Full Membership of The British Bee Charity

By becoming a member, you are not only gaining access to a range of valuable membership benefits, but you are also helping us to continue our work supporting bees, beekeepers, education and the wider environment.

We are a charity run by people who are passionate about bees and other pollinators. Our aim is to encourage and support beekeepers, promote good beekeeping practice, educate the public about the importance of pollinators and help ensure that bees continue to thrive for generations to come.

Full Membership Benefits

Full Membership is our most comprehensive membership option and provides you with a number of important benefits, including:

• Third Party Product and Public Liability Insurance, subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of the insurance policy.
• Bee Disease Insurance (BDI) covering both American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB) for up to three colonies, subject to the terms and conditions of the insurance.
• The opportunity to apply to keep your bees at one of The British Bee Charity’s apiaries, subject to availability and payment of the relevant annual apiary fee.
• Access to our events, shows, social activities and other member activities.
• Regular information and updates from the charity.
• The opportunity to meet and learn from other beekeepers and members of the charity.

Third Party Product & Public Liability Insurance

One of the important benefits of Full Membership is the inclusion of Third Party Product and Public Liability Insurance.

This insurance is provided subject to the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy.

Bee Disease Insurance – BDI

Full Membership also includes Bee Disease Insurance (BDI) covering American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB) for up to three colonies.

Bee disease can have a devastating effect on individual colonies and, if not dealt with promptly, can also pose a serious risk to other colonies in the surrounding area. We therefore strongly encourage all members to take bee disease seriously and to maintain good standards of hive management and biosecurity.

The BDI insurance operates on an insurance year running from:

1 April to 31 March

Your level of cover is based on the number of colonies declared and covered under the scheme.

Our Membership Secretary will be happy to help:

membership@britishbeecharity.com

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need clarification or assistance. It is much better to check your level of cover in advance than to discover that you are not covered when you need to make a claim.

Keeping Your Bees at One of Our Apiaries

As a Full Member, you may have the opportunity to keep your bees at one of The British Bee Charity’s apiaries.

Our apiaries provide an excellent opportunity for members who may not have suitable space at home, as well as those who would enjoy keeping bees alongside other beekeepers.

Places are subject to availability, and each apiary may have its own arrangements, rules and requirements.

Keeping bees at a charity apiary is subject to payment of an annual apiary fee, which is payable in addition to your normal membership subscription.

If you are interested in keeping your bees at one of our apiaries, please contact the relevant Apiary Manager. They will be able to advise you about:

• Current availability.
• Annual apiary fees.
• The number of colonies that can be accommodated.
• Access arrangements.
• Apiary rules and requirements.
• Any equipment or practical considerations.
• Local arrangements for inspections, feeding and general apiary management.

 

We ask all members using our apiaries to work cooperatively with fellow beekeepers and to follow the guidance and rules established by the Apiary Manager.

Our apiaries are also an excellent way to meet other members, share experience and learn from fellow beekeepers.

Supporting Good Beekeeping

Whether you are an experienced beekeeper or relatively new to keeping bees, we encourage all our members to continue developing their knowledge and skills.

Beekeeping is a fascinating and rewarding hobby, but it also comes with responsibilities. Good hive management, regular inspections, appropriate disease awareness and good biosecurity are all important in protecting your own bees as well as colonies belonging to other beekeepers.

We encourage members to ask questions, share knowledge and seek advice whenever they are unsure about something.

One of the great benefits of belonging to a beekeeping community is that there is always someone with experience who may be able to help.

Events, Shows and Social Activities

Throughout the year, The British Bee Charity attends a number of shows and organises a variety of events and social activities.

These events are an important part of the charity and provide an opportunity for members to meet one another, talk about beekeeping, exchange ideas and learn more about the work we are doing.

We would encourage you to support these events whenever possible.

Whether you are interested in bees, beekeeping, conservation, education or simply meeting like-minded people, we hope you will find something of interest.

Keep an eye on our website, member communications and newsletters for details of upcoming events.

Getting Involved

Membership is about much more than simply receiving benefits.

We want our members to feel that they are part of The British Bee Charity and to have opportunities to become involved in the work that we do.

There are many ways you can support the charity, including attending our events, helping at shows, supporting our educational initiatives, volunteering your time or simply spreading the word about the importance of bees and other pollinators.

Our educational programmes, including BeeBombs4Schools and Bees4Schools, are particularly important to us. By helping children understand the importance of bees and other pollinators, we can inspire the next generation to care about and protect the natural world.

Every member can play a part in this.

We Are Here to Help

We understand that joining a new organisation can sometimes raise questions, particularly when it comes to insurance, apiary arrangements or membership benefits.

If you are unsure about anything, please ask.

Our Membership Secretary is available to help with membership-related questions and can be contacted at:

membership@britishbeecharity.com

For questions relating specifically to an apiary, please contact the relevant Apiary Manager.

We would much rather you contacted us with a question than remained unsure about something that could affect your membership, your bees or your insurance cover.

Rules of Membership

Please read The British Bee Charity Rules of Membership

Data Protection

Members contact details are forwarded to Bee Disease Insurance and are kept on a British Bee Charity database, as appropriate. (These are all governed by the Data Protection Act).

NBU

We recommend that the details of all of your permanent and temporary apiary locations are registered on Beebase www.nationalbeeunit.com or contact: The National Bee Unit, The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York. YO4 11LZ. 01904 462510).

Gift Aid

To gift aid your membership subscriptions/donations, you must pay or have paid, an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax for each tax year (6th April-5th April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all charities will claim on the donor’s gift in each tax year.  If you pay income tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

Contact Information

The information you have supplied will be used by The British Bee Charity CIO solely for purposes relevant to their activities. The British Bee Charity CIO respects your privacy.

Please discuss with the Membership Coordinator any concerns you may have.

The British Bee Charity CIO preferred communication is by email and whatsapp. Addresses and telephone numbers allow alternative or urgent communication.