Yellow-legged Asian hornet update 15 Oct 226 credible sightings in 2026 with 85 nests now identified. New nests confirmed this week in East Sussex, Kent, Lincolnshire, Somerset & Suffolk. Sightings are still being monitored widely. Please stay vigilant & report via the app.

More from SWARM 2026 in Kutaisi, Georgia - ancient Colchis, home of the Golden Fleece. Maggie Gill, PHIRA-Science, has set up Tropilaelaps-infested nucs on the hotel roof so scientists & policymakers can see this serious honey bee threat first-hand.

Proud to have the BBKA represented at SWARM 2026, an invited gathering of bee scientists & policy specialists. Our islands together from left: Helen Mooney (Irish Beekeepers), Mairi Carnegie (Scottish Government), Lynfa Davis (WBKA) & Jane Medwell (BBKA).

The BBKA has written to the Secretary of State calling for 3 commitments on the Yellow-legged Asian hornet: a funded 3-year eradication programme, earlier policy decisions and guidance to protect colonies. Keep reporting sightings via the app, your reports are our best defence.

National Honey Day is almost here 🍯🐝 On 21 Oct we’re celebrating British honey and the message is simple: Buy Local. Our challenge: find a jar from a beekeeper near you, taste it and tell us all about it. 👇 #NationalHoneyDay #BuyLocalHoney #BBKA

Yellow-legged hornet update to 8 Oct 🐝 216 credible sightings in 2026, with 78 nests now identified. New nests confirmed this week in Kent all destroyed. Sightings are still being monitored across southern England and beyond. Please stay vigilant. Report via the app.

🔬 Intermediate Microscopy Course - Stoneleigh, February 2027 A 2 day course for BBKA members preparing for the Microscopy Assessment: disease diagnosis Acarine & Nosema, pollen slides, abdominal dissection & anatomical slides. bbka.org.uk/pages/shop/depar…

📋 Planning your 2027 beekeeping exams? The BBKA Exam Board's 2027 Dates and Fees document is now available on the Member Hub. Log in to read it, plan ahead and note the key dates. memberhub.bbka.org.uk/login/…

Could you help shape the future of the BBKA? 🐝 We're seeking new trustees from January 2027. Alongside beekeeping experience, skills in: 🗣️ Communication 📚 Education ⚖️ Legal / governance If interested, please request further details via email: [email protected]

Save the date! 🍯🐝 National Honey Day will be celebrated on 21st October and we've got a brand new logo to help raise awareness. This year's theme is simple: Buy Local Honey! More to come throughout the month. 👀 #NationalHoneyDay #BuyLocalHoney #BBKA

UPDATE 1 Oct The NBU reports 212 credible Yellow-legged hornet sightings in 2026, with 74 nests now identified. New nests confirmed across Kent, Cambridgeshire, East Sussex and Norfolk. Please stay vigilant and report any sighting via the app. #SeeItSnapItSendIt #YLAH #BBKA

🐝 Bees Abroad is looking for a new Chair of Trustees. The charity provides training & sustainable beekeeping equipment to rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, helping alleviate poverty. UK-based, 8–10 hrs/mth. beesabroad.org/join-bees-abr…

⏳ Last chance: applications for the November module exams close this Wednesday, 30 September. Hoping to sit a module? Contact your Area Association Exam Secretary for the link to the application portal. Good luck to everyone sitting exams this season.

Yellow-legged hornet update to 24 Sept 207 credible sightings in 2026 and 68 nests identified. New nests confirmed this week in Kent and Dorset. Sightings are still being monitored across the south and beyond so please stay alert. Report via the app. See It. Snap It. Send It.

How to effectively manage Varroa? A comprehensive National Bee Unit (APHA) guide, 'Managing Varroa', is free to all members. Packed with practical, evidence-based guidance on monitoring, treatment and timing. Log in to the Member Hub to read it. memberhub.bbka.org.uk

The October issue of BBKA News has landed. Inside this month: 🔬 A doctor's endoscope that sees inside a closed hive 🧫 New trial: what really kills Tropilaelaps & Varroa 🌸 Why buddleja is a butterfly bush, not a bee bush ❄️ Overwintering: let winter be your teacher

A win for bee biosecurity. After the BBKA raised concerns about Tropilaelaps, a serious emerging threat to honey bees, following its confirmation in Turkey, Turkey has now been added to the UK's import safeguard list. An encouraging first step. We'll keep pressing for more.

The nests confirmed this week are recorded in the following locations: Kent Sandgate (primary) Slade (secondary) Harrietsham (primary) Capel le Ferne (secondary) East Sussex Lewes (secondary) Bachelors Bump (secondary)

Update 17 September The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) has informed us that it has received further credible reports of YLH. To date there have been 201 sightings in 2026 resulting in the identification of 66 nests.

Throwback Thursday 🧦🐝 Last week, @SouthWestWater's Invasive Species & Biosecurity team pulled on their yellow socks to raise awareness for Yellow-legged Asian Hornet Week. Thank you for your support! 👏