Newbattle Beekeepers Association

So You Want to Keep Bees!

Newbattle Beekeepers Association runs a course each year to help new beekeepers learn the art and craft of beekeeping. The course gives aspiring beekeepers a good working knowledge of both the theory and practical aspects of beekeeping.The 2023-24 course is now underway with 12 participants. If you are interested in joining the association and becoming a participant in the 24-25 course click on the link:   I Want to Keep Bees  

2023 Trophy Winners From l to r

Neil Rutherford - Best Honey

Tina Misselbrook - Most Points, Baking

Martin Vevers - Best in Show (Victoria sponge)

Aidan Dorren - Best Newcomer 

Not available for photograph - Gino Jabbar - Most Points

Honey & Photography Judging complete & rosette and prize card awarded

Another successful and fun NBA Honey and Craft Show was completed over the weekend of 25 & 26 November. Congratulations to all who submitted amazing entries. Interesting that honey entries were down this year. Probably a reflection of this year’s chaotic weather and the impact it had on the honey harvest. Grateful thanks to Judges Alan and Cynthia Riach, Steward Annette Evans and Show Organiser Malcolm Evans for all their hard work.

A new trophy was awarded this year - the NBA 10th Anniversary Commemoration trophy to be awarded at the Trustees’ discretion. It was awarded to the Best Newcomer Achievement in Show - Aiden Dorren

Another year of learning what are the highest standards to strive for and acclaiming our talented members.                                                                                  

Friday 21 October is the first ever National Honey Day in the UK. The aim of the day is to promote delicious local honey and to highlight the increasing problem of fake ‘honey’.

Honey has been used worldwide for centuries both as food and medicine. It’s a natural source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and is antibacterial. The ancient Egyptians offered honey to their deities and used it to heal infected wounds. It’s widely used in modern medicine infused in wound dressings. 

Pure honey comes in a huge range of different flavours, colours and textures. These qualities are determined by which plants the foraging bees have collected nectar from. The flavour can range from light and floral to dark and bitter.

Honey is so delicious to eat but at NBA we also add it to our skincare products as it is antibacterial, nourishing and moisturising.  

But bee aware! There’s lots of fake honey out there. Sadly, honey is one of the most faked food in the world! Suppliers mix cheap sugar or corn syrup with honey to bulk it out and bring down the cost. This 'honey' lacks the natural, delicious flavour of pure honey, as well as the health benefits. Look for pure honey with the country of origin clearly shown on the label. Ideally buy a jar of local honey from Newbattle Beekeepers Association from our Online Shop or call by the Bee Academy at Newbattle Abbey College.

Take Me To the Online Shop 

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A great day at Vogrie Pogrie on Saturday 16 September. Even although it was cold compared to recently we had great fun sharing with visitors all about bees and selling Newbattle Beekeepers Association honey and products of the hive to raise funds for NBA. The music was lively and invigorating and seeing the kids (and adults) having great fun being chased by dinosaurs was a delight to watch. Huge thanks to Helen, Annette, Val and Malcolm for such a great job delivering yet another successful event.

Working Together with

&

A very pleasant afternoon on Sunday 10 September attending Belhaven Hill School Countryside Fayre where we shared with pupils and parents all about the importance of honeybees and sold NBA products of the hive. We were delighted to have Deborah and Colin Mackay from East Lothian Beekeepers Association join us and hold a very popular and much in demand candle rolling session which was loved by adults and kids alike.

The afternoon’s activities were a huge success including the opportunity for everyone to milk the RHET cow, make yoghurt, press apples and drink apple juice, observe chutney making, and admire the adorable Shetland ponies. Lots of games and other activities were enjoyed. Huge thanks to Helen, Malcolm, Annette, Deborah and Colin for delivering another hugely successful event. 

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Find out more about the Varroa Communications strategy - Read the Bee-Blog Post dated 06 September Here

King's Park Primary School Dalkeith

Pupils from P5 made a visit to the Bee Academy on Thursday 1 June

Our visitors sent us their Thank You Cards when they returned to school after the summer break to tell us how much they enjoyed their visit and the activities that were organised for them on the day by our team of members led by Neil Rutherford.

