OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2023-12-31-accounts

THE WELSH BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION

CYMDEITHAS GWENYNWYR CYMRU

Established/Sefydlwyd 1943 Registered Charity – No 509929

Annual Report

1[st] January 2023 to 31[st] December 2023

Trustees:

Chair Caroline Mullinex (elected AGM 2022) Vice Chair Karen Pratt (elected AGM 2022) Treasurer Graham Wheeler (re-elected AGM 2021) – Trustee since AGM March 2014 General Secretary Jenny Shaw (re-elected AGM 2023) Christopher Clarke (re-elected AGM 2021) David John Bowles (re-elected Trustee AGM 2023) Keith Davies (re-elected AGM 2023) David Grace (elected AGM 2022) Jill Wheeler (retired AGM 2023) Paul Pearce (co-opted 17[th] May 2023) Alan Burford (co-opted 21[st] June 2023)

Officers: President David John Bowles (elected AGM 2021) Vice-presidents Fred Eckton Membership Secretary Trish Calderbank Minutes Secretary Jill Hill (resigned AGM 2023) post vacant Events Secretary Jill Wheeler Exam Secretary Liz Childerley Website Manager Alison Mason Editor Basil Wolf Subeditor Elin Meek Proofreader Chris Clarke Technical Officer Wally Shaw Insurance Officer John Bowles Health & Safety Officer John Pilgrim WBKA Archive Karen Pratt WBKA COLOSS officer Karen Pratt (post discontinued November 2023) IMYB Officer Richard Pett Schools Officer Emma Davies (resigned October 2023) post vacant

Specialist Members:

National Botanic Gardens of Wales

BIBBA (Bee Improvement & Bee Breeders’ Association)

Patrons:

Professor Robert Pickard

All trustees and WBKA officers give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits. The WBKA is indebted to these volunteers for their continued goodwill and efforts on behalf of the Association.

The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

1 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

Our Aims & Objectives:

The encouragement, improvement and advancement of beekeeping throughout Wales by:

Administration

The Trustees listed above meet as the WBKA Management Team. A list of meetings during the year can be found at the end of this section of the report.

The Trustees met with the WBKA Council three times (March, June, and November) to report on the actions of the Management Team and to seek guidance from the membership. All but the March meeting were held virtually. At each of these meetings a minimum of 63% (12) of the WBKA Member Associations were represented and overall, 90% (17) Associations attended at least one meeting. Minutes of all Council meetings have been circulated via Association Secretaries. Council meetings are scheduled for March 2nd, June 29[th] and November 2nd in 2024. To reduce the length of Council meetings going forward, Officers reports will be written and circulated before the meeting. These will be referenced as required by sub-committee leads during their summary reports. Council Representatives will still have the opportunity to question and comment on the reports.

The Management Team met ten times in 2023 and to reduce travelling all the meetings were virtual. The Management Team will meet at least four times in 2024 and the first meeting is scheduled for January 10th. The method and date for Management Team meetings reflects the availability and home addresses of the Trustees to ensure that there is maximum attendance and that minimum travelling expenses are incurred. Between scheduled meetings of the Management Team procedures have been agreed to obtain agreement from trustees for any urgent matters. A standard agenda format has been agreed and adopted. Full minutes of all Management Team meetings have been circulated via the Member Association secretaries. Both the webinar and virtual meeting licences were renewed in October 2023 and most Management Team meetings will continue to be held virtually to reduce the requirement to travel. The virtual meeting licences are available for Member Associations of the WBKA to use for their meetings.

Where appropriate to their roles non-Trustee officers of the WBKA have been invited to attend Management Team meetings during 2023 to assist the work of the trustees.

The policies of the WBKA have been updated and amended where necessary. New WBKA Safeguarding and Sponsorship policies have been written and these can be found on the WBKA website www.wbka.com. An additional Safeguarding and DBS guidance document has been produced to guide member associations and this links to the current legislation and guidance applicable in Wales. This is to help associations to ensure that they are compliant, particularly around activities which require DBS certification. Guidance for WBKA Officers giving presentations or reports about the WBKA to external bodies has also been agreed.

The WBKA have worked with Anaphylaxis UK to help raise awareness of severe allergic reactions to

2 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

bee stings. The Management Team have also considered how landowners can be encouraged to inform beekeepers about any planned use of pesticides on their land. Poisoning of honey bees by pesticides does not appear to be a significant problem in Wales. A guidance document will be put on the WBKA website in 2024.

A working group was set up to support a selected team of five (three young beekeepers and two accompanying adults) to represent Wales at the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers (IMYB) in Slovenia in July. The Welsh Government very kindly sponsored the team by paying the entry fees, which covered meals, accommodation and transport whilst they were in Slovenia. See separate report for more details. To date there has been no notification of a meeting of the IMYB in 2024.

In 2023 the review of the structure of the WBKA was completed and implemented. The terms of reference for all WBKA sub-committees have been reviewed as part of this undertaking. Much of the day-to-day business of the WBKA is now undertaken by four sub-committees each chaired by a WBKA Trustee and reporting to the Management Team. These sub-committees and their members are listed below: -

Administration and Support: Chair - John Bowles (Trustee and Insurance Officer), Graham Wheeler (Trustee and Treasurer), Jenny Shaw (Trustee and General Secretary), David Grace (Trustee & Safeguarding Officer), Paul Pearce (Trustee), Trish Calderbank (Membership Secretary and minute taker for sub-committee), John Pilgrim (H&S Officer)

Learning & Development: Chair – Caroline Mullinex (Trustee), Karen Pratt (Trustee and SubCommittee Secretary), Jenny Shaw (Trustee), Liz Childerley (Exams Secretary), Emma Davies (Schools’ Officer – resigned October 2023 - position currently vacant), Wally Shaw (Technical Officer), Alison Mason (Webmaster), Richard Pett (until October 2023 when IMYB Officer position was assigned to a specific working group to manage the WBKA attendance at IMYB), Lynfa Davies, Trisha Marlow.

Events: Chair – Karen Pratt until September 2023 (Trustee) currently Alan Burford (Trustee), Graham Wheeler (Trustee and Treasurer), Keith Davies (Trustee), Jill Wheeler (Events Secretary), Vicky Davies, Martin Anderson, Steve Bromwich

Editorial: Chair – Jenny Shaw (Trustee), Caroline Mullinex (Trustee and Learning and Development lead), Chris Clarke (Trustee and proof-reader), Basil Wolf (Editor), Emma Davies (School’ Officer resigned October 2023), Elin Meek (Welsh editor), Wally Shaw (Technical Officer), Jill Hill (secretary to sub-committee), Jill Wheeler

More information about the work of each sub-committee can be found later in this report and their terms of reference are on the WBKA website.

Insurance: The WBKA Insurance cover is based on several conditions including the need for capitation to be paid on time and for those covered by the policy to be individually entered on the eR2 membership system. Payment of capitation is due from Associations on the 1st of January each year, but an allowance is made providing that all monies due are received by the 31st of March in that year. Member Associations are reminded of the need to make payment punctually. More details can be found in the combined Insurance and Health & Safety Report later in this document.

Following a request from the WBKA Council the membership categories of the WBKA were reviewed and revised in 2022 to ensure that all Indirect Members of the WBKA are covered by our insurance policy. We are pleased to report that our insurance now covers beekeepers under the age of 18 years.

3 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

Finance Reserves: The Reserve policy states that the Charity (WBKA) shall maintain a reserve of £10,000-£13,000. This reserve is required by Charity Law to cover operational and contractual expenses should the need arise. This policy is monitored and updated annually.

Monies held on the HSBC current account are used to not only cover the running costs of the Association but to fund various projects such as the running of courses and the dissemination of information by various means such as the website, booklets and other publications. A detailed financial report accompanies this document.

Governance: The 2023 AGM saw the retirement of Jill Wheeler as a trustee. The Management Team co-opted two new trustees Paul Pearce (May 2023) and Alan Burford (June 2023). These appointments will be presented to the membership for ratification at the 2024 AGM on March 2[nd] . Currently there is the full complement of ten WBKA trustees.

In September 2023 Karen Pratt passed the chair of the Events sub-committee to Alan Burford.

At the AGM in March 2023 Jill Hill retired as the Council Minute secretary and in October Emma Davies resigned as WBKA Schools Officer. We thank all of them for their work on behalf of beekeeping in Wales. Currently the Schools Officer post remains vacant and has recently been advertised through publication of the job description. Work has begun to ensure that all WBKA Officers have clear and up to date job descriptions and the Management Team are also looking at contingency planning to cover key positions if an officer resigns or is incapacitated for a length of time. It is acknowledged that finding volunteers to take on voluntary roles is not an easy task.

Work has begun on defining the strategies that are needed to achieve the objectives of the WBKA so that performance can be measured.

The Constitution of the WBKA has been reviewed and several minor changes to aid clarification were accepted by the membership at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the WBKA.

Membership: The WBKA has nineteen Member Associations who represent 2103 Registered, 520 Partner and 14 Country Members and two Specialist Member groups. As part of the annual capitation fee levied on each Member Association the Indirect members benefit by receiving four editions of the 'Welsh Beekeeper’ and third-party Public and Product Liability Insurance. There are currently thirtyfive Individual and seven Honorary Members of the Welsh Beekeepers’ Association. Very sadly we lost one of our Honorary Life Members, C. Wynne Jones, who will be greatly missed. A detailed breakdown of membership accompanies this report.

We continue to work with the Welsh Government. Both Kathleen Carroll (Welsh Government) and Maggie Gill (Wales Bee Inspection Service) have attended WBKA Council Meetings in 2023 in advisory roles.

