ACHIEVING LONG-TERM IMPACT IN GHANA

Welcome to our January Bee Mail! This month, as our Beekeepers Restore Forests project in Ghana comes to an end, we explore the impact of three years of work inspiring people in Afram Plains to protect their environment and earn an income through beekeeping, and how this impact can continue beyond the lifespan of the project. 

Buzz Club Coordinator Rejoice Azameti gives us an update on Bees for Development Ghana’s school beekeeping clubs and the plans to roll them out further, enabling more children to access this wonderful opportunity.

You’ll meet Eric Nyarko who has recently been appointed as Director of Bees for Development Ghana. Learn about his background and his vision for the future of sustainable beekeeping in Ghana.

Help us continue this important work in Ghana and around the world by becoming a regular giver. Monthly donations help us plan our work and can make a big difference.

Set up a direct debit

Eric Nyarko is the newly appointed Director of Bees for Development Ghana. He is a seasoned development practitioner with over twenty years of experience in advocacy, leadership, partnerships development and management and multi-stakeholder engagement across Ghana. 

Committed to inclusive, accountable, and sustainable development, Eric works to empower communities to take ownership of their development processes.

“True development happens when communities are empowered to lead and partnerships are grounded in trust, accountability and a shared purpose for sustainable impact.”  

INSPIRING CHANGE IN YOUNG PEOPLE

A group picture of Atakora clubbers together with Rejoice displaying their sketch of honey bees with 'bee attitudes' labels

“I used to be afraid of bees and killed them whenever I saw them. Now I protect them instead.”

– Buzz Clubber Ntim Sammuel, at Donkorkrom E.P. School

In rural Ghana, where subsistence agriculture and community life are deeply intertwined, Buzz Clubs have emerged as an innovative response to the environmental challenges posed by these livelihood activities.

WHEN A PROJECT ENDS, THE WORK CONTINUES

Over the past 3 years much of our work in Ghana has been under the Beekeepers Restore Forests project in the Afram Plains.

This wide-ranging project, funded by The Darwin Initiative, has allowed us to tackle some of the region’s most pressing environmental and developmental needs through beekeeping.

The latest reported nest discovery and destruction by NBU/APHA in the UK was on 11 November in Dorset, giving a total of 162 for 2025.

 

  

Dr. Sara Robb will be at the Bee Academy on 15 February 2026 at 13:00 to deliver her talk on Bee Cosmetics.

Don't forget to register if you are planning on being there.

Super Natural Cosmetics

You can make super natural cosmetics, with the honey, wax and propolis from your apiary. Dr Sara Robb will discuss ingredients from the hive and how they enhance cosmetic formulations. For example, the characteristics of honey—such as colour, flavour, and antioxidant levels—depend on its nectar source, making each variety unique. Using different honey types in cosmetic formulations allows beekeepers to produce distinct products, including soaps. During the session, Sara will demonstrate how to make Oat & Orange Beekeeper’s Soap, using her no-cure method. Same‑Day Soap is a cold‑process soap method that uses controlled chemistry to fully saponify the soap quickly, so you can use it or sell it the same day you make it! Finally, Sara will provide an overview of the steps required to sell cosmetics legally, for those beekeepers who would like to sell soaps, creams, and balms.

*****************

We have two books by Sara in the Bee Academy Library and both are available to borrow now.

To Visit the Bee Academy Library Website Click HERE

The latest additions to the Bee Academy library are two books very kindly donated by the Vice Chair of the Association Martin Vevers. Both are about pests that are a danger to Honey Bees.

1. The Asian Hornet - Threats, Biology & Expansion by Professor Stephen Martin and published by IBRA (International Bee Research Association) - Catalogue No. 642

2. The Small Hive Beetle Aethina tumid Murray by Wm.Michael Hood, Professor Emeritus Entomology at Emeritus College, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA

Available to borrow from the Bee Academy Library now.

Matthew Richardson, president of the Scottish Beekeepers Association  has created a free honey bee lifecycle wheel. It is available to print off and use for non-commercial purposes.

click on the link to access the wheel:

Bee Life-Cycle Ready Reckoner  

January Webinar - Wednesday 7 January 19.30

The Scottish Beekeepers Association welcome Prof Stephen Martin, a familiar face to many who attended the last Scottish Beekeepers Association convention. Prof Martin will be discussing our native hornet, the European Hornet.

Prof Martin has studied social insects (bees, wasps, termites and ants) for most of his career. His areas of specialisation are the ‘hornet ecology’, ‘pest and diseases of honeybees’ and ‘chemical ecology of ants’. He holds a Chair in Social Entomology in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at Salford University, Manchester. Prior to that he spent 12 years working at Sheffield University, 7 years with the National Bee Unit and 7 years in Japan conducting research into hornets.

These beekeeping webinars are free to SBA Members, you just need to register your attendance beforehand for access on the night. To book your place, please click on the link below

BOOK PLACE

The 2025 second and updated version of this book is now available to borrow from the Bee Academy Library.

The book is aimed at beginners and more experienced beekeepers alike. The book contains the basic information needed as a starting point for planning the response needed to this new threat to the health and wellbeing of our colonies of honeybees.

There is increasing use of the term Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet.

There are two copies available to borrow. 

A trade show for beekeepers held at the Telford International Centre, International Way, Telford, TF3 4HJ.

Find out more about the show:

Here

From 2 - 9 December every donation made to two Bee Charities will be doubled through "The Big Give" which is itself a registered charity.

Bees For Development is fundraising for:

                                                                                        "Help Make Beekeeping Disability Inclusive"

They are delivering this programme in Uganda and Ghana to empower programme participants to make a living and earn respect.

Bees Abroad is fundraising for its project:

"Pollinating Progress"

This is a project being delivered in Nigeria to build beekeeping capacity for participating families.

If you wish to give or read more about the campaigns visit:

The Big Give 

The National Bee Unit (NBU) has opened its annual poll and asks all beekeepers to update their entry or register the the number of hives they have. Each apiary should have its own entry.

The information recorded helps the NBU tackle disease outbreaks and will help them in monitoring the spread of the yellow-legged Asian Hornet.

The survey is open until 31 December.

Enter your hive/apiary details:

Update or Register Here