Beekeeping in the Vale of the White Horse, since 1963.
A registered charity of around 157 members, covering the Vale and the country around it — from Newbury through Oxford to Banbury, and Swindon to Reading. We train new beekeepers, keep bees together at our apiary, and answer the phone when there's a swarm in your hedge.
Whoever you are, one click.
Most people arrive with one of four questions. Each gets its own door.
There are bees in my garden
Swarms, bees in a roof or wall, and how to tell a honey bee from a bumblebee, wasp or hornet.
Report a swarm 02I'd like to keep bees
Taster days, the beginners' course, what it really costs, and what you need before you start.
How to begin 03I'm a member
This month's newsletter, apiary meetings, equipment hire, the library and committee papers.
Members' area 04I'm looking for local honey
Members selling honey from their own hives, and where to find it across the Vale.
Find local honeyNext few dates.
From the association calendar. Past dates drop off on their own.
Apiary sessions at the Red Barn
1–2pm Beginners with Bees, 2.30–4pm open members' session. Suits and spares available (mornings when it's hot — check for our emails).
Wax & Candle Day
Turn your cappings into usable wax and make three candles to take home. £10 for the day. Open to Newbury members too.
Fun Honey Show & AGM
Drayton Village Hall. A friendly show for members of every level, followed by the AGM.
The National Honey Show
Sandown Park, Esher. Talks, classes and trade stands — the highlight of the beekeeping calendar.
Published monthly, shared with Newbury BKA.
A full year of back-issues, free to read. This month's leads with our fresh new look.
September 2026
The new-look issue — a fresh design, a member spotlight, forage of the month, a video feature and September tips.
Read the latest issue (PDF)- August 2026Varroa treatment options, the apiary disease inspection, and a farewell after five years of the joint newsletter.PDF
- July 2026High summer — the main flow, keeping supers ahead of the bees, and the tail of swarm season.PDF
- June 2026Queen rearing, the June gap, and keeping an eye on stores in strong colonies.PDF
- May 2026Peak swarming — weekly inspections, swarm control, and what to do when you find queen cells.PDF
- April 2026First inspections of the year and building colonies for the season ahead.PDF
- March 2026Getting ready for the season, plus Asian hornet monitoring as spring approaches.PDF
- February 2026Winter talks, and the association's strategy for the yellow-legged hornet.PDF
- January 2026A new year — the shortest day behind us and the colonies beginning to stir.PDF
- December 2025Winter care, hefting for stores, and the round-up as the year closes.PDF
- November 2025Reading season — oxalic acid treatment when broodless, and the winter lecture programme.PDF
- October 2025Putting the bees to bed for winter: mouse guards, woodpecker guards and strapping down.PDF
- September 2025Wasps under control, Asian Hornet Week, and research into pollen-substitute superfoods.PDF
- All issues & the members' area →
Watch for the yellow-legged hornet
We run a dedicated Asian Hornet Watch page — how to identify it, how to report it, and what our local team is doing.
Found a swarm? Don't spray it. Call us.
A honey bee swarm is not dangerous when left alone — the bees are full of honey and looking for a home, not for trouble. We collect them free of charge, usually the same day, anywhere in the Vale of the White Horse.
Swarm line (May–August, 8am–8pm): [swarm line number — example]
Is it actually a honey bee?
We can only collect honey bees. A few quick checks save everyone a wasted journey — and if it turns out to be something else, we'll point you to who can help.
Honey bee
Amber-brown and black, roughly wasp-sized but furrier. A swarm is thousands of them clustered in a ball on a branch, fence or wall. These we collect.
Bumblebee
Large, round and very furry. Nests are small — a few dozen bees — and die out naturally by autumn. Best left alone.
Wasp or hornet
Bright yellow, smooth, narrow waist, papery grey nest. That's a job for a pest controller, not a beekeeper.
Yellow-legged hornet
Dark body, yellow leg-ends, orange face. This one matters nationally — see our Asian Hornet Watch page and report it.
Thinking of keeping bees? Start with us.
Beekeeping is absorbing, sociable and genuinely good for the countryside — but it rewards a proper start. Here's how we help you begin, the right way.
Come to a taster day first
Before you spend a penny on kit, spend a morning at the apiary with an experienced beekeeper. You'll open a hive, meet the bees up close, and get an honest sense of whether it's for you. Suits and gloves are provided.
The beginners' course
Our winter beginners' course is the proper foundation: a series of evening sessions covering the colony, the beekeeping year, swarming, pests and diseases, and the kit you'll need — followed by hands-on apiary sessions in the spring. It includes your first year's association membership and the BBKA Guide to Beekeeping.
What it costs, and what you need
We'll always be straight about the first-year cost, because it's more than people expect. Between a hive, a suit and tools, and your bees, a realistic first year runs to a few hundred pounds — but you can spread it, buy sensibly second-hand, and borrow association kit while you find your feet.
| Taster day | A morning at the apiary — the best first step. Small charge, suit provided. |
| Beginners' course | Winter evenings + spring apiary sessions. Includes first year's membership and the BBKA guide. |
| Your first hive & bees | A few hundred pounds all-in for the first year — we'll help you buy well, not expensively. |
| Mentoring | Every new member is paired with an experienced beekeeper for their first season. You are never on your own. |
Common questions
Will my neighbours mind? Well-kept bees in the right spot are barely noticed. We'll advise on siting so you stay on good terms.