Following queries from Member Associations, the WBKA Council reviewed the membership categories of the WBKA to ensure that they met their requirements. It is now a requirement that only one name is used for each entry in eR2 and only that named person will be eligible for appropriate WBKA insurance cover. Partners residing at the same address as a registered member and managing the same bees are insured if they are entered individually in the eR2 system. Junior members under the age of 18 should also be listed separately in eR2. Only named juniors will be considered to represent the WBKA at the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers. From January 2024 partner members of the WBKA will be required to pay an annual capitation of £6 and the fee for registered members will rise to £12 per year. This increase is the first in over 10 years and reflects the current economic situation.

4 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

Country membership is used for people without bees who wish to be Indirect Members of the WBKA and again they should appear as individual entries in eR2. The final membership category is for Local members who should again appear in eR2 as individual entries. Local members have no bees and are members of the Member Association who are not Indirect members of the WBKA and are not entitled to any of the benefits that accrue from WBKA membership. The majority of WBKA Member Association are now using the eR2 membership service and training for users has continued to be made available by Trish Calderbank, WBKA Membership Secretary. We would like to thank Trish for her continued hard work in assisting Associations. At the end of 2023 Kerry Cox was recruited to support Trish Calderbank in her role of assisting WBKA associations to use eR2. The WBKA continues to work with BDI to ensure that the eR2 system accommodates the requirement of Associations in Wales.

Website: The website, launched in 2022 is being regularly updated and recent analytics show an increase in the number of visitors to the site. The website reflects the language policy of the WBKA. We thank Alison Mason for her work in developing and maintaining our website.

Welsh Beekeeper Magazine: All four quarterly editions have been completed during the year. We would like to thank our Editor, Basil Wolf for his dedication to producing the magazine. We are also thankful to the many members of the WBKA who have provided articles and photographs for the magazine. The last four copies of the magazine can be downloaded from the WBKA website and previous electronic editions are available from the archivist, Karen Pratt as electronic files karen.pratt@wbka.com.

Publications: Printed copies of all the booklets and disease cards, published by the WBKA, can be collected by Association Representatives at the March Council Meeting or can be pre-ordered for collection at the annual WBKA Convention in late March. Supplies will be sent to associations as long as they agree to pay the costs incurred.

The Trustees have worked with several external agencies during 2023 to ensure that Welsh beekeepers are kept fully informed and supported at a Wales, UK and European level. A list of the external meeting attended by the WBKA is given below.

Bee Health Advisory Forum (UK): The Bee Health Advisory Forum (BHAF) is a UK Government arranged meeting where all National Beekeeping Associations in Wales and England are represented as well as the NBU, APHA, Welsh Government, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, etc. It offers an opportunity to discuss and influence current and forthcoming issues which may threaten the welfare of our bees. The items covered in the last year are included in more detail in a separate report.

Wales Pollinators Taskforce: This is a Welsh Government sponsored forum which brings together a variety of groups who represent organizations that have an interest in protecting the wild environment and improving land management for the benefit of pollinators of all types varying from butterflies, hoverflies to bumble bees and honeybees. We believe that whatever can influence and improve the physical landscape and the management of land for any pollinator will also benefit honeybees.

CONBA (Council of National Beekeeping Associations): The Beekeeping Associations of Wales, England, Scotland, and Ulster as well as the Bee Farmers Association jointly form CONBA (Council of National Beekeeping Associations) which supports the interests of all beekeepers and beekeeping in the UK. The Federation of Irish Beekeepers, who represent beekeepers in Eire also attend CONBA

5 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

meetings. It gives the opportunity to develop joint strategies to deal with a variety of issues including government plans.

RWAS (Royal Welsh Agricultural Show) : First established in 1904 and established as the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show at Llanelwedd in 1963 including the Honey Show to which WBKA makes available assistance and support.

National (UK) Honey Show : In 2022 the WBKA became a member of the National Honey Show being the body that organizes and runs an annual Honey Show that is open to all beekeepers to enter. The NHS holds an Annual General Meeting of members in conjunction with the Honey Show.

NDB (National Diploma in Beekeeping) : The WBKA was represented at the Annual General Meeting of the organization that controls and awards the ‘degree level’ qualification in beekeeping as well as running several short courses to educate beekeepers.

Meetings Attended in 2023 Internal WBKA Meetings 2023:

10thJanuary Editorial Team: virtual
18thJanuary Management Team (Trustees): virtual
24thJanuary Learning & Development Committee: virtual
31st January Editorial Team: virtual
15thFebruary Management Team (Trustees): virtual
21stFebruary Editorial Team: virtual
4thMarch AGM and Council Meeting, Plas Dolerw: joint face to face and virtual
14thMarch Management Team (Trustees): virtual
16thMarch IMYB Working group: virtual
24thMarch Events Committee: face to face
25thMarch IMYB Team: face to face
19thApril Management Team (Trustees): virtual
25thApril Learning & Development Committee: virtual
10thMay IMYB Working group17thMay: virtual
17thMay Management Team (Trustees): virtual
22ndMay IMYB Working group: virtual
13thJune IMYB Working group: virtual
19thJune IMYB Working group: virtual
21stJune Management Team (Trustees): virtual

6 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

24thJune Council meeting: virtual
28thJune IMYB Working group: virtual
8thJuly Management Team (Trustees): virtual
14thJuly Editorial Team: virtual
18thJuly Learning & Development Committee: virtual
19thJuly Management Team (Trustees): virtual
22ndJuly Events Committee: face to face
5thSeptember Editorial Team: virtual
12thSeptember Administration & Support Committee: virtual
20thSeptember Management Team (Trustees): virtual
11thOctober Learning & Development Committee: virtual
4thNovember Council meetings: virtual
15thNovember Management Team (Trustees): virtual
12thDecember Editorial Team: virtual

WBKA representation at External Meetings 2023:

Caroline Mullinex (C.M.), Jenny Shaw (J.S.), John Bowles (J.B.), Wally Shaw (W.S.), Keith Davies (K.D.), Alan Burford (A.B.)

7 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

REPORTS

WBKA Treasurer’s Report Financial Year 2023

Year End vs Budget 2023

The final year end position was a loss of £5k against an originally budgeted loss of £9k, this being down to slightly higher income from individual members and the convention from improved attendance. We have also had sponsorship for the IMYB (International Meeting of Young Beekeepers) from the Welsh Government and from the Local Associations who had members taking part in the IMYB; this has allowed us to stay on budget overall for the IMYB event at £1700.

On the expenditure front:

Budget 2024

Income:

Expenditure:

Projected Outcome

The draft budget as set out projects a loss of circa £5,000 against a forecast £9k loss made at the beginning of 2023 as part of the Capitation analyses at that time.

8 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

Budget Projection 2025 & Capitation Proposal

To inform the discussion on Capitation for 2025, I have prepared a projection for 2025. Capitation income is based on the new 2024 rates and 2023 membership. Advertising prices are assumed to increase by 10% all other income streams unchanged. Expenditure on all main items is increased by 5%. The resulting outcome is a projected deficit of circa £1k.

Based on this projection and the improved forecast losses for 2023 it was recommended to the Nov Council that indirect member capitation levels be maintained for 2025 at the 2024 level. The November Council approved the recommendation for approval at the AGM.

Learning & Development (L&D) - incorporating Exam Secretary Report

Meetings

The L&D sub-committee continued to hold regular quarterly virtual meetings throughout 2023.

Emma Davies tended her resignation in October so the Schools Officer post became vacant. The IMYB Officer now reports directly to a small working group set up specifically to manage the WBKA’s involvement in IMYB going forward.

L&D have continued to work with both Editorial and Events to provide magazine content and input to the Spring Convention Programme.

Exams & Assessments

30 members passed the WBKA Basic Assessment in 2023, many with credit and a few with distinction.

Two new Basic Assessors were recruited and we hope to be able to recruit more going forward to support succession planning in this area.

12 WBKA members were successful in achieving the BBKA Bee Health Certificate (BHC) in 2023 and the significantly increased uptake is due, in part at least, to encouragement provided at the BHC preparation workshop which we ran in late 2022.

On the module side, WBKA members again achieved some fantastic results in 2023. There were 18 module successes, including 3 with Distinction and 10 with Credit. 2 candidates were awarded the Intermediate Theory certificate both with credit. One of these candidates also gained the Qualified Beekeeper certificate (awarded on gaining the Intermediate Theory certificate having previously passed the General Husbandry assessment).

We provided 2 exam venues in both March and November for candidates not wishing to take the module exams online and have continued to support WBKA members taking BBKA exams and assessments by paying the exam membership fees on their behalf.

We offer congratulations all the successful candidates and thank everyone who has helped to facilitate these exams and assessments for our members.

Webinars

9 more live webinars went ahead in 2023 on a range of topics bringing the total number of WBKA webinars now delivered to 43. Since we began the webinar series in 2020, almost 10,000 have registered for them. We are usually able to provide anyone who has registered with a link enabling

9 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

them to watch on “catch up” for a limited period so that no-one has to miss out due to a diary clash or because of poor connectivity.

We continue to be immensely grateful to everyone who has presented at our webinars, and to all who have supported them, from within the WBKA and beyond.

Schools

During 2023, a suggestion was made for the WBKA to consider providing a Schools Membership. Scoping this, and work on developing WBKA resources for use by schools in Wales, will be taken forward when the Schools Officer position is filled.

Wax Chandler Grant Funding

2023 was year 2 of the grant funding period and, with the direct support of this funding, we were able to deliver/support the following events for WBKA members: -

A Convention workshop on Varroa Control

2 x Pollen Microscopy Workshops - held in locations in Mid & West Wales

1 x Anatomy & Dissection Workshop – held in North Wales

A 3-day General Husbandry Preparation course – held in Mid Wales

A 2-day Teaching Beekeeping workshop – held just over the border in Shropshire (in which 10 WBKA members participated).

