​February 25 Meeting
Our Monday evening meeting on Feb 3rd concentrated on bee health, in particular EFB and AFB. We welcomed two of the ​inspectors from the Scottish Government bee health team, Claire Gill (Delivery Lead) and Graham Henderson to tell us about the role they play in monitoring for disease and supporting beekeepers. Given the importance of the topic around Tayside we invited Perthshire and Fife Beekeeping Associations and were very pleased to see some of their members in the audience.
 
Graham and Claire explained about the issues of foulbrood in and around Tayside, demonstrated how they carry out inspections for disease and what they look for, the protocols to be followed if disease is suspected, or confirmed, the importance of being registered on Beebase, of good record keeping for any treatments being used on colonies and how to sterilise or destroy equipment. They highlighted the importance of cleanliness and biosecurity, as a normal part of sensible beekeeping also a necessary aspect of the bee inspectorate visits to apiaries.  There were questions and wide-ranging discussion around aspects of bee health, and on what support mechanisms might be made available from local associations. Claire and Graham also provided useful handouts including on the legal aspects of beekeeping and the yellow-legged hornet as a new problem on the horizon.     

Members' Night 2025
In January the Association held its annual members' night.  Bill Hunter, Association President, talked about honey harvesting, extraction and labelling.  David Evans ("The Apiarist") shared his successful experience using the Speidel Hydropress and its advantages for heather honey extraction.  The session featured interesting questions, hearty discussion and shared experience.  The evening concluded with honey and mead tasting.

Autumn Picnic 2024
In August a group of members spent an afternoon at the Association's apiary near Monikie.  Bob and Neil led the group through the current stock and highlighted their observations during their inspections.  Several new beekeepers were given the opportunity to gain experience handling bees and frames.  As usual there was plenty of discussion concerning the Summer season and favoured practices.  The visit concluded with a shared picnic rounding off a pleasant afternoon.  Many thanks to Bob and Neil for leading the demonstrations and to Colin for hosting the event.
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Scottish Small Holder Festival - Forfar 2019
The Scottish Small Holder Festival is Scotland's largest small holder event celebrating the best of small holding, growing, and craft. ESBA attended again this year to promote and talk about beekeeping and it was an opportunity for the public to buy our local honey.

Heather Picnic 2019
For ESBA members, the annual visit to hives that have been taken to the heather is a particularly enjoyable event. It involves a mix of practical beekeeping, education and socializing. Discussions take place on any aspect of beekeeping but, of course, there is a focus on the processes involved in preparing, and transporting your bees to a place where they can temporarily take advantage of a heather crop.
Many thanks to GR for hosting this event.

Events Day at Kinnordy Estate
kinnordy Information Booklet 2019
A Kinnordy Estate Schools Event, organised by The Royal Highland Education Trust.
This is the third consecutive year that the ESBA has taken part in this event - helping to inform and educate children about honeybees. 

Heather Picnic 2018
 Special thanks go to SF for hosting this event.

Apiary Visits
E.S.B.A. organise visits to it's association apiary and to the apiaries of it's most experienced members. These visits are open to all members and some apiary visits are aimed at teaching beginners on their Beginners Course.