Group overview 2021 – 2023

The aim of the BIBBA East Midlands Bee Improvement Group is to breed near native Apis mellifera mellifera (Amm) queens of the best local genetic stock. Then making these queens available to members and ultimately to other beekeepers in the region, who wish to establish this sub species in their own apiaries.

During the Summer of 2020 the Group moved its apiary from Thrumpton to the village of Langar in the Vale of Belvoir, Nottinghamshire. The location has been chosen for its diverse forage, capability to accommodate our full operation on one site, and flexibility to place our drone colonies around an extensive estate. Whilst in 2014 we rediscovered our out-apiary site in a secluded valley and have taken breeder drone colonies and virgin queens there for mating, we are taking a break from the time-consuming use of the out-apiary, so we can concentrate on establishing the Group and the colonies on the new site. The out-apiary is there for the future if we need it.

Key to our bee breeding and queen rearing plan is mapping the linage of each queen, assessing quality according to our own standards, then selecting drone colonies from specific lines and breeding from our best queens each year. We are able to steadily increase the number of colonies in the scheme by using the 200 plus colonies spread across the membership. Members sometimes become custodians of the Group’s excess colonies and agree to use the same assessment procedures so potential breeder queen qualities are comparable across the entire stock.

Our approach is founded on the understanding that within the Amm subspecies there are variants (ecotypes) across the British Isles that have adapted to local climate, forage and seasonal patterns. Given the 50+ year history of the Group we assume that our bees have at least the average (41.9%) Amm DNA linage as documented in recent research papers. Consequently, we have decided not to divert attention away from our current local stock, so will not be introducing pure-bred queens from other UK sources that have adapted to a different environment. The occasional judicious introduction of new genetic material, from another UK source with similar conditions, may be applied when collective agreement determines so.

All those meeting together at the Group Apiary are committed to the same aims. This enables us to share bee keeping experiences and understandings whilst evolving local near enough native bees that can improve the stock in our personal apiaries, and eventually other beekeepers in the Vale of Belvoir and the region.

We have three forms of membership, full, associate and honorary. Active full members, who have the experience and commitment, work directly with the Group’s colonies. Associate members are those who wish to support our endeavours though cannot commit to regular attendance, or are practising beekeepers seeking to develop their competences in bee breeding and bee improvement. For this later group there are opportunities to assist with the bee husbandry and participate in small group informal training sessions on topics such as practical queen rearing, hive manipulation techniques, record keeping and assessment for breeder potential.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Group please contact Alan Wilkins the Group Secretary on

The BIBBA East Midlands Bee Improvement Group is participating in The National Bee Improvement Programme – NatBIP