The second annual feedback report is being sent to the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers and this will be published in the Spring 2024 edition of The Welsh Beekeeper.

Again, we thank everyone who has helped deliver and facilitate these events and reiterate our thanks to the Wax Chandlers whose generous funding has made this programme possible.

Booklet

We began to scope publication of a new WBKA booklet during 2023 and a decision on whether or not to procced with this, and if so in what format, is expected to be made in 2024.

Events Committee

This year saw the Spring Convention on March 25th. The number of attendees were up, 449. There were 11 Trade stands and 7 general interest stands. There were also 2 workshops that were planned to run during the day, one run by Lynfa Davies on ‘Varroa control’, the second ‘BBKA Module Exams’ was cancelled due to illness. An informal workshop aimed at young beekeepers also took place. 28 stewards supported the running of the show on the day as well as the members who helped with the set up on the Friday. This year Sum Up was again used for both pre-payments and on the door, this allowed members to use a credit or debit card for payments. Due to unforeseen circumstances two of the speakers had to drop out at the last minute however Lynfa Davies and Wally Shaw took over their lecture slots and we thank them both for stepping in at such short notice.

10 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

The Spring Festival, May 19[th] /21[st] , was supported by 12 members stewarding the stand. The events team, Martin Anderson, Vicky Davies, Jill and Graham Wheeler, helped set up and strike the stand. The stand proved to be popular to both members of the public and beekeepers, and £70 was raised for Bees Abroad with candle rolling. Unfortunately, we were unable to source an observation hive from local beekeeper members.

The RWAS 24th to 27th July saw us back in the South Glamorgan Hall. 23 members helped to steward the stand over the four days, the stand was positioned so that it would remain accessible throughout the Honey Show judging. Thanks must go to the events team who helped with the successful setting up and running of the stand, we even had David Grace interviewed for S4C. Martin Anderson, Vicky Davies and Graham Wheeler helped to set up and strike the stand.

We provided an information stand for the BIBBA Conference- 2[nd] /3[rd] September, at the University of Wales, Carmarthen. This was set up and struck by Vicky Davies with Alison Fraser keeping her eye on the stand during the event.

Planning of the 2024 Spring Convention is underway with traders and four speakers booked: Jo Widdicombe- BIBBA, opening address, Pam Hunter – ‘Pheromones – or Bees do it by smell!’, Kirsty Stainton– ‘Varroa’, Andy Pedley – ‘Food Safety for the Beekeeper, Clare Densley & Martin Hann - ‘What the books don’t tell you and why bees change their minds’.

During the year two new members joined the events committee. Steve Bromwich who has supported the convention for many years with his IT skills, and who now also supports the AGM with his IT kit and Alan Burford as the new Events Lead Trustee.

IMYB (International Meeting of Young Beekeepers)

The WBKA selected three young beekeepers to represent Wales at the IMYB held in Slovenia in July. Those selected were Thomas Barclay (Conwy) 16 years old, Emanuel Coles (Cardiff)14 years old and Rhodri Terrell (Cardiff) 14 years old. To accompany the young beekeepers Richard Pett (IMYB Officer) and Emma Davies (Schools Officer) were selected. We are grateful to Welsh Government for providing sponsorship that covered all the teams’ expenses whilst they were in Slovenia. The event brings young beekeepers aged 12 to 17 from all over the world together to compare their knowledge and skills, establish new friendships and discover other countries and cultures during a 4-day event.

The Wales team travelled with the teams from Scotland and England and took a full part in the event. This was the first time that the WBKA had selected a full team to represent Wales at the event and the team came a credible 22[nd] out of the 32 teams that attended. The team members were a credit to Wales, and we hope to build on the experience gained for attendance at the meeting in future years. We thank all those involved in making the arrangements for and accompanying the young beekeepers attending the IMYB.

The WBKA feels that this event gives young beekeepers a valuable experience and hope that we will be in a position to send a team in future years. Details of IMYB 2024 have not yet been announced. If there is an IMYB meeting in 2024 we hope to be able to select a team from the junior members of the WBKA. As travel and other costs increase, we will need to seek sponsorship to assist funding of a Wales team attending the event.

11 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

Webmaster

Google Analytics in its present form has only been available on this site since September 2023. So the results outlined below are for the last quarter only.

In that period, we have had 876 new users with the majority coming from within the UK. We do also have a following in the USA, China, Australia, Ireland, Canada and Germany, (listed most to least in order of user numbers).

Once on the site, our most popular pages are WBKA publications, Member Associations, WBKA webinars, WBKA magazine, Swarms, Beginner Training Courses, Association and Individual Membership and Who We Are, again listed in terms of most used, to least used.

Average engagement time for each page is fairly uniform per user save for ‘Association and Individual membership’ where users are spending 60% longer than on any of the other listed pages.

Engagement time on the site as a whole shows that users from Austria, Ireland, UK and Canada spend the longest using the site.

Site audience statistics show a rise around webinar dates and are climbing again in the first week in December at the time of writing.

Finally, 52% of our users access our site using a desktop/laptop computer, 44% by using a mobile and just 3% use a tablet.

Editor

The Editorial Committee has overseen the publication of four print editions of the Welsh Beekeeper magazine, and these have been made available online on the WBKA website. The magazine has acted as a vehicle for WBKA and Association news and has provided a range of articles of technical and general interest to beekeepers, contributed by over forty different authors. The activities of L&D have been reported regularly and our association with the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers has been given prominence. The editor has also worked with Wally Shaw on a reprint of the booklet ‘There are queen cells in my hive – what should I do?’

Technical Officer

Bee Inspection Service –The WBKA continues to work closely with both the Welsh Government and the Bee Inspection Service in Wales. The Regional Bee Inspector for Wales, Maggie Gill, took up a research position with FERA at the beginning of 2024. We look forward to working with Daniel Baxter who replaces her as RBI Wales for 2024. In past years the annual report from the Inspection Service in Wales has formed a significant part of the winter edition of our magazine. We understand that the increased workload that the reports of Asian Hornets created in the autumn could have delayed the publication of this report but hope that it will be available to be included in the spring 2024 edition.

Queen Rear-along - This was a booklet, produced by the National Bee Unit (NBU), which was presented to WBKA with a request to send it out with the Spring 2023 Edition of Welsh Beekeeper. The WBKA requested that any such booklet distributed by the WBKA should be bi-lingual. Due to changes in personnel at the NBU this project was shelved, and we have heard no more.

12 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

Developments During 2023 – I am not aware of any notable developments in Wales during the year but the incursions by the Asian Hornet has taken a quantum leap with 72 nests having been located and subsequently destroyed. Most of these have been in south-east England but there have been outliers as far up the east coast as Yorkshire. I am happy to report that so far there have been no hornet nests found in Wales, but it may only be a matter of time.

All this has created a great deal of work for APHA and there are concerns that this has been to the detriment of the routine inspection for AFB and EFB but there is no evidence that this is the case. All hornet nests are recovered and taken to NBU to undergo post-mortem examination. This includes their state of development, i.e. do they contain any sexually mature individuals (drones and queens). This is by no means as easy as it is with honey bees as queen hornets cannot be identified by external appearance. They are distinguished from workers largely by weight and this can only be confirmed by dissection. They also undergo DNA profiling to check if they are related to nests found in previous years which would imply an established population that had escaped detection. The sheer number of nests has created a huge backlog, and the results will not be available until sometime in February 2024. The present strategy with Asian Hornet is one of exclusion but if a population becomes established this will change to one of limitation. Since the invasive front is known to advance at about 60km per year this will be a fairly thankless task. At the present time it is not known if the Asian Hornet will have any climatic limitations in the UK.

Bee Health Advisory Forum (BHAF) Meetings - There have been four meetings of the forum (42[nd] - 46[th] - all virtual) during the current year. The last of these was scheduled to be face-to-face at the National Honey Show but pressure produced by the Asian Hornet put paid to that. Representing WBKA at these meeting were John Bowles and Wally Shaw. An ongoing item on the agenda at these meetings was the Implementation Plan for the second Healthy Bee Plan which extends up to 2030. Most of the initiative in this programme fall under the heading of beekeeper education (and the Learning and Development report documents the 2023 WBKA led events in this space). The 45[th] and 46[th] meetings have been dominated by the Asian Hornet and regular updates on the situation have been sent to the stakeholders throughout the late summer and autumn – the source of the above information. At the October meeting, Nigel Semmence (NBU Contingency Planning and Scientific Officer) gave a detailed account on the methodology used in the location and destruction of hornet nests. This presentation was repeated at the National Honey Show. Maggie Gill gave a presentation about Asian Hornets in the UK to the November WBKA Council meeting and this is available on the WBKA website.

Implementation of the Healthy Bee Plan 2030- One of the main subjects discussed during 2023 was progress made on the Implementation Plan for the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 which was mainly concerned with beekeeper education.

The WBKA has carried forward the objectives under the plan through:

The Science Forum has met once during the year and is due to meet again early in 2024. A list of current scientific projects that are underway in the UK, their progress to date and their source of

13 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

funding has been prepared and discussed. Further meetings will be held in 2024. An important development is that Kirsty Stainton has now re-joined the National Bee Unit as Technical Manager.

The Annual Hive Count - was repeated in 2023 but no results have become available at the time of writing.

Varroa Levels 2023 – No detailed information available. Maggie Gill reminded the WBKA BHAF representatives and WBKA Secretary that varroa is still a major cause of colony loss in Wales. Her advice is that beekeepers wishing to reduce varroa treatment should monitor the level of mites in their colonies. Integrated Pest Management techniques should be used when varroa levels become high enough to impact on the health of a colony. Maggie had intended to write an article about IPM for the summer edition of the Welsh Beekeeper. Unfortunately, this was not received but more information can be found on the BeeBase website.

