About Us
WHO WE ARE
The Oxfordshire Beekeepers Association (OBKA) is a registered charity and our objectives are 'to further and promote the craft of beekeeping and to advance the education of the public in the importance of bees in the environment'; you can read more on our OBKA Constitution page.
We provide an educational programme for anyone interested in becoming a beekeeper, including taster sessions, meetings and practical courses for beginners. We also encourage our members to raise their standards by studying for the BBKA Module Examinations and practical assessments such as the BBKA Basic Assessment. OBKA also provides practical information and assistance to the general public for the collection of honeybee swarms.
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Members receive a range of benefits that include an active programme of apiary visits, practical courses, meetings, and various ways of keeping in touch including email, this website and social media. There is also access to a library of books and videos, and to loan equipment such as honey and wax extractors.
Click Here to find out more about membership of the OBKA
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
As a beginner, you will benefit from learning your new craft in our Teaching Apiary in Woodstock. Our tutors are expert beekeepers and have years of experience in all aspects of bee health and management. We also have a mentoring service where experienced beekeepers will help new beekeepers through their first year.
Meet our President - Professor Geraldine Wright
Prof Geraldine Wright is Professor of Comparative Physiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford. Her lab specializes in research on the physiology and behaviour of bees. She has over 25 years of experience in insect nutrition and has worked with honeybees for the past 20 years. Her research program includes expertise in bee chemical senses (olfaction and gustation), the mechanisms of learning and memory, and bee nutrition. Her group has made major contributions to what is known about the honeybee and the bumblebee’s sense of taste. One of her contributions in this field published in the journal, Nature, showed that bees had difficulty detecting neonicotinoid pesticides in nectar. Her lab discovered that bees have special gustatory mechanisms mediated by gap junctions for sugar detection reported in Current Biology. Her group was the first to show that non-nutrient compounds like caffeine found in nectar influence the behaviour of bees. Her lab is currently investigating the basis for addictive behaviour in bees.