PRESIDENTS REPORT 2023
Thank you everyone involved in the GBKA, including those who do not want their
service publicly recognised . Our motto, “Mutual Assistance” has been in place since the
association was formed in 1949 and truly encapsulates the spirit of our active members.
In our 74th year that assistance has ensured the club can continue to be inclusive and
for the benefit of anyone with an interest in beekeeping.
I would like to thank all those involved in keeping the Apiary at the GSPCA in shape and
for opening the site to members and the public by arrangement on Thursday nights in
the summer. Please spread the word for next year and come and get involved.
Particular thanks go to Chris Tomlins (an ex president) who continues to run our very
popular and successful beekeeping course which takes a great deal of work and time.
We already have one 12 year old booked onto the next course. Thank you Chris for
your efforts and we are looking forward to next year. Chris was also going to run the
“spring clean” event, unfortunately delayed and finally canceled due to the weather.
Thanks go to everyone involved in swarm collecting this year. As many of you know it
was a record year with more swarms in the first two weeks than in the whole of last year
with the final swarm collected in October (?). Please let Debbie Cox know if you would
be willing to be on the list for 2023 or be trained.
Thank you to Damian for the Varroa talk at La Villette in March. We look forward to
further interesting talks in the future.
The wax extraction event in June was well received and showed that home made wax
extractors could work as well if not better, than the expensive bought examples. Thank
you to all those who took part. Can I remind you that the association owns several
pieces of equipment which are free for members to use. If you’d like to use a piece of
equipment, please collect and return it promptly in clean condition.
The Viaer Marchi, now back at the old location, was a good example of our approach to
beekeeping with public information and education at the forefront. Thank you to all
those who helped and sold honey, especially Mary Herve who ran the “Taste of
Guernsey Honey” table.
You'll remember the Vintage Agricultural show was abandoned on the Saturday due to
storm force winds with many Gazebos being blown away. The GBKA tent only received
minor damage which has now been repaired. The Sunday made up for this and a great
many people visited the stand to look and discuss beekeeping. Thank you to all of the
helpers and our resident “bee whisperer” you know who you are!
The Honey show at the new venue of Beau Sejour was fabulous! Sue Carter our head
judge, ably assisted by Andy Marquis on photos and Julie Hyde on cakes had a bigger
variety of entries than previous years and has encouraged the next generation of
beekeepers to participate here and further afield. Thank you to all those who entered
items and I would encourage everyone to have a go next year.
As requested by several members GBKA initiated a Bee Weekend with “Ken
Basterfield” coming over to Guernsey and giving talks, advice and leading discussion
over two days. The feedback received was very positive on everything except the
acoustics which will be remedied at future events. Thanks to the committee for
organising this event and particularly Clive who did most of the work including a visit to
Ken in Devon.
Thank you to Gill Morris our steadfast auditor. Acknowledge if present.
Finally a huge thank you to Damian and Francis, the Asian Hornet Team, who had their
busiest and most eventful year yet. We are grateful for your continued support and
recognise the importance of your work with this trophy.
Lastly. Thank you to everyone for supporting me in my two years as President. Debbie
Cox, I couldn’t have done this without your able and patient assistance. This year will be
remembered for the numbers of Swarms, Hornets and the rise of talented youngsters.
Thank you.