WBKA Technical Publications – Stocks of the WBKA booklet ‘ There are queen cells in my, what should I do? ’ have run out and it is currently bring re-printed.

Insurance

The changes to definitions of what constituted membership made over the last two years has enabled us to have more confidence that the information we provided when we sought insurance quotes was accurate. It also enables us to concentrate on other issues such as insurance of young beekeepers (under18) who kept bees independently.

This year we sought quotes from two brokers, Jensten, and Aston Lark (now changed to Howden), the company which is the broker for the BBKA. The process was successful in reducing the overall premium for the WBKA and its Associations by some £1200 for similar cover (see note 1 below) as well as providing cover for independent beekeepers under 18 years of age.

Note 1: The main difference between the two policies is in relation to definitions under Product Liability.

The Jensten policy wording uses the phrase ”Sale of bee related products including honey, creams/balms and salves made from products of the hive”.

Aston Lark (Howden) uses the description “Manufacture and supply of primary hive products” They have indicated that cover will not apply to the sale of products which contain non hive generated products. Anyone who manufactures such products for sale is advised to consider separate insurance.

Health & Safety

During the last year we have reviewed our Health and Safety Policy and recommended that our member Associations:

a. Produce a similar document.

14 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

b. Nominate a committee member to be responsible for ensuring that appropriate risk assessments are undertaken and any necessary actions taken according to the suggestions made in “Risk Assessments – A simple guide” which is on our website.

To date not all Associations have produced evidence of compliance with this well intended guidance.

Associations are reminded that they need to take steps to identify risks and ensure that those who need to, know what is expected of them to evidence the required duty of care. If these steps, which need not be onerous, are not taken, the safety and health of the public and especially new members, who may not be aware of potential risks, could be compromised. This could lead to the association being found to be at fault in any investigation.

Safeguarding

As mentioned previously in this report, a new WBKA Safeguarding Policy has been published this year and this is supplemented by Safeguarding and DBS Guidance. This links to current legislation and guidance relevant in Wales. It is intended to support member associations to ensure they have appropriate policies and certification, relevant to their particular activities, in place.

Spray Liaison

A non-malicious and thankfully benign spraying event in the south of the Meirionnydd Region in June last year prompted a review of National spraying communications and advice. The review identified a well written UK HM Gov guidance document, the Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products, that was not easy to find and most worrying had out-of-date contact information for the WBKA.

All of the WBKA Associations were approached to see if they had spray management processes (to see if anyone had a really good system) and a volunteer with subject matter knowledge (SMK) was sought as the WBKA's representative. Communications with the NBU for the latest spray advice (and to perhaps help amend the Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products) was initiated and the much lauded Bee Connect team were approached for help/guidance.

At the time of reporting we are awaiting responses from both the NBU and Bee Connect. We have not found a SMK volunteer. We are keen not to reinvent the wheel although we have had offers to produce a spray map not unlike the current swarm collection map. Bee Connect appears to do all we would need as beekeepers provided all beekeepers and anyone spraying uses it. So the focus is currently on correcting the Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products to point at the WBKA website and/or Bee Connect; provided Bee Connect will permit this.

The project is a slow-burn project. And we can understand with all the Asian Hornet activity why the NBU in particular have not yet responded. Aviation based spraying seems to be well reported to Associations and whilst spraying is a significant threat to pollinators, we have not been made aware of any recent worrying events.

Communication is key to this problem. The Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products needs to be easier to find and it needs correcting. We need to help anyone spraying to find the Code of Practice and hopefully Bee Connect will be the conduit between sprayers and beekeepers.

15 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

If anyone reading this would like to help us please contact paul.pearce@wbka.com

Wales Pollinators’ Taskforce

WBKA were represented at two meetings in 2023

Key themes discussed in 2023 were primarily associated with Asian hornets, grasslands, their diversity, connectivity and management:

COLOSS

At the November Council Meeting, representatives from the WBKA Associations voted to discontinue the distribution and completion of the COLOSS surveys due to the very poor response from Associations to the 2023 Survey.

NDB (National Diploma in Beekeeping)

We attended the 2023 AGM held during the National Honey Show at Sandown Park.. Margaret Thomas stepped down as President and Clive De Bruyn is now acting President. The 2024 Advanced course will be 5-10 July at Pershore. There will be an NDB exam in 2024. The meeting discussed ways of raising the profile of NDB. Short courses delivered have been demand led.

16 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

CONBA (Council of National Beekeeping Associations)

WBKA were represented at both meetings in 2023. Under discussion has been the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers and the feasibility of holding a UK event to prepare junior beekeepers for the International one. The response to Asian Hornets and honey adulteration have also been discussed. Concern has been raised about the diminishing number of Honey Judges and the lengthy process to replace them. These topics are all ongoing. For 2023 the Federation of Irish Beekeepers (FIBKA) started attending meetings again. This was a welcome addition to the Council.

Archive.

The archives remain at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth and are added to when required.

APPENDED REPORTS

Appendix 1: Membership 2023

Appendix 2: Accounts Financial Year 2023

Appendix 3: 2023 Year End and 2023 Budget

------------------------------------------------

Declaration: The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.

Signature:

Full name: Caroline Mullinex

Position: Chairperson

Date:

17 GCG/WBKA Annual Report 2023 (Final draft - 22.01.24)

THE WELSH BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION

CYMDEITHAS GWENYNWYR CYMRU

Established/Sefydlwyd 1943 Registered Charity/Elusen Gofrestredig – No/Rhif 509929

Adroddiad Blynyddol

1 Ionawr 2023 i 31 Rhagfyr 2023

Ymddiriedolwyr: Cadeirydd Caroline Mullinex (etholwyd CCB 2022) Is-Gadeirydd Karen Pratt (etholwyd CCB 2022) Trysorydd Graham Wheeler (ailetholwyd CCB 2021) – Ymddiriedolwr ers CCB Mawrth 2014 Ysgrifennydd Cyff. Jenny Shaw (ailetholwyd CCB 2023) Christopher Clarke (ailetholwyd CCB 2021) David John Bowles (ailetholwyd yn Ymddiriedolwr CCB 2023) Keith Davies (ailetholwyd CCB 2023) David Grace (etholwyd CCB 2022) Jill Wheeler (ymddeolodd CCB 2023) Paul Pearce (cyfetholwyd 17 Mai 2023) Alan Burford (cyfetholwyd 21 Mehefin 2023)

Swyddogion: Llywydd David John Bowles (etholwyd CCB 2021) Is-lywyddion Fred Eckton Ysgrifennydd Aelodaeth Trish Calderbank Ysgrifenydd Cofnodion Jill Hill (ymddiswyddodd CCB 2023) swydd wag Ysgrifennydd Digwyddiadau Jill Wheeler Ysgrifennydd Arholiadau Liz Childerley Rheolwr y Wefan Alison Mason Golygydd Basil Wolf Is-olygydd Cymraeg Elin Meek Prawf ddarllenydd Chris Clarke Swyddog Technegol Wally Shaw Swyddog Yswiriant John Bowles Swyddog Iechyd a Diogelwch John Pilgrim Archif CGC Karen Pratt Swyddog COLOSS CGC Karen Pratt (daeth y swydd i ben Tachwedd 2023) Swyddog IMYB Richard Pett Swyddog Ysgolion Emma Davies (ymddiswyddodd Hydref 2023) swydd wag

Aelodau Arbenigol:

Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru BIBBA (Cymdeithas Gwella Gwenyn a Magwyr Gwenyn)

Noddwyr:

Yr Athro Robert Pickard

Mae pob un o ymddiriedolwyr a swyddogion CGC yn rhoi ei amser yn wirfoddol heb dderbyn tâl neu fanteision eraill. Mae CGC yn ddyledus i'r gwirfoddolwyr hyn am eu hewyllys da a'u hymdrechion parhaus ar ran y Gymdeithas.

Mae'r ymddiriedolwyr wedi ystyried yr arweiniad a gyhoeddodd y Comisiwn Elusennau ynghylch lles

1 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

y cyhoedd.

Ein Nodau a'n Hamcanion:

Annog, gwella a hyrwyddo cadw gwenyn ledled Cymru drwy:

iii. hybu hyfforddi a chymhwyso gwenynwyr,

Gweinyddu

Mae'r Ymddiriedolwyr yn y rhestr uchod yn cwrdd fel Tîm Rheoli Cymdeithas Gwenynwyr Cymru. Ceir rhestr lawn o'r cyfarfodydd yn ystod y flwyddyn ar ddiwedd y rhan hon o'r adroddiad hwn.

Cyfarfu'r Ymddiriedolwyr â Chyngor CGC dair gwaith (ym misoedd Mawrth, Mehefin, a Thachwedd) i adrodd ar weithredu'r Tîm Rheoli ac i gael arweiniad gan yr aelodaeth. Cynhaliwyd pob un o'r cyfarfodydd ac eithrio un mis Mawrth yn rhithiol. Ym mhob un o'r cyfarfodydd hyn roedd o leiaf 63% (12) o'r Cymdeithasau sy'n Aelodau o CGC wedi'u cynrychioli ac at ei gilydd mynychodd 90% (17) Cymdeithas o leiaf un cyfarfod. Dosbarthwyd cofnodion pob un o gyfarfodydd y Cyngor drwy Ysgrifenyddion y Cymdeithasau. Cynhelir cyfarfodydd y Cyngor ar 2 Mawrth, 29 Mehefin a 2 Tachwedd yn 2024. Er mwyn lleihau hyd cyfarfodydd y Cyngor yn y dyfodol, bydd adroddiadau'r Swyddogion yn cael eu hysgrifennu a'u cylchredeg cyn y cyfarfod. Bydd arweinwyr yr is-bwyllgorau’n cyfeirio at y rhain fel y bo angen yn ystod eu hadroddiadau cryno. Bydd cyfle o hyd i Gynrychiolwyr y Cyngor i holi cwestiynau ac i roi sylwadau ar yr adroddiadau.

