Bee Improvement and Bee Breeding Groups

BIBBA encourages the formation of local queen rearing groups to aid the improvement of local bees and to support the objectives of BIBBA to improve and propagate the native and near native honey bees.

Benefits of Local Groups
Many beekeepers only have a small number of colonies, so they find it easier to work with others. A group will have beekeepers with different expertise that can be pooled. Even the newest beekeepers can have a useful role until they gain knowledge and experience.A local group can pool expertise of different disciplines… honey bee management, record keeping, queen rearing, equipment making, administration, etc. More beekeepers means there are more colonies to select material from and to provide good quality drones, as well as maximising the number of colonies under management, evaluation and study.Groups can liaise with one another and with scientific institutions if they wish. They can distribute genetic material beyond their own confines to wider circles of beekeepers, thereby improving bees overall.

Forming a bee improvement and breeding group
There are several things you need to consider including:-

  • Do you need a constitution, so members know what is expected?
  • If you store personal data, are you GDPR compliant?
  • What assessment criteria do you want in your bees?
  • How are you going to operate?
  • Do you need funding?
  • Can you combine with a local BKA?

You may already have the expertise, but if not, then BIBBA can offer help and tuition, perhaps from other groups or experienced individuals. We ask only that one person in a group is a member of BIBBA, although we hope more will join over time.

Where to now?
View the entries below; if there is a group near you then get in touch, otherwise read ‘Start a Group’

Sign-up for Group updates.

The groups listed below are independent of BIBBA but support our aims

Abberton Native Bee Group/ Essex 4 Bees – CO2

Native bee breeding group based at Abberton Reservoir ...

B4 Project – Cornwall – PL17

The purpose of the B4 Project is to conserve, protect and increase the population of Apis mellifera mellifera, the European Dark Honey Bee (EDHB), by the fusion of science and beekeeping. This will be achieved by: Setting up reserves with like-minded beekeepers. Working closely with scientists to identify genetic purity ...

BIG_NY – YO21

Beekeepers with a common goal to promote the cultivation of the best strain of bees for our locality ...

BIPCo Bee Improvement Programme for Cornwall-PL17

beekeepers who wish to conserve the Cornish Dark Honey Bee ...

Bloomington Bees – USA

Beekeepers of Bloomington IN USA ...

Boughton Estate Bee Improvement Group-NN14

A conservation project working with Free Living and managed surviving non treatment colonies to protect a wild population and produce a better local Honey Bee in Northamptonshire ...

Bucks Berks & Oxon Bee Improvement (BBOBI ) – RG9

BBOBI was set up in 2019 as a co-operative in Henley-on-Thames, which borders Bucks Berks and Oxon. Although a large geographical area, the climate and forage are remarkably consistent across the area. As the first BIBBA group in the home counties, we aim to be a springboard for other ...

Cardiff & Vale – CF5

contact Alexandra Miller

...

Cheshire Honeybee Improvement Partnership (CHIP)- CW9

Formed in 2016 by a group of Cheshire-based BIBBA members to help form local queen rearing groups to aid the improvement of local bees and support the objectives of BIBBA ...

Cornwall Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Group – TR1

Cornwall Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Group working with dark bees and varroa tolerance ...

Dover and Districts BKA Q rearing support group – CT4

A support group for members of Dover & District BKA wishing to raise their own queens ...

East Midlands Bee Improvement Group-NG11

The aim of the BIBBA East Midlands Bee Improvement Group is to breed near native Apis mellifera mellifera (Amm) queens of the best local genetic stock.   ...

Ely & Surrounding Villages

Ely, Cambridgeshire. Improving the local bee population.

Contact; Adam Golding

...

Exeter Beekeepers – EX1

contact Cathy ...

Hampshire Beekeepers Association-SO21

This is a new group in its infancy, to safeguard our local honeybees. For locally reared strong healthy honey bees in the Test Valley and the County of Hampshire suited to our environmental conditions ...

Hazelbeach Black Bee Breeding Group – SA73

A small group in Pembrokeshire working for the breeding and conservation of a local strain of black bee ...

Houghton Community Black Bee Project-SO20

We are a community group focused on the re-introduction of the black bee ...

Kings Orchard – East Cornwall

Based in East Cornwall a small group with the emphasis of breeding pedigree lines of Cornish Native dark bees ...

Lampeter – SA48

Breeding Group of one base near Lampeter ...

Lancashire Black Bee Project

We currently run 12 breeding apiaries across Lancashire with a further two in North Wales ...

Leek and Moorlands – ST9

Leek and Moorlands Beekeepers have been raising queens for over 30 years and welcome beekeepers of all levels of experience ...

LVCB Breeding Group-LA1

With a Club apiary in Lancaster our main area of operation is the lower Lune Valley and the surrounding areas ...

Mount Edgcumbe Cornish Bee Group – PL10

England's first Black Bee Reserve was opened in 2017 at Mount Edgcumbe on the Rame Peninsula. The group focuses on education, conservation of Amm and ways to improve local stock ...

NF&DBKA Group-SO41

NF&DBKA are committed to the education of bee keepers at all levels ...

North Devon Bee Improvement Group-EX32

North Devon Group operating from an apiary on the outskirts of Barnstaple as part of the North Devon Beekeepers Association ...

North Gower Bee Improvement

North Gower as a peninsula and especially its northern tip, is reasonably isolated due to a range of natural features ...

Salisbury and District BKA

 
A group formed to encourage and support local beekeepers keep locally-adapted bees with locally raised, open-mated queens of local heritage.

...

South Devon Bee Improvers Group – TQ9

We aim to breed and encourage the keeping of native and near-native bees in SDBIG Area: Devon, south of Exeter and including the eastern side of Dartmoor and Plymouth ...

Stratford-upon-Avon BIG – CV37

to improve the Amm characteristics of the local honeybee population in the District ...

Sussex Coast Honeybee Improvement Partnership (SCHIP). BN20

A branch of the Eastbourne Beekeepers’ Association keen to develop a local strain of honeybee well adapted to the South Downs climate, with particular focus on improved health and docility.

Contact; Simon Tuck

...

TBKA Bee Breeding – CT12

Situated on the "Isle of Thanet" in Association with Thanet Beekeepers Association ...

Test Valley Black Bee Project – SO20

A Hampshire based group dedicated to the conservation and reintroduction of the native black bee ...

Upper Dee Bee Improvement Group

This group covers a substantial area stretching from the Dee valley (Glyn Dyfrdwy) between Corwen and Bala and Westwards to Cwm Main on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. The aim of the group is to achieve a high percentage of quality native or near-native drones in the district ...

West Linton BKA-EH46

MIdlothian group helping local beekeepers and novices start beekeeping and bee improvement ...

Wharfdale Valley Bee Improvement Group-LS21

Operating in the Wharfedale valley we aim to breed a locally adapted bee for the unique weather we have within the area ...

Wight Bee Improvement Group

Queen Rearing will only be carried out using IOW mongrel stock, members will be encouraged to keep records of all their own stock, using only those considered to be worthy of passing on their bloodlines ...

Wisborough Green BKA – RH14

Wisborough Green BKA teaches beekeepers in West Sussex. Near native bees and queens are produced in our extensive teaching apiary as part of the tuition ...