Beekeepers Quarterly 163

The Beekeepers Quarterly - Gold medal winner for the best beekeeping magazine at the World Beekeeping Awards 2025

Reconnect to the wider beekeeper community with this quarterly guide to beekeeping - with news, views, and research exploring today's big issues.

With a powerhouse team of international contributors - ranging from amateur and commercial beekeepers to scientists and conservationists - they share real-world expertise, evidence-based sustainable practice, and cutting-edge research.

We dive deep into the topics that matter: beekeeping, pests and diseases, research, the climate and environment, farming, conservation, and much more. With fascinating stories about bees in international development, pollinators, history, and the arts.

A must-read for beekeepers, scientists, and educators alike, you will find yourself referring to The Beekeepers Quarterly all year long, revisiting it again and again, as you discover ways to enhance, inform and inspire your beekeeping practice.

The leading international and independent beekeeping journal, The Beekeepers Quarterly is where your beekeeping passion meets progress.

At long last, we see a little sunshine after what seems to have been a cold, dark and wet winter. Whilst the weather may waver between a lion and lamb this March, spring inspections are now underway - and, despite the slow start, in other years, we have seen swarms by April. How have your colonies fared?

Will you look to develop new ways to manage your bees, or hope to repeat last year's successes?

This March, Norman considers spring trapping the yellow-legged Asian hornet, the development of one such trap from Nigel Shipton, and practical thoughts from longstanding contributor and Breton, Job Pichon, who has lived alongside these bee devils for some years.

Honey fraud may be an age-old story but, sadly, it is big business. Too often, we lament "how can they sell honey so cheaply in the supermarket?" Leading the charge on honey authenticity, Lynne Ingram reports from HAN, and Tara Chapman urges us to educate our customers on the benefits and qualities of our high quality honey.

Maybe some of you met Norman at the recent Beekeeping Show in Telford. We will both be on the Beekeepers Quarterly stand at the BBKA spring convention, so do pop over to say "hello!".

We are hoping for a better season this year, when the weather is kinder to us and our bees. May the spring be kind to you too.