Cafodd y Tîm Rheoli gyfarfod ddeg gwaith yn ystod 2023 ac er mwyn lleihau'r teithio, roedd pob un o'r cyfarfodydd yn rhai rhithiol. Bydd y Tîm Rheoli'n cwrdd o leiaf bedair gwaith yn 2024, gyda'r cyfarfod cyntaf i fod ar 10 Ionawr. Mae'r dull a'r dyddiad ar gyfer cyfarfodydd y Tîm Rheoli'n adlewyrchu argaeledd a chyfeiriadau cartref yr Ymddiriedolwyr er mwyn sicrhau bod cynifer ag sy'n bosibl yn gallu mynychu a bod cyn lleied o gostau teithio ag sy'n bosibl. Rhwng y cyfarfodydd y Tîm Rheoli sydd wedi'u hamserlennu, cytunwyd ar weithdrefnau er mwyn cael cytundeb yr ymddiriedolwyr ar gyfer unrhyw faterion brys. Cytunwyd ar fformat agenda safonol ac fe'i mabwysiadwyd. Dosbarthwyd cofnodion llawn pob cyfarfod y Tîm Rheoli drwy ysgrifenyddion y Cymdeithasau. Adnewyddwyd trwyddedau'r Gweminarau a'r cyfarfodydd rhithiol ym mis Hydref 2023 a bydd y rhan fwyaf o gyfarfodydd y Tîm Rheoli'n parhau i gael eu cynnal yn rhithiol fel bod llai o angen teithio. Mae'r trwyddedau ar gyfer cyfarfodydd rhithiol ar gael i Aelod-Gymdeithasau CGC i'w defnyddio ar gyfer eu cyfarfodydd nhw.

Lle mae'n briodol i'w rolau, gwahoddwyd swyddogion CGC nad ydyn nhw'n Ymddiriedolwyr i fynychu cyfarfodydd y Tîm Rheoli yn ystod 2023 er mwyn helpu gyda gwaith yr ymddiriedolwyr.

Mae polisïau CGC wedi'u diweddaru a'u diwygio lle roedd angen. Ysgrifennwyd polisïau Diogelu a Noddi CGC newydd ac mae'r rhain i'w cael ar wefan CGC www.wbka.com. Cynhyrchwyd dogfen cyfarwyddyd Diogelu a DBS ychwanegol er mwyn rhoi arweiniad i aelod-gymdeithasau ac mae hon yn

2 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

cysylltu â'r ddeddfwriaeth a'r arweiniad cyfoes sy'n berthnasol yng Nghymru. Mae hyn er mwyn helpu cymdeithasau i sicrhau eu bod yn cydymffurfio, yn enwedig o gwmpas gweithgareddau sy'n gofyn am dystysgrif DBS. Hefyd, cytunwyd ar arweiniad i Swyddogion CGC sy'n rhoi cyflwyniadau neu adroddiadau am CGC i gyrff allanol.

Mae CGC wedi gweithio gyda Anaphylaxis UK i helpu i godi ymwybyddiaeth o adwaith alergaidd difrifol i bigiadau gwenyn. Hefyd, mae'r Tîm Rheoli wedi ystyried sut mae'n bosibl annog perchnogion tir i roi gwybod i wenynwyr am unrhyw blaleiddiaid y maen nhw'n bwriadu eu defnyddio ar eu tir. Dydy gwenwyno gwenyn mêl gan blaleiddiaid ddim yn ymddangos yn broblem arwyddocaol yng Nghymru. Bydd dogfen ganllawiau yn cael ei rhoi ar wefan CGC yn 2024.

Sefydlwyd gweithgor i gefnogi'r tîm dethol o bump (tri gwenynwr ifanc a dau oedolyn i fynd gyda nhw) i gynrychioli Cymru yng Nghyfarfod Rhyngwladol Gwenynwyr Ifanc (IMYB) yn Slofenia ym mis Gorffennaf. Cafodd y tîm nawdd caredig Llywodraeth Cymru; talodd hyn am y ffioedd mynediad a oedd yn cynnwys prydau bwyd, llety a thrafnidiaeth tra oedden nhw yn Slofenia. Gweler yr adroddiad ar wahân i gael rhagor o wybodaeth. Hyd yma, does dim sôn y bydd cyfarfod o IMYB yn 2024.

Yn 2023 cafodd adolygiad o strwythur CGC ei gwblhau a'i weithredu. Mae cylch gorchwyl pob is-bwyllgor CGC wedi cael ei adolygu'n rhan o hyn. Nawr, mae'r rhan fwyaf o fusnes bob dydd CGC yn cael ei wneud gan bedwar is-bwyllgor a phob un wedi'i gadeirio gan un o Ymddiriedolwyr CGC ac yn adrodd i'r Tîm Rheoli. Mae rhestr o'r is-bwyllgorau hyn a'u haelodau isod: -

Gweinyddu a Chymorth: Cadeirydd – John Bowles (Ymddiriedolwr a Swyddog Yswiriant), Graham Wheeler (Ymddiriedolwr a Thrysorydd), Jenny Shaw (Ymddiriedolwr ac Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol), David Grace (Ymddiriedolwr a Swyddog Diogelu), Paul Pearce (Ymddiriedolwr), Trish Calderbank (Ysgrifennydd Aelodaeth ac ysgrifennydd cofnodion i'r is-bwyllgor), John Pilgrim (Swyddog Iechyd a Diogelwch).

Dysgu a Datblygiad: Cadeirydd – Caroline Mullinex (Ymddiriedolwr), Karen Pratt (Ymddiriedolwr ac Ysgrifennydd yr Is-bwyllgor), Jenny Shaw (Ymddiriedolwr), Liz Childerley (Ysgrifennydd Arholiadau), Emma Davies (Swyddog Ysgolion – ymddiswyddodd ym mis Hydref 2023 - swydd yn wag ar hyn o bryd), Wally Shaw (Swyddog Technegol), Alison Mason (Gwefeistr), Richard Pett (tan fis Hydref 2023 pan neilltuwyd rôl Swyddog IMYB i weithgor penodol er mwyn rheoli cynrychiolaeth CGC yn IMYB), Lynfa Davies, Trisha Marlow.

Digwyddiadau: Cadeirydd – Karen Pratt tan fis Medi 2023 (Ymddiriedolwr), ar hyn o bryd Alan Burford (Ymddiriedolwr), Graham Wheeler (Ymddiriedolwr a Thrysorydd), Keith Davies (Ymddiriedolwr), Jill Wheeler (Ysgrifennydd Digwyddiadau), Vicky Davies, Martin Anderson, Steve Bromwich.

Golygyddol: Cadeirydd – Jenny Shaw (Ymddiriedolwr), Caroline Mullinex (Ymddiriedolwr ac arweinydd Dysgu a Datblygiad), Chris Clarke (Ymddiriedolwr a phrawf ddarllenydd), Basil Wolf (Golygydd), Emma Davies (Swyddog Ysgolion ymddiswyddodd ym mis Hydref 2023), Elin Meek (Golygydd Cymraeg), Wally Shaw (Swyddog Technegol), Jill Hill (ysgrifennydd i'r is-bwyllgor), Jill Wheeler.

Ceir rhagor o wybodaeth am waith pob is-bwyllgor yn ddiweddarach yn yr adroddiad hwn ac mae eu cylch gorchwyl ar wefan CGC.

Yswiriant: Mae sicrwydd Yswiriant CGC yn seiliedig ar sawl amod, gan gynnwys yr angen am dalu

3 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

ffioedd y pen yn brydlon a bod y rhai sy'n dod o dan y polisi yn cael eu cofnodi'n unigol ar system aelodaeth eR2. Mae'r Cymdeithasau i fod i dalu ffioedd y pen erbyn 1 Ionawr bob blwyddyn, ond rhoddir lwfans, dim ond i'r holl arian dyledus gael ei dderbyn erbyn 31 Mawrth yn y flwyddyn honno. Atgoffir Aelod-Gymdeithasau bod angen i'r taliad gael ei wneud yn brydlon. Ceir rhagor o wybodaeth yn yr Adroddiad Yswiriant ac Iechyd a Diogelwch yn nes ymlaen yn y ddogfen hon.

Yn dilyn cais gan Gyngor CGC, adolygwyd a diwygiwyd categorïau aelodaeth CGC yn 2022 er mwyn sicrhau bod pob un o Aelodau Anuniongyrchol CGC wedi'u cynnwys o dan ein polisi yswiriant. Mae'n bleser gennym adrodd bod ein hyswiriant bellach yn cynnwys gwenynwyr o dan 18 oed.

Cronfeydd wrth Gefn: Mae'r polisi Cronfeydd Wrth Gefn yn dweud y bydd yr Elusen (CGC) yn cadw cronfa wrth gefn o £10,000 i £13,000. Mae angen y gronfa wrth gefn hon yn ôl y Gyfraith Elusennau i dalu am gostau gweithredol a chytundebol petai'r angen yn codi. Caiff y polisi hwn ei fonitro a'i ddiweddaru'n flynyddol.