What about allergies? You will get stung occasionally. Most people react little; we'll talk you through the sensible precautions.
How much time does it take? Weekly checks through the active season (roughly April to August), very little over winter.
Do I need much space? Less than you'd think — a corner of a garden can be plenty, and we have apiary space too.
Our year, from the apiary to the lecture hall.
One calendar drives everything — the list on the home page, this page, and the reminder emails to members. Past dates drop off on their own.
Apiary meetings
Saturdays at the Red Barn through the season — beginners early, then an open members' session. The heart of the association: hands in real hives, learning from each other.
Winter lectures
Talks through the darker months, in person and sometimes on Zoom, with recordings for members afterwards. Everything from disease to the science of foraging.
Shows & social
Our Fun Honey Show and AGM, the Newbury & Berkshire Honey Show, and the National Honey Show — plus the barbecue and the odd pub meet.
Apiary sessions — Red Barn
1–2pm Beginners with Bees; 2.30–4pm open members' session.
Wax & Candle Day
£10, 10am–3pm. Three candles to take home. Open to Newbury members.
Fun Honey Show & AGM
Drayton Village Hall. Classes for every level, then the AGM.
National Honey Show
Sandown Park, Esher. Open to all — well worth the trip.
Winter lecture series
Monthly talks — dates announced in the newsletter and by email.
The members' area.
On the live site members sign in with their email — no membership numbers to remember, no second website. Below is what lives here.
Newsletters
Every issue, newest first — free to read. Published monthly, jointly with Newbury & District BKA.
September 2026
The new-look issue — a fresh design, a member spotlight, forage of the month, a video feature and September tips.
Read (PDF)- August 2026Varroa treatment options, the apiary disease inspection, and a farewell after five years of the joint newsletter.PDF
- July 2026High summer — the main flow, keeping supers ahead of the bees, and the tail of swarm season.PDF
- June 2026Queen rearing, the June gap, and keeping an eye on stores in strong colonies.PDF
- May 2026Peak swarming — weekly inspections, swarm control, and what to do when you find queen cells.PDF
- April 2026First inspections of the year and building colonies for the season ahead.PDF
- March 2026Getting ready for the season, plus Asian hornet monitoring as spring approaches.PDF
- February 2026Winter talks, and the association's strategy for the yellow-legged hornet.PDF
- January 2026A new year — the shortest day behind us and the colonies beginning to stir.PDF
- December 2025Winter care, hefting for stores, and the round-up as the year closes.PDF
- November 2025Reading season — oxalic acid treatment when broodless, and the winter lecture programme.PDF
- October 2025Putting the bees to bed for winter: mouse guards, woodpecker guards and strapping down.PDF
- September 2025Wasps under control, Asian Hornet Week, and research into pollen-substitute superfoods.PDF
Committee & contacts
Who to ask about what — each officer reachable at a role address (news@, education@, membership@…) so it always reaches the right person.
Equipment hire
Borrow the association's manual honey extractor for £1 a day — phone Gillian Taylor on 01235 751646 to arrange pickup from Childrey. Please return it clean.
Library
A shelf of beekeeping books to borrow — from the classics to the latest on disease and husbandry.
Policies & papers
Safeguarding policy, AGM papers and the accounts — the governance of the association, open to members.
Education
The beginners' course, BBKA Basic and the module study groups. Winter is the time to take your beekeeping further — email education@valeanddownlandbees.org.uk.
Lecture recordings
Missed a winter talk, or want to watch it again? Members can catch up on the recordings here.
A Vale institution since 1963.
The Vale & Downland Beekeepers' Association was founded in 1963 and has been a registered charity (no. 1015801) since 1991. We're affiliated to the British Beekeepers' Association, and today we're around 157 members strong, covering the Vale of the White Horse and the country around it — from Newbury through Oxford to Banbury, and Swindon to Reading.
Our aims are simple: to promote beekeeping, to raise public awareness of bees and why they matter to the countryside, and to support everyone from the complete beginner to the beekeeper of forty years' standing. We do that through training, our shared apiary, the monthly newsletter, and simply being on the end of the phone.
Our apiary
The association apiary at the Red Barn is where most of it happens — Saturday sessions through the season, beginners early and an open members' session after. It's where new members get their hands into real hives under experienced eyes, and where a lot of the association's friendships are made. We also run a schools project, taking beekeeping to local children.
Bee health
Healthy bees are everyone's business. We keep members up to date on varroa, on the foulbroods, and on the work of the National Bee Unit and the regional bee inspector — and we take biosecurity seriously at the apiary and in our own hives.
Asian hornet
The yellow-legged hornet is the threat we're watching most closely. We run a dedicated page on how to identify and report it.
Local honey
Nothing beats honey from a hive down the road. A number of our members sell honey from their own bees — the live site lists who and where, across the Vale.
Get in touch
The live site carries a single contact form that routes to the right officer automatically. In the meantime, the newsletter goes to news@valeanddownlandbees.org.uk, and education enquiries to education@valeanddownlandbees.org.uk.