Welcome to the Bristol Beekeepers website. Bristol Beekeepers is a branch of the Avon Beekeepers Association (ABKA), a charity that promotes the advancement of the science of apiculture (beekeeping) and broader public awareness and education on the topic.
Bristol Beekeepers runs a full programme of social and educational events throughout the year. Many events are open to beekeepers and non-beekeepers alike as well as members of other clubs or associations. Our calendar of events can be found on our Events page. More details are provided in our newsletter which is regularly emailed to members. To become a new member please fill out our membership form.
Bristol Beekeepers has an excellent apiary where members can practice the craft of beekeeping with the support of an experienced beekeeper and full protective kit being provided.
Many of our members also sell their own honey locally around Bristol. If you are interested in finding out about local sellers in your postcode, please contact our Secretary.
Apiary, Grounds Days and other Spring Events
As we head into Spring with our Introduction to Beekeeping course now behind us (keep your eyes peeled in September for next January’s course dates) we now begin our series of Apiary and Grounds days.
Apiary days allow our members to practice beekeeping in our apiary with more experienced beekeepers on hand. We have a range of hive types and also cover more technical aspects of beekeeping (queen rearing, pest treatment, honey extraction). Grounds days are a great opportunity for members to enjoy the apiary grounds and connect with other beekeepers while helping out with a few tasks that need to be done to keep the orchards, buildings and hives looking great year round. If you are not yet a member and would like to sign up to join our events please fill our membership form.
From time to time we also advertise events being hosted by other ABKA branches. More details of all these can be found by going to the calendar on our Events page.Asian Yellow-Legged Hornet or not?
The Asian yellow-legged hornet, also known as the Asian Hornet (vespa velutina nigrithorax), presents a risk to beekeepers across Europe. Although we have hornets in the UK, the Asian yellow-legged hornet is a non-native and invasive species that is known to feed on and kill large numbers of native honeybees. As it has no known predators in the UK it poses a serious risk to biodiversity.
Do you know what they look like? How are they different to the European Hornet?
If you would like more information visit the BBKA Asian Hornet Action Team page or download the Asian Hornet identification PDF. You can also find out more about the Asian yellow-legged hornet’s impact on biodiversity and bees. Asian hornets: What are they and why are they bad for UK bees? - BBC Newsround.

Find a Swarm Collector

Asian Hornet - Have you seen me?
