MORE than 30 members turned out for the first meeting of 2012 for the Okehampton Beekeepers on January 12.

The meeting featured a visit from Jack Mummery of Devon Beekeepers' northern branch, who discussed the submission of entries for Devon County Show.

He discussed the group's previous successes, including Robert Blackmore's exhibit displaying the Devon Beekeepers' Association logo, which won the Blue Ribbon and Devon County Agricultural Association Award Card for best in show.

The meeting revealed that more members of the Okehampton branch decide to exhibit at the Okehampton Show rather than at Devon County Show, with the August show taking place after the main nectar flow, leaving exhibitors with more honey to exhibit.

The talk explained the 41 different classes at the county show, including set honey, beeswax exhibits, mead and several classes for preserves and cookery.

There are also composite classes that require four items from a selection of eleven hive products, and undersubscribed classes such as chunk honey.

It also stressed the importance of maintaining a high level of entries to justify the continued presence of the bee keeping marquee at the Devon County Show.

Around 30 to 40 beekeepers submit around 200 entries each year, but to ensure its continuation, the show organisers are looking for more entries.

The Okehampton Beekeepers will hold their next winter meeting at Whiddon Down Village Hall on Thursday February 9, when the branch will be visited by Richard Ball, a retired national bee inspector for the National Bee Unit. Richard will give a talk on queen breeding and improvement.