The South of Scotland Beekeepers’ Association (SSBKA) is a local beekeeping association located in Dumfries and Galloway and serves enthusiastic hobby beekeepers from Langholm to Castle Douglas. We have a current membership of over 130 members and are always keen to welcome people who are interested in learning more about honey bees and beekeeping.
We meet once a month; in the summer, from May to August, usually on a Saturday afternoon, and during the winter on the second Wednesday of the month. We also run Taster day and an annual Beginners course for those interested in becoming beekeepers. For those already keeping bees, we offer a wide range of improvers’ workshops to help develop beekeeping skills and encourage knowledge transfer.
In recent years, the SSBKA have attracted funding to build our own facility called BeeSpace. This building, and adjoining training apiary, has been thoughtfully designed to provide our members with a space where they can attend monthly members meetings, develop their beekeeping skills, learn how to build hive equipment, extract honey using a state of the art honey extractor or just sit and watch the bees in our bee-friendly garden whilst having a chat over coffee and cakes.
If you would like to join us, please see our membership page or come along to one of our meetings. There is a small charge of £2 per meeting for non-members.
Your Current Committee Members
Chair: Lorraine Johnston
Vice Chair: Glyn Jones
Secretary: Phil Collett
Treasurer: Debbie Parke
Honorary President: John Mellis
Swarm Coordinator: Daniel McGarva
Trustees: Ian Craig, Zoe Roberts, Esther Papworth and Rachael Macpherson