Defnyddir yr arian yng nghyfrif cyfredol HSBC nid yn unig i dalu am gostau rhedeg y Gymdeithas ond i ariannu amryw o brosiectau fel rhedeg cyrsiau a lledaenu gwybodaeth, drwy amryw o ddulliau fel y wefan, llyfrynnau a chyhoeddiadau eraill. Mae adroddiad ariannol manwl yn cyd-fynd â'r ddogfen hon.

Llywodraethiant: Yn CCB 2023, ymddeolodd Jill Wheeler fel ymddiriedolwr. Cyfetholodd y Tîm Rheoli ddau ymddiriedolwr newydd, Paul Pearce (Mai 2023) ac Alan Burford (Mehefin 2023). Bydd y penodiadau hyn yn cael eu cyflwyno i'r aelodaeth i'w cadarnhau yng Nghyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol 2024 ar 2 Mawrth. Ar hyn o bryd, mae gennym y nifer llawn, sef deg ymddiriedolwr CGC.

Ym mis Medi 2023, trosglwyddodd Karen Pratt gadeiryddiaeth yr is-bwyllgor Digwyddiadau i Alan Burford.

Yn y CCB ym mis Mawrth 2023 ymddiswyddodd Jill Hill fel ysgrifennydd Cofnodion y Cyngor ac ym mis Hydref ymddiswyddodd Emma Davies fel Swyddog Ysgolion CGC. Rydym yn diolch iddyn nhw i gyd am eu gwaith ar ran gwenyna yng Nghymru. Ar hyn o bryd, mae swydd y Swyddog Ysgolion yn dal yn wag ac mae wedi'i hysbysebu'n ddiweddar drwy gyhoeddi'r disgrifiad swydd. Mae gwaith wedi dechrau i sicrhau bod gan bob Swyddog CGC ddisgrifiadau swydd eglur ac wedi'u diweddaru ac mae'r Tîm Rheoli hefyd yn edrych ar gynlluniau dros dro ar gyfer swyddi allweddol os yw swyddog yn ymddiswyddo neu'n methu gwneud y gwaith am gyfnod o amser. Cydnabyddir nad yw dod o hyd i wirfoddolwyr i ymgymryd â rolau gwirfoddol yn dasg hawdd.

Mae gwaith wedi dechrau i ddiffinio'r strategaethau sydd eu hangen i gyflawni amcanion CGC fel bod modd mesur perfformiad.

Mae Cyfansoddiad CGC wedi cael ei adolygu a chafodd nifer o fân newidiadau er eglurder eu derbyn gan yr aelodaeth yng Nghyfarfod Blynyddol CGC yn 2023.

Aelodaeth: Mae gan CGC bedair ar bymtheg o Aelod-Gymdeithasau sy'n cynrychioli 2103 o Aelodau Cofrestredig, 520 o Aelodau Partner, a 14 Aelod Gwlad a dau grŵp o Aelodau Arbenigol. Fel rhan o'r aelodaeth y pen a godir ar bob Aelod-Gymdeithas, mae'r aelodau Anuniongyrchol yn elwa drwy dderbyn pedwar rhifyn o 'Gwenynwyr Cymru' ac Yswiriant Atebolrwydd Cyhoeddus a Chynnyrch trydydd parti. Ar hyn o bryd mae tri deg pump o Aelodau Unigol a saith Aelod Anrhydeddus o Gymdeithas Gwenynwyr Cymru. Yn drist iawn, collon ni un o'n Haelodau Anrhydeddus am Oes, C. Wynne Jones, a byddwn yn gweld ei eisiau'n fawr. Mae dadansoddiad manwl o'r aelodaeth yn dod gyda'r adroddiad hwn.

Rydyn ni'n dal i weithio gyda Llywodraeth Cymru. Mynychodd Kathleen Carroll (Llywodraeth Cymru) a Maggie Gill (Gwasanaeth Archwilio Gwenyn) Gyfarfodydd Cyngor CGC yn 2023 er mwyn cynghori.

4 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Yn dilyn ymholiadau gan Aelod-Gymdeithasau, adolygodd Cyngor CGC gategorïau aelodaeth CGC er mwyn sicrhau eu bod nhw'n bodloni eu gofynion. Nawr mae'n ofyniad mai un enw'n unig sy'n cael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer pob cofnod yn eR2 ac mai'r person hwnnw a enwir yn unig fydd yn gymwys i ddod o dan yswiriant CGC. Mae partneriaid sy'n byw yn yr un cyfeiriad ag aelod wedi'i gofrestru ac sy'n rheoli'r un gwenyn wedi'u hyswirio os ydyn nhw wedi'u cofnodi'n unigol yn system eR2. Hefyd, dylai aelodau iau o dan 18 oed gael eu rhestru ar wahân yn eR2. Aelodau iau a enwir yn unig fydd yn cael eu hystyried i gynrychioli CGC yng Nghyfarfod Rhyngwladol y Gwenynwyr Ifanc. O fis Ionawr 2024 bydd gofyn i aelodau partner CGC dalu aelodaeth flynyddol y pen o £6 a bydd y ffi i aelodau cofrestredig yn codi i £12 y flwyddyn. Y cynnydd hwn yw'r cyntaf mewn dros 10 mlynedd ac mae'n adlewyrchu'r sefyllfa economaidd bresennol.

Defnyddir aelodau gwlad i bob heb wenyn sy'n dymuno bod yn Aelodau Anuniongyrchol o CGC ac eto dylen nhw ymddangos fel cofnodion unigol yn eR2. Y categori aelodaeth olaf yw Aelodau Lleol a ddylai ymddangos eto yn eR2 fel cofnodion unigol. Does gan Aelodau Lleol ddim gwenyn ac maen nhw'n aelodau o'r Aelodau Gymdeithas nad ydyn nhw'n aelodau Anuniongyrchol o CGC a does dim hawl ganddyn nhw i unrhyw fanteision sy'n dod o fod yn aelod o CGC. Mae mwyafrif Cymdeithas Aelodau CGC bellach yn defnyddio gwasanaeth aelodaeth eR2 a daliodd Trish Calderbank, Ysgrifennydd Aelodaeth CGC ati i ddarparu hyfforddiant i ddefnyddwyr. Hoffem ddiolch i Trish am ei gwaith caled parhaus yn cynorthwyo Cymdeithasau. Ddiwedd 2023 cafodd Kerry Cox ei recriwtio i gefnogi Trish Calderbank yn ei rôl o gynorthwyo cymdeithasau CGC i ddefnyddio eR2. Mae CGC yn parhau i weithio gyda BDI i sicrhau bod system eR2 yn diwallu gofynion Cymdeithasau yng Nghymru.

Gwefan: Mae'r wefan, a lansiwyd yn 2022, yn cael ei diweddaru'n rheolaidd ac mae data dadansoddi diweddar yn dangos cynnydd yn nifer yr ymwelwyr i'r safle. Mae'r wefan yn adlewyrchu polisi iaith CGC. Rydyn ni'n diolch i Alison Mason am ei gwaith yn datblygu ac yn cynnal a chadw ein gwefan.

Cylchgrawn Gwenynwyr Cymru: Llwyddwyd i gyhoeddi pob un o'r pedwar rhifyn chwarterol yn ystod y flwyddyn. Hoffem ddiolch i'n Golygydd, Basil Wolf, am ei ymroddiad i gynhyrchu'r cylchgrawn. Hefyd, rydym yn ddiolchgar i'r llu o aelodau CGC sydd wedi rhoi erthyglau a ffotograffau i'r cylchgrawn. Mae'n bosibl lawrlwytho pedwar copi diweddaraf y cylchgrawn o wefan CGC ac mae rhifynnau electronig blaenorol ar gael gan yr archifydd, Karen Pratt, fel ffeiliau electronig karen.pratt@wbka.com.

Cyhoeddiadau: Mae'n bosibl i Gynrychiolwyr Cymdeithasau gasglu copïau wedi'i hargraffu o bob un o'r llyfrynnau a'r cardiau clefydau a gyhoeddwyd gan CGC, a hynny yng Nghyfarfod y Cyngor ym mis Mawrth neu mae'n bosibl eu harchebu ymlaen llaw yng Nghynulliad Blynyddol CGC ddiwedd mis Mawrth. Bydd cyflenwadau'n cael eu hanfon at gymdeithasau dim ond iddyn nhw gytuno i dalu am y costau sy'n codi.

Mae'r Ymddiriedolwyr wedi gweithio gyda nifer o asiantaethau allanol yn ystod 2023 i sicrhau bod gwenynwyr Cymru yn cael gwybodaeth lawn ac yn cael eu cefnogi ar lefel Cymru, y DU ac Ewrop. Rhoddir rhestr o'r cyfarfodydd allanol a fynychwyd gan CGC isod.

Fforwm Ymgynghorol Iechyd Gwenyn (Y DU): Mae'r Bee Health Advisory Forum (BHAF) yn gyfarfod wedi'i drefnu gan Lywodraeth y DU lle mae cynrychiolwyr o bob Cymdeithas Wenyna yng Nghymru a Lloegr, yn ogystal â NBU, APHA, Llywodraeth Cymru, Cyfarwyddiaeth Meddyginiaethau Milfeddygol, ac ati. Mae'n cynnig cyfle i drafod a dylanwadu ar faterion cyfredol ac arfaethedig a all fygwth lles ein gwenyn. Mae'r eitemau a drafodwyd yn ystod y flwyddyn a aeth heibio wedi'u cynnwys yn fwy manwl mewn adroddiad ar wahân.

