Administration of
Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association

The Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association (BIBBA) is a UK charity (Reg No. 273827) administered by a committee of trustees. The following list of trustees and their appointed posts is for the year 2008 as elected at the AGM.
An asterisk * indicates Non voting status as either a non elected representative of another body or a co-opted member.

Office of President

Terrence E. Clare

Email... president@bibba.com

  Current year's president
Terry was first introduced to bees at 6 years old when he bought his first bee book. Commenced beekeeping in 1969/70 after attending a beginners' course run by Ken Beevor. Subsequently spent a year at Hadlow College, which included a period at the famous Kirkheim Bee Institute in Germany. This resulted in a radical change in his beekeeping methods which has been reinforced by extensive travel in European countries. Is about to complete the BBKA's Senior Certificate. Is still a bee farmer and is down-sizing on his 100 colonies, sells honey, hive products, bee equipment and clothing, produces and sells queens and is the Convenor for a breeding group. Writes articles, lectures, runs workshops and courses in UK and Ireland. Was a former office holder in his local Association, Conference Convenor for the National Honey Show and is a team member of the BBKA's Spring Convention. BIBBA's representative on CONBA and the DEFRA National Bee meetings. Places great in importance on the native bee, bee improvement, breeding techniques, improved husbandry and education.

 

Office of Secretary

Brian Dennis

Email... secretary@bibba.com

Brian also holds the post of Membership Secretary.
Brian's Postal Address
Email... membership-secretary@bibba.com

  Current year's secretary
I started beekeeping in 1976, along with a friend, as an antidote to the stress of teaching. My friend lost interest and mine increased to total involvement, obtaining the BBKA Intermediate Certificate along the way. I have taken on most roles in Northamptonshire Beekeepers Association being Chairman 3 times and also President. On joining BIBBA I became a member of the Committee, taking over the job of Membership Secretary from Albert Knight. I served on the BBKA Executive Committee for six years and was involved with Education. After a break of several years, I was again elected on to the Executive. I am at present Secretary of the Education & Husbandry Committee, Secretary of the Standing Orders Committee, and Chairman of the Royal Show committee. When not attending meetings, I attempt to manage & improve about 20 colonies of bees located in 3 apiaries. My two main preoccupations are gardening & beekeeping!

 

Office of Treasurer

Tom Robinson

Email... treasurer@bibba.com

Treasurer's Postal Address

  Current year's treasurer
Tom has been keeping bees since about 1984 and during the last 20 of those years he has been raising queens and selectively breeding bees. Tom generally runs about 100 colonies in the York area. York is at the centre of a fertile plain where Oil seed rape, borage and heather are all in reach. Tom has been on the committee of BIBBA for 12 years and for the last 5 years has been treasurer.

 

Chairman

Dinah Sweet

Email... chairman@bibba.com

Dinah is also our Conference Secretary.
Email... conference-secretary@bibba.com

  Current year's chairman
Dinah Sweet started her beekeeping with husband John, 34 years ago in Hampshire/Surrey borders joining both county associations. Members of BIBBA in late 70's and Bee-farmers in the 80's. Living in Caerphilly (on the north side of a mountain) for last 20 years with break for 5 years in Caribbean, where due to living in very residential area and 'africanised' bees, stopped beekeeping temporarily. Now looking after Cardiff Beekeepers' Association's teaching apiary and hives of my own. Beekeeping qualifications: Senior BBKA Certificate, UK Certificate in Apiculture, Diploma in Apiculture (Cardiff University) with distinction for dissertation on 'pollen examination in Hampshire honeys', Honey Judge (WBKA).

 

Vice Chairman

Richard Jackman

Email... vice-chairman@bibba.com

Richard holds a second post of Merchandising Manager
Email... merchandising@bibba.com

  Current year's Vice Chairman
Richard Jackman lives at the Berrow in Worcestershire, there have been bees there since before he was born. In 1992 he realised that 'backyard' beekeepers would be decimated as a result of the varroa invasion. Quite quickly his colony numbers grew to 60 and in 2007 he was persuaded to install another 20 colonies at a nearby national trust estate. He is an avid instrumental inseminator, but often find difficulty setting enough time aside for it. His wife gave him notice to quit the (her) kitchen in 2006 and he now has a barn converted (almost finished) as an extraction/bottling and insemination 'shed'.

