March 29, 2024

It is with great regret that owing to the ongoing situation with the Covid-19 pandemic that the Trustees of Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association have taken the difficult decision to cancel the annual honey show for 2021. However, we have decided to run a Virtual honey show again following on from the successful Virtual Show in 2020. Whilst we realise that this will not be able to replace the social aspects associated with the show, it does allow members to share their “exhibits” with other beekeepers in a safe environment. The aim will be to allow individuals to demonstrate their skills and has the additional benefit that it should produce material that can benefit others by being shared via the Beds BKA website, the Yearbook and for educational purposes (such as training new beekeepers and informing the public at future events).

Honey Show Classes for 2021

To view entries for a particular class please click on the link for the class listed below.

Photography

Every photograph entered should be a high-resolution digital image (max 8 MB) that is accompanied by a short paragraph explaining what can be seen in the photograph, and if appropriate its relevance to beekeeping. Photos should be suitable for using for educational purposes.

Class 1: A macro or close-up of a honeybee or a named species of a UK native bee.

Class 2: A photograph with the subject “Inside the Hive”.

Class 3: A photograph showing at least two castes of honeybees (at least two of: queen, worker and drone). (no entries)

Class 4: Black and white picture of bees or beekeeping.

Class 5: Photomicrograph of pollen grains (please provide details of what flower the pollen was collected from). (no entries)

Class 6: Photomicrograph of honeybee anatomy (please provide details relevant to the part of the anatomy selected). (no entries). (no entries)

Class 7: A series of photographs (between 12 and 24 in number) to illustrate “Inspecting a Colony”, in a form suitable for a lecture. (no entries)

Class 8: A short video (maximum 5 minutes) describing an aspect of beekeeping. This class will be judged on suitability as material for teaching beekeeping.

Class 9:  A video clip on a beekeeping subject (maximum duration 30 seconds). To be judged on its beekeeping interest.

Class 10: A photograph to commemorate Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association centenary (1922-2022). (no entries)

 

Poetry, Essays and Articles

Poems, Essays and Articles should all be written by the entrant and should be a maximum of 500 words (unless otherwise stated). Illustrations and diagrams may be used.

Class 11: A short article with the title “My memories of beekeeping in Bedfordshire during the last 100 years”

Class 12: A short article describing something funny/humorous related to bees or beekeeping.

Class 13: An article about one of your beekeeping experiences with the title “Putting theory into practice”. (no entries)

Class 14: A short article describing an aspect of honeybee life, that would be of interest to the general public.

Class 15: Create a short “How to … “guide which can be used to help other beekeepers. Topics can be your own idea or can be selected from the following list of titles: “How to extract honey”, “How to prepare honey for sale”, “How to introduce a queen”, “How to recover wax”, “How to make candles”, “How to prepare a sample for microscopy”, “How to collect a swarm”, “How to make Mead”, “The importance of drones” etc. Please incorporate any relevant health and safety advice into your guide.

Class 16: A poem about bees or beekeeping.

Class 17: A Limerick about bees or beekeeping.

 

Art and Crafts

Arts and craft exhibits can be made using any suitable medium, although no exhibits made mainly or entirely from beeswax will be allowed (owing to the difficulties of examining the aroma and any impurities in the wax when judging virtually). Unless otherwise stated, once the exhibit is completed, please photograph it, and submit the photograph(s) for judging along with a short explanation describing the subject matter and how the item was produced. If the item is a model, it may be necessary to photograph it from different angles. The decorated cake should be photographed complete. Maximum 3 photos per exhibit and 8 MB per photo.

Class 18:  A Honey Label. A standard label of your own design, actual size, to fit on a standard 1lb jar produced in any medium to comply with current UK regulations. Please submit an electronic file suitable for printing.

Class 19: A cake decorated with a bee or beekeeping theme.

Class 20: A collage (any medium, including digital photographs) with a bee or beekeeping theme.

Class 21: A painting or encaustic artwork entitled “My Apiary”.

Class 22: Any craft item made by the exhibitor with a bee or beekeeping theme.

 

Junior/Student Classes

(Open to Beds BKA Student members or family members of Beds BKA members in full time education – it would assist the judges if the age of the entrant is stated)

Arts and craft exhibits can be made using any suitable medium. Unless otherwise stated, once the exhibit is completed, please photograph it, and submit the photograph for judging along with a short explanation describing the subject matter and how the item was produced. If the item is a model, it may be necessary to photograph it from different angles.

Class 23: A photograph of anything to do with bees or beekeeping, accompanied by a short explanation of what the photograph shows.

Class 24: A short piece of writing about honeybees or your experience with beekeeping. (no entries)

Class 25: A model of a subject relating to honeybees or beekeeping. (no entries)

Class 26: An artwork (any medium) with the theme of “Bees visiting flowers”.

 

School or Home-Schooled Junior Classes

(Open to children attending full time education at schools or to groups or individuals being home-schooled). In order to assist the judges please state the year group, or age of the entrant(s), and how many children contributed to the entry.

Note: These classes area aimed at classes of school children to all get involved and contribute to the activity, but are open to individual or groups of home-schooled children.

Once the exhibit is completed, please photograph it and submit the photograph for judging along with a short explanation describing the subject matter and how the item was produced.

Class S.1: School Class activity: Create a collage of digital photographs of bees. (no entries)

This class is a for a group activity so please state how many children contributed and their age range.

Class S.2: School Class activity: “Amazing things that I have learnt about bees.”

This class is a for a group activity so please state how many children contributed and their age range.