5 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Fforwm Peillwyr Cymru: Fforwm o dan nawdd Llywodraeth Cymru yw hwn sy'n dod ag amrywiaeth o grwpiau ynghyd sy'n cynrychioli mudiadau sydd â diddordeb mewn diogelu'r amgylchedd gwyllt a gwella rheoli tir er lles peillwyr o bob math, yn amrywio o ieir bach yr haf, pryfed hofran i gacwn a gwenyn mêl. Rydym ni'n credu y bydd beth bynnag sy'n dylanwadu ar y dirwedd gorfforol a rheolaeth y tir i unrhyw beilliwr, ac yn ei wella, hefyd o fudd i wenyn mêl.

CONBA (Cyngor Cymdeithasau Gwenyna Cenedlaethol): Mae Cymdeithasau Gwenyna Cymru, Lloegr, yr Alban ac Ulster yn ogystal â Chymdeithas Ffermwyr Gwenyn (Bee Farmers Association) gyda'i gilydd yn ffurfio CONBA (Council of National Beekeeping Associations) sy'n cefnogi buddiannau pob gwenynwr a gwenyna yn y DU. Mae Ffederasiwn Gwenynwyr Iwerddon, sy'n cynrychioli gwenynwyr yn Iwerddon, yn mynychu cyfarfodydd CONBA hefyd. Mae'n rhoi cyfle inni ddatblygu strategaethau ar y cyd i ymdrin ag amrywiaeth o faterion gan gynnwys cynlluniau'r llywodraeth.

Sioe Amaethyddol Frenhinol Cymru: Fe'i sefydlwyd yn gyntaf yn 1904 ac fel Sioe Amaethyddol Frenhinol Cymru yn Llanelwedd yn 1963 gan gynnwys y Sioe Fêl y mae CGC yn cynnig cymorth a chefnogaeth.

Sioe Fêl Genedlaethol (y DU) / National (UK) Honey Show (NHS): Yn 2022 daeth CGC yn aelod o'r Sioe Fêl Genedlaethol, sef y corff sy'n trefnu ac yn rhedeg Sioe Fêl flynyddol sy'n agored i bob gwenynwr gymryd rhan ynddi. Mae'r NHS yn cynnal Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol o'i aelodau ar y cyd â'r Sioe Fêl.

NDB (Diploma Cenedlaethol mewn Gwenyna): Cafodd CGC ei chynrychioli yng Nghyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol y corff sy'n rheoli ac yn dyfarnu'r cymhwyster ‘lefel gradd’ mewn gwenyna yn ogystal â rhedeg nifer o gyrsiau byr i addysgu gwenynwyr.

Cyfarfodydd a Fynychwyd yn 2023

Cyfarfodydd Mewnol CGC yn 2023:

10 Ionawr Y Tîm Golygyddol: rhithiol
18 Ion Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
24 Hydref Pwyllgor Dysgu a Datblygu: rhithiol
31 Ionawr Y Tîm Golygyddol: rhithiol
15 Chwefror Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
21 Chwefror Y Tîm Golygyddol: rhithiol
4 Mawrth CCB a Chyfarfod y Cyngor, Plas Dolerw: wyneb yn wyneb ac yn rhithiol ar y
cyd
14 Mawrth Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
16 Mawrth Gweithgor IMYB: rhithiol
24 Mawrth Pwyllgor Digwyddiadau: wyneb yn wyneb
25 Mawrth Tîm IMYB: wyneb yn wyneb

6 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

19 Ebrill Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
25 Ebrill Pwyllgor Dysgu a Datblygu: rhithiol
10 Mai Gweithgor IMYB 17 Mai: rhithiol
17 Mai Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
22 Mawrth Gweithgor IMYB: rhithiol
13 Mehefin Gweithgor IMYB: rhithiol
19 Mehefin Gweithgor IMYB: rhithiol
21 Mehefin Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
24 Mehefin Cyfarfod y Cyngor: rhithiol
28 Mehefin Gweithgor IMYB: rhithiol
8 Gorffennaf Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
14 Gorffennaf Y Tîm Golygyddol: rhithiol
18 Gorffennaf Pwyllgor Dysgu a Datblygu: rhithiol
19 Gorffennaf Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
22 Gorffennaf Pwyllgor Digwyddiadau: wyneb yn wyneb
5 Medi Y Tîm Golygyddol: rhithiol
12 Medi Pwyllgor Gweinyddu a Chymorth: rhithiol
20 Medi Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
11 Hydref Pwyllgor Dysgu a Datblygu: rhithiol
4 Tachwedd Cyfarfodydd y Cyngor: rhithiol
15 Tachwedd Y Tîm Rheoli (Ymddiriedolwyr): rhithiol
12 Rhagfyr Y Tîm Golygyddol: rhithiol

C ynrychiolaeth CGC mewn Cyfarfodydd Allanol yn 2023:

Caroline Mullinex (C.M.), Jenny Shaw (J.S.), John Bowles (J.B.), Wally Shaw (W.S.), Keith Davies (K.D.), Alan Burford (A.B.)

16 Mawrth Fforwm Ymgynghorol Iechyd Gwenyn: rhithiol (W.S. a J.B.)
17 Mawrth Arolygydd Gwenyn Rhanbarthol a Llywodraeth Cymru: rhithiol (W.S., J.B. a
J.S.)
21 Ebrill CONBA: wyneb yn wyneb (J.S.)
27 Ebrill Gweithlu Peillwyr Llywodraeth Cymru: wyneb yn wyneb (K.D.)

7 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

20 Mai Cinio Diwrnod Gwenyn y Byd Bees Abroad (J.B.)
22 Mehefin Fforwm Ymgynghorol Iechyd Gwenyn: rhithiol (W.S. a J.B.)
10 Hydref Pwyllgor Sioe Fêl y Sioe Amaethyddol Frenhinol: wyneb yn wyneb (A.B)
25 Hydref Fforwm Ymgynghorol Iechyd Gwenyn: rhithiol (W.S.)
27 Hydref CONBA: wyneb yn wyneb (C.M. a J.S.)
26 Hydref CCB NHS: wyneb yn wyneb (J.S.)
27 Hydref CCB NDB: wyneb yn wyneb (C.M.)
3 Tachwedd Gweithlu Peillwyr Llywodraeth Cymru: rhithiol (K.D.)
7 Rhagfyr Fforwm Ymgynghorol Iechyd Gwenyn: rhithiol (W.S. a J.B.)

ADRODDIADAU

Adroddiad Trysorydd CGC, Blwyddyn Ariannol 2023

Cyllideb Diwedd Blwyddyn yn erbyn Cyllideb 2023

Y sefyllfa derfynol ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn oedd colled o £5k yn erbyn colled o £9k yn y gyllideb wreiddiol, a hynny oherwydd incwm ychydig yn uwch oddi wrth aelodau unigol ac o'r confensiwn oherwydd i ragor o bobl fynychu. Rydym hefyd wedi cael nawdd ar gyfer IMYB (Cyfarfod Rhyngwladol Gwenynwyr Ifanc) gan Lywodraeth Cymru a gan y Cymdeithasau Lleol a oedd ag aelodau yn cymryd rhan yn yr IMYB; felly rydym wedi gallu cadw at y gyllideb gyffredinol ar gyfer digwyddiad IMYB, sef £1700.

O ran gwariant:

Cyllideb 2024

Incwm:

8 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Gwariant:

Canlyniad wedi'i Ragamcanu

Mae’r gyllideb ddrafft fel y’i cyflwynwyd yn rhagamcanu colled o tua £5,000 yn erbyn colled o £9k a ragwelwyd a wnaed ar ddechrau 2023 yn rhan o’r dadansoddiadau y Pen ar y pryd.

Rhagamcanu Cyllideb 2025 a'r Cynnig y Pen

Er mwyn llywio’r drafodaeth ar incwm y Pen ar gyfer 2025, rwyf wedi paratoi rhagamcan ar gyfer 2025. Mae incwm y pen yn seiliedig ar gyfraddau newydd 2024 ac aelodaeth 2023. Rydym yn rhagdybio y bydd prisiau hysbysebu yn cynyddu 10% a'r holl ffrydiau incwm eraill heb eu newid. Mae gwariant ar bob prif eitem yn cynyddu 5%. Y canlyniad yw diffyg rhagamcanol o tua £1k.

Ar sail y rhagamcaniad hwn a'r colledion gwell a ragwelwyd ar gyfer 2023, argymhellwyd i'r Cyngor ym mis Tachwedd y dylai lefelau anuniongyrchol y pen ar gyfer aelodau ar gyfer 2025 gael eu cadw ar lefel 2024. Cymeradwyodd Cyngor mis Tachwedd yr argymhelliad, i'w gymeradwyo yn y Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol.

Dysgu a Datblygu (L&D) – yn cynnwys Adroddiad yr Ysgrifennydd Arholiadau

Cyfarfodydd

Daliodd yr is-bwyllgor Dysgu a Datblygu ati i gynnal cyfarfodydd rhithwir chwarterol rheolaidd trwy gydol 2023.

Cyflwynodd Emma Davies ei hymddiswyddiad ym mis Hydref felly daeth swydd y Swyddog Ysgolion yn wag. Mae Swyddog IMYB bellach yn adrodd yn uniongyrchol i weithgor bach a sefydlwyd yn benodol i reoli rhan CGC yn IMYB yn y dyfodol.

Mae L&D wedi parhau i weithio gyda'r Pwyllgorau Golygyddol a Digwyddiadau i roi cynnwys i'r cylchgrawn a mewnbwn i Raglen Cynulliad y Gwanwyn.

Arholiadau ac Asesiadau

Llwyddodd 30 o aelodau i basio Asesiad Sylfaenol CGC yn 2023, llawer â chlod ac ychydig â rhagoriaeth.

Penodwyd dau Aseswr Sylfaenol newydd ac rydyn ni'n gobeithio gallu recriwtio rhagor yn y dyfodol i gefnogi cynllunio olyniaeth yn y maes hwn.

