Membership Guide

MEMBERSHIP GUIDE 2022-2023 - High Weald Beekeepers' Association (HWBKA) 

  1. The membership year runs from the 1st October to 30th September.
    There is no provision for reduced fees for those joining later in the year.
  2. REGISTERED MEMBERSHIP (£28.50):
    Registered Membership entitles the member to attend and take part in all HWBKA activities, AGM/EGMs, educational and social events. Each Registered Member will also be registered with the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) and be entitled to attend and vote at the annual BBKA AGM and any other event organised by them. They will also receive the magazine BBKA News, and Bee Diseases Insurance (BDI) for up to 3 colonies, and also 3rd Party Public Liability insurance is included (N.B. BDI for further colonies may be insured at an additional premium). Registered Membership also includes the main member’s partner and up to two children under the age of 16 for social events, such as Bee Banter, the Christmas Social etc.. Registered Members will also receive an electronic copy of the HWBKA magazine, The Apiarist. Voting rights during HWBKA AGM/EGMs are for the Registered Member only.
  3. PARTNER MEMBERSHIP (£17.50):
    Partner Membership entitles a Registered Member’s partner or relative, living at the same address, to membership of HWBKA and the BBKA together with all voting rights. Please note that the Partner Member will not receive a copy of the BBKA magazine (there is one copy per household) and there is no BDI cover with this membership. An electronic copy of The Apiarist is included. No BDI insurance is included with this membership although it does include 3rd Party Public Liability insurance. There can only be one Partner Member per household.
  4. JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP (£12.50):
    Junior Membership entitles a young person under the age of 18 to membership of the HWBKA and the BBKA (but not voting rights of the BBKA). 3rd Party Public Liability insurance is included but BDI is not (however this can be arranged at extra cost). Junior Members will receive the BBKA magazine and The Apiarist. Junior Membership includes the right to vote at HWBKA AGM/EGMs.
  5. ASSOCIATE/SOCIAL MEMBER (£10.00):
    Associate / Social Members are entitled to attend all HWBKA events where 3rd Party Public Liability insurance is not required, and will receive a copy of The Apiarist. This is for people who are either already a member of the BBKA through another County Association, or those without bees who wish to join us and learn more. There are no HWBKA AGM/EGM voting rights with this membership. N.B. There is no 3rd Party Public Liability insurance included with this membership.
  6. Membership fees are due on the 1st of October each year. After 6 weeks from this date membership with both the High Weald Beekeepers’ Association (HWBKA) and the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) will be cancelled.
  7. Reminders for renewal will be sent out during September each year. New members should be aware that this applies to them too regardless of when in the year they joined the Association.
  8. All Bee Disease Insurance (BDI) will expire on the 31st of December in that membership year. If members have not renewed by that date, they will not be covered for disease risks after the 31st December. Any membership renewed after the 31st of December will have a lapse of 40 days before the BDI becomes active.
  9. Payment may be made by cheque or direct bank transfer.
  10. BEE DISEASE INSURANCE
    BDI runs from 1st January to 31st December. Registered Membership includes BDI for up to 3 colonies. Should a member have more than 3 colonies then an additional premium will need to be paid. Members should have insurance to cover ALL colonies, including nuclei etc.. Failure to insure the full number of colonies will render any claim invalid. Additional insurance can be purchased at any time by contacting the Treasurer. Partner Membership does not include any BDI. Full details of BDI cover can be found on the BBKA Website. A summary of cover is printed on members BDI certificates. All BDI certificates are sent electronically and should be kept safely/printed out and produced in the event of a claim.
  11. EVENTS and MEETINGS
    As a group the HWBKA holds regular meetings and events around the subject of beekeeping. Regular talks, apiary visits, social meetings and practical demonstrations are held throughout the year. Most of these are free, but some may carry a small fee to cover materials or speakers.
  12. HIRE of EQUIPMENT and LIBRARY
    Membership allows the hire of certain items of equipment from the association for a small fee and refundable deposit (e.g. honey extractor), and also to borrow books from the HWBKA library for a deposit.
  13. APIARY and TRAINING
    The HWBKA has an apiary site which is available for members to use, by prior arrangement with the apiary Manager, as a temporary ‘out apiary’ to facilitate moving bees in the active season. The Association runs a course for beginners each year as well as sessions for more experienced members. A 'Topical Tips' email is sent to all members at various times during the active season to remind members of important activities that should be done.
  14. THE APIARIST
    The HWBKA produces a magazine entitled The Apiarist. This will generally contain details of future events, reports on previous events, and any notices or articles that are of interest. Articles are always welcomed by the editor. The magazine is emailed to all members. It is also available to download from the HWBKA website.
  15. SWARM LIST
    The HWBKA maintains a list of members who would like to collect swarms of bees that are reported to our Swarm Coordinators.
  16. COMMUNICATIONS
    In order to keep costs and time to a minimum all communications are done by email. Please ensure that the Membership Secretary is informed of any change of email address.
  17. DATA PROTECTION
    Members details will be held on computer and may be distributed to committee members of the HWBKA for communication between members. Details will also be passed to the BBKA and also the Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA) National Bee Unit (BeeBase) to validate BDI and public liability insurance and also so that members can receive the BBKA magazine. This will also enable the Seasonal Bee Inspector to contact members with information regarding potential outbreaks or bee related issues. Please note that members details will not be sold on or used for any other purpose. Should a member wish to opt out of their details being passed to BeeBase then they should ensure that their wishes are communicated to the Membership Secretary. Please note that in the event of a major disease outbreak (or Hive Beetle etc.) any members who have opted out of BeeBase are required to give their details by law and we will have to pass them onto the Bee Inspector.
    Full details of the association’s General Data Protection Regulation privacy policy are available on request or can be read or downloaded from the website.
  18. MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASES
    The Committee of the HWBKA reserve the right to increase the membership fee for new members or at renewal for existing members, should at any time the BBKA, SBKA, or the BDI raise their fees. Only proposed increases in the portion of the membership fee due to the HWBKA will be put to the AGM for voting.

Updated: September 2022

This document is also downloadable as a printable pdf from here: Membership Guide-2022-2023