 

Minutes Secretary

Brian Milward

Email... none at present
Brian's Postal Address

Brian is BIBBA Show Secretary as well

  Current year's Minutes Secretary, Image BBKA
Brian Arthur Milward was born in Cardiff in 1937, he obtained his B Sc degree in 1959 and became a school teacher, then in 1983 he retired from Teaching and took up beekeeping along with allotment gardening. Brian joined Warwickshire BKA and served as Warwick and Leamington branch secretary from 1989 until 2002, Brian was also editor of "Warwickshire Beekeeper" between 1988 and 2001. He did a stint as Warwickshire County Chairman in 1999 and has gained BBKA Intermediate (1997) and Advanced (2001) Certificates, in Ireland he gained FIBKA Bee-master in 1999 and passed the Lectureship in 2002. Brian spent the years 2000 to 2004 as Office Assistant at BBKA-HQ.

 

Bee Improvement Editor

Phillip Denwood *
With help from T. Clare in chasing up authors of articles

Email... magazine-editor@bibba.com

  Current year's Bee Improvement Editor

 

Advertising and Publicity

Roger Patterson * in combination with Dave Cushman

Email... publicity@bibba.com

Roger is also Website Editor
Email... web-editor@bibba.com

  Current year's Publicity Team
Roger Patterson is a practical beekeeper who has kept bees since 1963. This was directly after the harsh 1962/3 winter when a large number of bees and queens were imported. He quickly realised these imports were not well suited to our climate, and a chance meeting with Beowulf Cooper resulted in him joining VBBA in 1965. At one stage he ran 130 colonies, but has now reduced and concentrates on teaching the practical aspects of beekeeping.

 

Groups Secretary

Position Vacant

Email... groups@bibba.com

 

 

Sales Secretary

John Hendrie * (co-opted)

Email... sales@bibba.com
John has a secondary role to understudy the Treasurer with a view to taking over that post in future.

  Current year's Sales Secretary
John Hendrie has been involved with bees and beekeeping almost all his life, having been stung at the age of two by one of his father's colonies. Since graduating from university in 1971, he has held many offices in local beekeeping associations, including branch secretary (12 years) and treasurer of Kent BKA (8 years), He was appointed to the exam board of the BBKA in 1991, is a vice chairman of the National Honey show and a director of Bee Craft magazine. John is heavily involved in various aspects of the BBKA.

 

Archivist

Janet Hinchley

Janet's Postal Address
Janet has no Email at present

  No Photo available

 

Conservation Officer

Dorian Pritchard

Email... conservation@bibba.com

  Current year's Conservation Officer, Image Sandra Unwin
Dorian lives in rural Northumberland beside Hadrian's Wall. For most of his professional life he has been a Lecturer in Human Genetics at the University Of Newcastle Medical School and has written a couple of textbooks in genetics. He spends much of his time writing books and articles as well as lecturing, including teaching a beginners' course in beekeeping. Married for nearly 40 years, having two grown-up children, He enjoys natural history, walking, working in the woods, house improvement and painting in watercolours. He has kept bees for nearly 30 years and as a geneticist is convinced of the good sense of the BIBBA principle of using only the predominant local strain of bee. He is active in the North Pennines Bee Breeding Group. Dorian is president of SICAMM and for around 10 years convened the North of England Beekeepers' Convention. He supplies a few local shops with honey.

 

Website Compiler

Dave Cushman
Website technical matters and fault reporting

Email... website-technician@bibba.com
Dave is also working with Roger Patterson on
Advertising and Publicity

  Current year's Website Compiler
Dave has been interested in honey bees since being 4 years of age, but only kept bees for about 37 years, mostly concentrating on breeding and selection although he also conducted about 12,000 hours of beekeeping research, Dave was the proprietor of the bee equipment manufacturing company 'Apex Enterprises', but since retirement has suffered ill health and no longer breeds the native bees that are his passion. Since becoming disabled Dave has turned to the design, production and hosting of beekeeping websites in order to maintain contact with bees and beekeeping matters. BIBBA has always been a part of Dave's beekeeping life as he was a friend of Beowulf Cooper, who regularly visited the beekeeping equipment factory. Dave is also a member of GBBG.

