Tavistock is an ancient stannary and market town with records going back to 961 AD when the Abbey (which no longer exists) was constructed. It is a charming place to visit and live, with beautiful Dartmoor National Park watching over us.
The Tavistock Beekeepers Association is part of the Devon Beekeepers Association, which was founded in 1875. With 11 branches it is the second largest Association in the UK, Yorkshire being the largest.
Our umbrella organisation – the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) – is a registered charity founded in 1874 that aims ‘to further promote the craft of beekeeping and to advance the education of the public in the importance of bees in the environment’.
Our club
Our members are located from just south of Okehampton, to west of Launceston, from Gunnislake and the Bere Peninsula in the Tamar Valley to Yelverton and Princetown on Dartmoor, and as far south as Plymouth.
Their colonies experience very different microclimates and therefore different beekeeping challenges, which make for interesting discussion and many different colours and flavours of honey.
For those interested in learning about beekeeping, we run a Beginners Course early in the year to prepare potential new beekeepers for the following season.
For those wishing to take their bee education further, we aim to help provide information and guidance on taking BBKA exams and assessments and offer a library of resources for members to use (see the Education page).
A regular programme of talks takes place throughout the year, either via Zoom or in person at local venues. In the Summer we have club ‘Bee Teas’, where we visit members’ apiaries, inspect their hives, talk about bees and, of course, enjoy delicious tea and cakes!
There is also usually an outing or two such as visiting Buckfast Apiaries for a learning day or participating in the Devon County Show. More details can be found on the What’s on page.
Tavistock Branch works hard to fulfil the aims of the BBKA by participating in public events such as the Plant Heritage fair at the Pannier Market and the Ecofest where the public can ask about bees, beekeeping, Asian hornets etc, as well as other events such as the Carnival and Christmas Tree Festival.