in England by 5.6.26. 3 new this week reported in Kent & East Sussex Please remain vigilant and report all sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app Details: www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet... www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/bee...

(BBKA) is launching a new education programme to help children learn about pollinators, invasive species and environmental stewardship — while contributing to national Yellow-legged Asian hornet monitoring efforts. www.bbka.org.uk/pollinator-s...

Update 5.6.26 3 further credible reports of Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) sightings this week. Tunbridge Wells, Kent - 29 May Ashford, Kent - 31 May. Brighton and Hove, East Sussex - 1 June

WorldEnvironmentDay 2026 focuses on climate change—on the urgent signals the Earth is sending and the signals we choose to send back. www.worldenvironmentday.global

Bumblebees can use tools to solve a problem, according to experiments that demonstrate their remarkably advanced cognitive abilities. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Newly created grassland habitats that compensate for nature lost to development can effectively support wild pollinators like bees and hoverflies, according to a first of its kind study in the Netherlands. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. phys.org/news/2026-06...

Manual for managing honey bee colonies in the presence of Vespa velutina nigrithorax static1.squarespace.com/static/65034...

The wax of the peanut-shaped chamber where the queen develops has distinct physical and chemical properties that help steer its development, researchers report in the journal Nature. www.sciencenews.org/article/quee...

The NFU Sugar board and British Sugar, with support from the Norwich-based British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO), have secured emergency authorisation for a second application of a product named Insyst SG on the 2026 sugar beet crop. www.edp24.co.uk/news/2615521...

Monika Shukla, cofounder of Humble Bee, a social enterprise that has trained over 2,000 female women across rural India, believes women make better beekeepers www.vogue.in/content/bees...

The Australian Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry conducted a pilot survey to assess the authenticity of imported honey samples and compare the department’s current border tests with the performance of selected commercially available analytical tests. honeybee.org.au/federal-agri...

Maggie Gill recently gave an important update on Tropilaelaps, an emerging non-native threat to honey bees that is now spreading into Europe youtu.be/wsmO69Xu-Ag?...

There is now an opportunity for a motivated and experienced scientist to join the Bee Health Advisory Forum (BHAF) as a voluntary Science Advisor. www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/bee...

Over the past 150 years, honey bees have become the cornerstone of US agriculture. Beekeepers now crisscross the country in semi-trucks to pollinate our crops, towing thousands of bee colonies from one blooming pasture to the next lithub.com/how-bees-cam...

New research shows that UK populations of solitary bees may be much more sensitive than previously thought to the kinds of extreme weather we are now seeing regularly. theconversation.com/heatwaves-ar...

25 sightings of yellow-legged Asian hornets confirmed in England by 15.5.26, 5 new this week reported in Kent, East Sussex & Southampton Please remain vigilant and report all sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app Details: www.nationalbeeunit.com/.../yellow-l.... www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet...

Pollinator plants have emerged as vibrant stars in the realm of gardening, cherished not just for their colours and aesthetics but for their vital contributions to the environment. www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2614037...

NBU update 29.5.26 5 further credible reports of Yellow-Legged Asian hornets Shirley, Southampton - 22 May New Romney, Kent - 22 May Charing, Ashford, Kent - 24 May Two sightings, Rother, East Sussex.

Bechbretha or bee-judgments were the part of Brehon law which set out the rights and responsibilities associated with beekeeping www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

On a recent ferry crossing from Santander to Portsmouth in May 2026, an unexpected sight was recorded onboard the vessel by a director of Apitura®, a Yellow-legged Asian hornet, Vespa velutina. apitura.com/blog/asian-h...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to soon close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, a 6,500-acre agricultural research station in Maryland that is home to the nation’s premier bee research and disease diagnosis hub, the Beltsville Bee Research Lab theconversation.com/shutting-dow...

This recent study showed that bees dynamically adjust the perceptual effort they invest in their navigation depending on the risk associated with different scenarios. phys.org/news/2026-05...

This page on the BBKA's website contains information to help those who find themselves with a honey bee colony which has set up home within the fabric of a building. www.bbka.org.uk/bees-in-buil...