Welcome to the Kingston Beekeepers
Club Apiary.Welcome to the Kingston Beekeepers
Club Apiary.
The apiary Co-ordinator is Mark Nicolls, ably assisted by the apiary team and George McCrone who also looks after the beginners group.
The Apiary is usually open every Saturday afternoon from 2 pm in the summer months from March to September. Anyone is welcome to just drop in and try out out beginners group, but to be sure there is a meeting this week email Joyce Acher and let us know you are coming. There is always plenty going on: Mark orgainizing beekeepers and equipment for the club hives, George in shorts and tee shirt opening a hive with the beginners, members checking their own colonies, and the chairman working in a cloud of bees and wearing his armour plated bee suit.
We hold an Open Day every year on the first Saturday in April, but you are welcome to turn up to any of our Saturday 2 O'clock meetings. There is usually honey to buy, someone to answer your questions, and a beginners group to join in with. For a closer look at the bees we keep some spare proctective clothing for guests, but suggest you bring a pair of wellies.
This is some wild honeycomb that the bees built in an empty box on the top of a beehive when they ran short of space to store their honey. Some of the honey is ripe and has been capped by the bees to keep it fresh. Underneath is a box with frames of honey comb and probably the brood (larval/baby bees). The plastic spacers on the end of the frames maintain the 'bee space' between the combs.
The Apiary is in the North East corner of the Hampton Court Way Allotments (HCWA). You can just see the beehives on the left when driving North along Hampton Court Way, after you have gone past the entrance to the allotments.
The pedestrian entrance to the allotments is on Hampton Court Way, about 20m north of the roundabout with Imber Court Road. Please close the gate behind you. The track goes in a big circle and the apiary is at the far end of the allotment site. The vehicle entrance, roud the back of the site, is a narrow track that starts on the bend in Broadfields. (off Ember Lane)