Saturday 18th May, Uckfield College, 10am to 4.30pm:
We will be at the Sussex Bee Market with a large range of beekeeping equipment.
Items can be purchased on the day or ordered in advance for collection at the market.
Come along and learn all about the fascinating world of bees, with talks, workshops, trade stands, auction and much more!
- Bees, plants and honey on sale
- Talks on honey bees and beginning your beekeeping
- Interactive children’s bee workshop
- Refreshments and snacks available
- Equipment auction
- Gardening ideas
- Trade stands
- Workshops
- and much more
The Sussex Bee Market:
Uckfield College, Downsview Crescent, Uckfield, TN22 3D
Organised by the Sussex Beekeepers Association the Bee Market is an event for all beekeepers or prospective beekeepers – 2024 SBKA Bee Market | Sussex Beekeepers Association.
The auction of equipment and bees is perhaps the main event of interest as here one can pick up a real bargain. Any successful beekeeper soon needs more equipment, and this is a cheap way to pick up a nuc box or extra crown boards or an extra floor. There is always equipment for sale so, if you are savvy you can pick up a real bargain. If you want a chance of participating in the auction, register your name as you go in and obtain a bidding card: that allows you to bid.
Starting to bee keep is not a decision anyone can take without a bit of research. So, this year there will be a short 20-minute talk about how to start your journey. The East Sussex divisions are made up of Hastings and Rother, The High Weald, Brighton and Lewes, Eastbourne and East Grinstead. The training officer for the High Weald division will be talking but there will be representatives from all the divisions and so you will be able to talk to someone from your area. It’s a wonderful hobby if you can commit the time. Experienced beekeepers who know of friends or neighbours who might be interested should tell them about the bee market. There will be other beginners there, so come and meet some who have already taken the plunge.
Families are welcome and Maggie Pratt who is a trained primary school teacher will hold a session for children so they can discover more about bees.
The High Weald runs a plant stall selling bee friendly plants. Whether you are a future beekeeper or just like the natural world everyone should be planting as many pollinator plants as possible particularly if they flower early in the year.
For the first time this year the Sussex microscopes will be on display, and we will be looking at pollen that has fallen off the corbiculae of the bees. If you are a beekeeper, put in an inspection board in the next month and collect as many different colours of pollen as possible that falls on the board. We will try and do some detective work and try and discover what your bees have been collecting. Just place the pollen in a brown envelope and put the date on the envelope. The images from the microscopes will be projected onto a screen. The microscopic world of pollen is a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes.
Finally, for those of us passionate about our bees there is this year a lecture about drone congregation areas by Stephen Flemming Co-Editor of Bee Craft Magazine. Well mated queens mate with up to 16 different drones and instinctively know where to go and find the drones. The insect world is extraordinary. Come and find out more.
All relevant information can be found on the SBKA website 2024 SBKA Bee Market | Sussex Beekeepers Association.
A full version of the auction conditions can be found here SBKA Bee Market Auction Conditions | Sussex Beekeepers Association and with a downloadable pdf
There are also forms for those wanting to sell things e.g. Bee Market – Auction Booking form | Sussex Beekeepers Association (sbka.info) and Bee Market – Second-hand Stall Booking Form | Sussex Beekeepers Association (sbka.info)