Visitors to Newbattle - Friday 21 July

Trustees Helen Nelson (Chair), Malcolm Evans (Treasurer) and Neil Rutherford (Education Sub Group Lead) were delighted to welcome Anita Long from Tasmania and Michelle Berry SBA Development officer to the NBA Bee Academy and Teaching Apiary on Friday 21 July 2023. Anita founded the Tasmanian Junior Beekeepers organisation in 2017 exclusively for children aged 7 -17 (FB: Tasmanian Junior Beekeepers), and was conducting research in UK on teaching Juniors having been awarded the Australian Winston Churchill Fellowship grant. (churchhilltrust.com.au). We very much enjoyed exchanging approaches to teaching juniors and wish Anita every success in completing her final report and to receiving a copy of her findings. It's always a pleasure to see Michelle to thank her personally for the wonderful support she provides to ABAs (Affiliated Beekeeper Associations) 

        llll l  l     

Play Host to:

Anita Long, 2nd left & Michelle Berry, far right

on Friday 21 July at the Teaching Apiary, Bee Academy &

Newbattle Abbey Estate

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The Show was held on Saturday 8 July at Dalkeith Country Park and once again Newbattle Beekeepers Association took a stand to promote the association, beekeeping and bee conservation. A team of six member volunteers were around throughout the day to meet and greet visitors to the stand and to sell association honey and other products of the hive. An observation hive with a frame of bees was on display and this proved to be very popular with young and old alike. Honey tasting was also on offer throughout the day. This was an excellent sales promotion for the Newbattle Beekeepers Association honey that was on offer for sale to our stand visitors.

Grateful thanks must go to the "Show Team" for meeting and greeting our visitors, answering the many questions put to them also for promoting Newbattle Beekeepers Association and selling the range of products on offer.

One and All

Annette, Lorna, Malcolm, Martin, Rosemary & Val  

L - A team of six volunteers assisted throughout the day. Val W, Rosemary M & Martin V are on duty here.

C - The RHS exhibit was an excellent promotion of the products on sale

R - Annette E was on duty throughout the day offering honey tasting. This no doubt boosted honey sales.  

The 2023 - 24 Basic Beekeeper Course is Up and Running!

Sunday July 2 saw the launch of the Newbattle Beekeepers Association Basic Beekeeper Course at the Bee Academy and Newbattle Teaching Apiary. The course induction for the new intake of "Foster Parents" was led by Neil Rutherford, trustee responsible for our educational programme. The new course participants met at the Bee Academy and later went over to the Newbattle Teaching Apiary where their mentors for the next year were waiting to meet them. They were allocated the hives they will be looking after for the next year, their Bee Suits and course books. Here you see three of the new course participants getting to know their mentors for the year and no doubt making arrangements to carry out their first hive inspection.   

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at the 2023

The Newbattle Beekeepers Association class 53 entry was staged on Wednesday morning at the RHS. This is the second time the association has entered the competition and last year it was awarded a second place, will it be a first this year? and the answer is NO. We were not placed because the judge determined that we had exceeded the maximum number of products we could display. 

Many thanks to those members who brought it all together:

Lorraine A, Jonathan H, Michaela H, Tina M and Neil R

We will learn from our experience and get it right  for next year.

Also for the first time the association is taking the opportunity to market honey through the SBA shop. Thanks go to Colin M for getting the honey from bucket to jar in time for the show.

100% Success For NBA Candidates with Their SBA Basic Beekeeper Examination at Newbattle on 10 June 

Everyone at Newbattle Beekeepers Association is extremely proud of our 12 newest beekeepers who today completed the Scottish Beekeepers Association  Basic Beekeeping Certificate. They have been a terrific group to work with over the last year. Many thanks to all of the mentors, supporters and examiners who assisted in the process.

Heather Brown

with mentor James Thomson

Joshua Curquejo (r)

with mentor Scott Clark

Stephanie Dias

with mentor Ross McGlade

Eniko Haar

with mentor Martin Vevers

Jonathan Haston (l)

with mentor Ian Evans

Jack Mayo (r)

with mentor Neil Rutherford

Ashley Moffat

with mentor Ross McGlade

& Lhotse (centre, looking on)

KenMcKnight (l)

with mentor Martin Wylupek 

& Clova (bottom l)

Claire Rankin

with mentor Martin Vevers

Beth Scott

with mentor Martin Vevers

Lorna Watson (r)

with mentor Kate McNairney

Nicola Watson (r)

with mentor Helen Boyle

The Scottish Beekeepers Association  Examiners Were

Mark Barrnet

Alan Riach

Matthew Richardson

Jane Slight

The Examiners were assisted by trainee examiners from

Newbattle Beekeepers Association

Lorraine Aitken

Ewan Mealyou

Josefine Schneidt-Frazer

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