Beekeeping Fairs and Events

Beekeeping fairs and events are the trade fairs, honey festivals, honey shows, beekeepers' meetings and field days where beekeepers, equipment manufacturers, researchers and consumers come together. They give the beekeeper the chance to examine equipment in person, sell directly and learn from other regions. For taking part to be worthwhile, sellers need to follow labelling and food rules, and visitors need to pay attention to biosecurity.

What kinds of beekeeping events are there?

• Trade fairs: Events where equipment, hives, protective clothing, feed products and processing machinery are exhibited. International beekeeping congresses are usually accompanied by a large equipment exhibition as well.
• Honey festivals: Aimed at consumers; focused on promotion, tasting and direct sales.
• Honey shows and competitions: Events where honey, beeswax and other bee products are judged against set criteria.
• Beekeepers' meetings: Gatherings organised by unions and associations, centred on talks and discussion.
• Field days: Practical demonstrations in the apiary: queen rearing, varroa monitoring, making splits and so on.
• World Bee Day events: Since the United Nations declared 20 May World Bee Day, promotional and awareness events have been held around this date.

What does the beekeeper gain from fairs and festivals?

Seeing and comparing equipment

Some things cannot be judged from a photo: the fabric and zip of a bee suit, the workmanship of a hive and the quality of its wood, the sturdiness of an extractor. A fair gives you the chance to examine the product in person before buying and to compare different manufacturers side by side.

Direct sales

Festivals are one of the rare settings where small producers can sell without middlemen. Meeting consumers face to face is the most effective way of gaining regular customers for the years ahead.

Knowledge and networking

Meeting beekeepers from other regions lets you learn about problems and solutions you have not come across in your own area. You can talk to queen breeders, researchers and union representatives on the same day.

How should you prepare if you are going to sell?

1. Follow the labelling rules: Mandatory information such as the product name, net quantity, best-before date, producer details and origin must be complete. Check the current rules in the food legislation and with the local agriculture and food authority.
2. Get the necessary registrations and permits in advance: The documents required to sell food and to run a stand at an event vary with the event and the location.
3. Ensure hygiene: Disposable spoons for tasting, closed containers, a clean counter; honey should not be left in the sun.
4. Make no health claims: Claiming that a food product cures disease is prohibited and damages credibility. Describing the honey's source, colour and crystallisation is enough.
5. Keep your documents with you: An analysis report and apiary registration reassure customers who ask questions.
6. Be ready to explain crystallisation: Explaining that crystallised honey has not gone off answers the most frequently asked question.

How are honey shows judged?

At honey shows, entries are usually examined against these criteria:

• Cleanliness: No wax particles, air bubbles, foam or foreign matter
• Moisture and ripeness: Water content measured with a refractometer
• Taste and aroma: Consistency with the declared floral source, no off-flavours
• Appearance and presentation: Cleanliness of the jar, fill level, label

Entering shows is a good way of having your honey's quality assessed by an outside eye; judges' notes often reveal small faults in your straining and filling methods.

If you are a visitor: watch out for disease risk

Used equipment also changes hands at fairs and festivals. Second-hand hives, frames and especially comb can carry foulbrood spores, wax moth and other pests.

• Don't buy second-hand comb: Comb is the riskiest item; comb of unknown origin is not recommended at all.
• Clean second-hand hives: Before use, scrape them and clean and disinfect them by a suitable method.
• Buy live bees and queens from a reliable breeder; ask for the health certificate.
• Don't leave open honey or comb out for display; it can cause robbing and spread disease at the event site.

How should you assess information presented at a fair?

Some of the products and methods presented at fairs are commercial promotion. Before applying a new product or method to your whole apiary:

1. Check that the product is licensed and approved for use in your region (especially medicines and feed products),
2. Ask about other beekeepers' experience in independent sources or in your association,
3. Try it on a few colonies, comparing them with control colonies.