 

Project Discovery

Mervyn Eddie

Email... meddie@bibba.com

  Current year's
Having studied agriculture, Mervyn Eddie's career background was firstly in animal nutrition and then in general management, but is now retired. He is a hobbyist beekeeper with a keen interest both in Bee Improvement in a general sense and in Conservation of Apis mellifera mellifera. Mervyn is currently Chairman of the Ulster Beekeepers' Association to which 9 local general beekeeping associations are affiliated and is a founder member of the Ulster Bee Improvement Group which is dedicated to the propagation and reintroduction of Native Irish bees within Northern Ireland. He is an ordinary member of the Galtee Bee Breeding Group

Alan Jones

Email... ajones@bibba.com


Alan is responsible for Morphometry within project discovery
Postal address for samples Discovery Samples

  Current year's
I live in Comber on the shores of Strangford Lough, about 10 miles south of Belfast. I have been keeping bees for 20 years and run about 20 hives. I migrate a few of my hives to the Mourne Mountains every year in the hope of harvesting Bell Heather honey which I sell at a premium price compared to Floral honey. I sell honey and spread the doctrine of beekeeping at Craft Fairs, Retirement Meetings, Women's Institutes and in fact any group who will listen to me. I also belong to a breeding group trying to propagate native queens to combat the importation of queens.

 

Ray Dowson

Email... rdowson@bibba.com

  Current year's
On retiring from his job in 1991 as a Computer Engineer and Service Manager Ray took up beekeeping. After a low key start, experienced major problems with imported queens and crosses, decided that a more consistent approach was required. On reading Beowulf Cooper's `Honeybees of The British Isles' was convinced that the solution was to have 'native bees'. Started rearing his own queens in 2003 and is now helping and encouraging local beekeepers to rear queens using 'native' stock. He is currently Chairman of the Ormskirk & Croston Beekeepers and Treasurer of the Lancashire & North West BKA.

Enid Brown

Email... ebrown@bibba.com

  Current year's
My name is Enid Brown and I have lived in Scotlandwell for 14 years. This is a small village in Kinross-shire. My Grandfather and Father kept bees and I took up beekeeping the year I moved into the village. I started with 5 hives but, on retirement from the Police, have gradually increased to around 70. Enid is Advertising, Publicity and Shows Convener for the Scottish Beekeepers' Association and during the summer months this keeps me very busy organising the Royal Highland Show, Scottish National Honey Show as well as taking the publicity stand to various agricultural shows. Locally I am President of Fife Beekeepers' and vice-President of Dunfermline and West Fife Beekeepers' Associations and, for the past 6 years have run a joint beginners class for both associations. I have always been interested in breeding my own queens and demonstrating my method of queen rearing to other beekeepers.

 

 

Representatives of National Beekeeping Organizations...
WBKAJohn Burgess*Email... jburgess@bibba.com
UBKAMervyn EddieEmail... meddie@bibba.com
SBKAJohn Tyler*Email... jtyler@bibba.com
BBKARoger Patterson*Email... rpatterson@bibba.com
FIBKADennis Ryan*Email... dryan@bibba.com
 
Representatives to other Organisations...
CONBATerry ClareEmail... tclare@bibba.com
National Bee MeetingsTerry ClareEmail... tclare@bibba.com
National Honey ShowAlan Jones and Brian MilwardEmail... nhs-reps@bibba.com
  

Please Note ! Email addresses shown in black text are not active.

Printed from BIBBA Website
   
Written... June 2008. Revised... 08 July 2008, Revised... 18 July 2008, Revised... 10 August 2008, Spelling Corrected... 14 August 2008, Revised... 07 October 2008, Menu Upgrade... 11 November 2008,
Source Code last updated...

UK registered charity number 273827
This page has actually been validated by W3C Javascript Navigational elements not used   BIBBA logo