9 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Llwyddodd 12 o aelodau CGC i ennill Tystysgrif Iechyd Gwenyn BBKA (BHC) yn 2023 ac mae’r cynnydd sylweddol yn y nifer sy’n sefyll, yn rhannol o leiaf, oherwydd yr anogaeth a roddwyd yng ngweithdy paratoi BHC a gynhalion ni ddiwedd 2022.

O ran y modiwlau, unwaith eto cafodd aelodau CGC rai canlyniadau gwych yn 2023. Cafwyd 18 o lwyddiannau modiwl, gan gynnwys 3 gyda Rhagoriaeth a 10 gyda Chlod. Dyfarnwyd y dystysgrif Theori Ganolradd i 2 ymgeisydd gyda chlod. Hefyd, enillodd un o'r ymgeiswyr hyn y dystysgrif Gwenynwr Cymwys (a ddyfarnwyd ar ôl ennill y dystysgrif Theori Ganolradd ar ôl pasio'r asesiad Hwsmonaeth Gyffredinol cyn hyn).

Darparon ni 2 leoliad arholiad ym mis Mawrth a mis Tachwedd i ymgeiswyr nad oedden nhw'n dymuno sefyll arholiadau'r modiwl ar-lein ac rydyn ni wedi parhau i gefnogi aelodau CGC sy'n sefyll arholiadau ac asesiadau BBKA trwy dalu ffioedd aelodaeth arholiadau drostyn nhw.

Rydyn ni'n llongyfarch pob un o'r ymgeiswyr llwyddiannus ac yn diolch i bawb sydd wedi helpu i hwyluso'r arholiadau a'r asesiadau hyn i'n haelodau.

Gweminarau

Digwyddodd 9 gweminar byw arall yn 2023 ar amrywiaeth o bynciau, gan ddod â chyfanswm gweminarau CGC a gyflwynwyd bellach i 43. Ers i ni ddechrau'r gyfres gweminarau yn 2020, mae bron i 10,000 wedi cofrestru i'w dilyn. Fel arfer, rydyn ni'n gallu rhoi dolen i unrhyw un sydd wedi cofrestru er mwyn gwylio ar “dal i fyny” am gyfnod cyfyngedig fel nad oes rhaid i unrhyw un golli allan oherwydd gwrthdaro yn y dyddiadur neu oherwydd cysylltedd gwael.

Rydyn ni'n dal i fod yn hynod ddiolchgar i bawb sydd wedi cyflwyno yn ein gweminarau, ac i bawb sydd wedi'u cefnogi nhw, o fewn CGC a thu hwnt.

Ysgolion

Yn ystod 2023, awgrymwyd y dylai CGC ystyried darparu Aelodaeth Ysgolion. Bydd y gwaith ar hyn, a gwaith ar ddatblygu adnoddau CGC i'w defnyddio gan ysgolion yng Nghymru, yn cael eu datblygu pan fydd swydd y Swyddog Ysgolion wedi'i llenwi.

Arian Grant Wax Chandler

2023 oedd blwyddyn 2 cyfnod y cyllid grant a, gyda chymorth uniongyrchol y cyllid hwn, llwyddon ni gynnal/cefnogi’r digwyddiadau canlynol i aelodau CGC: -

Gweithdy yn y Cynulliad ar Reoli Varroa

2 x Gweithdy Microsgopeg Paill – wedi'u cynnal mewn lleoliadau yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru

1 x Gweithdy Anatomeg a Dyrannu – a gynhaliwyd yng Ngogledd Cymru

Cwrs Paratoi 3 diwrnod Hwsmonaeth Gyffredinol – a gynhaliwyd yng Nghanolbarth Cymru

Gweithdy 2 ddiwrnod Dysgu Cadw Gwenyn – a gynhaliwyd ychydig dros y ffin yn Swydd Amwythig (lle cymerodd 10 aelod o CGC ran).

Mae’r ail adroddiad adborth blynyddol yn cael ei anfon at y Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers a bydd hwn yn cael ei gyhoeddi yn rhifyn Gwanwyn 2024 o Gwenynwyr Cymru.

10 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Unwaith eto, rydyn ni'n diolch i bawb sydd wedi helpu i gyflwyno a hwyluso’r digwyddiadau hyn ac yn ategu ein diolch i’r Wax Chandlers y mae eu cyllid hael wedi gwneud y rhaglen hon yn bosibl.

Llyfryn

Dechreuon ni edrych ar gyhoeddi llyfryn CGC newydd yn ystod 2023 a disgwylir i benderfyniad gael ei wneud yn 2024 ynghylch a ddylen ni fwrw ymlaen â hyn ai peidio, ac os felly ym mha fformat.

Pwyllgor Digwyddiadau

Eleni cynhaliwyd Cynulliad y Gwanwyn ar 25 Mawrth. Roedd mwy o fynychwyr, 449. Roedd 11 stondin Fasnach, a 7 stondin o ddiddordeb cyffredinol. Hefyd roedd 2 weithdy y bwriadwyd eu cynnal yn ystod y dydd, un yn cael ei redeg gan Lynfa Davies ar ‘Reoli Varroa’, canslwyd yr ail ‘Arholiadau Modiwl BBKA’ oherwydd salwch. Hefyd cafwyd gweithdy anffurfiol wedi'i anelu at wenynwyr ifanc. Cefnogodd 28 o stiwardiaid y gwaith o redeg y sioe ar yr y diwrnod yn ogystal â'r aelodau a helpodd i osod popeth ar y dydd Gwener. Eleni eto, defnyddion ni Sum Up ar gyfer taliadau ymlaen llaw ac ar y drws, felly roedd yr aelodau'n gallu defnyddio cerdyn credyd neu ddebyd i dalu. Oherwydd amgylchiadau annisgwyl bu'n rhaid i ddau o'r siaradwyr dynnu'n ôl ar y funud olaf ond cymerodd Lynfa Davies a Wally Shaw drosodd eu slotiau darlithoedd a diolchwn i'r ddau am gamu i'r adwy ar fyr rybudd.

Yn ystod Gŵyl y Gwanwyn, 19/21 Mai, cefnogodd 12 aelod i stiwardio'r stondin. Helpodd y tîm digwyddiadau, Martin Anderson, Vicky Davies, Jill a Graham Wheeler, i osod y stondin a'i thynnu i lawr. Bu'r stondin yn boblogaidd gan aelodau'r cyhoedd a gwenynwyr, a chodwyd £70 i Bees Abroad wrth rolio canhwyllau. Gwaetha'r modd, doedden ni ddim yn gallu dod o hyd i gwch arsylwi gan wenynwyr lleol sy'n aelodau.

Yn ystod y Sioe Frenhinol o 24 i 27 Gorffennaf, roedden ni yn ôl yn Neuadd De Morgannwg. Helpodd 23 aelod i stiwardio'r stondin dros y pedwar diwrnod, cafodd y stondin ei lleoli fel bod modd mynd ati drwy gydol y cyfnod pan oedd beirniadu'r Sioe Fêl yn digwydd. Mae'n rhaid diolch i'r tîm Digwyddiadau a helpodd i osod a rhedeg y stondin yn llwyddiannus, cafodd David Grace ei gyfweld ar gyfer S4C hyd yn oed. Helpodd Martin Anderson, Vicky Davies a Graham Wheeler, i osod y stondin a'i thynnu i lawr.

Darparon ni stondin wybodaeth ar gyfer Cynhadledd BIBBA - 2/3 Medi, ym Mhrifysgol Cymru, Caerfyrddin. Cafodd y stondin ei gosod a'i thynnu i lawr gan Vicky Davies gydag Alison Fraser yn cadw ei llygad ar y stondin yn ystod y digwyddiad.

Mae'r gwaith i gynllunio Cynulliad Gwanwyn 2024 ar y gweill gyda masnachwyr a phedwar siaradwr wedi'u trefnu: Jo Widdicombe - BIBBA, anerchiad agoriadol, Pam Hunter - ‘Pheromones - or Bees make it by smell!’, Kirsty Stainton - ‘Varroa’, Andy Pedley - ‘Food Safety for the Beekeeper’, Clare Densley a Martin Hann - 'What the books don’t tell you and why bees change their minds’.

Yn ystod y flwyddyn, ymunodd dau aelod newydd â'r pwyllgor digwyddiadau. Steve Bromwich sydd wedi cefnogi’r cynulliad ers blynyddoedd lawer gyda’i sgiliau TG, ac sydd bellach hefyd yn cefnogi’r Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol gyda’i offer TG ac Alan Burford fel yr Ymddiriedolwr Arweiniol Digwyddiadau newydd.

IMYB (Cyfarfod Rhyngwladol Gwenynwyr Ifanc/ International Meeting of Young Beekeepers )

11 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Dewisodd CGC dri gwenynwr ifanc i gynrychioli Cymru yn yr IMYB a gynhaliwyd yn Slofenia ym mis Gorffennaf. Y rhai a ddewiswyd oedd Thomas Barclay (Conwy) 16 oed, Emanuel Coles (Caerdydd) 14 oed a Rhodri Terrell (Caerdydd) 14 oed. I fynd gyda'r gwenynwyr ifanc, dewiswyd Richard Pett (Swyddog IMYB) ac Emma Davies (Swyddog Ysgolion). Rydym yn ddiolchgar i Lywodraeth Cymru am roi nawdd a oedd yn talu am holl gostau’r timau tra oedden nhw yn Slofenia. Mae’r digwyddiad yn dod â gwenynwyr ifanc 12 i 17 oed o bob rhan o’r byd ynghyd i gymharu eu gwybodaeth a’u sgiliau, i sefydlu cyfeillgarwch newydd ac i ddarganfod gwledydd a diwylliannau eraill yn ystod digwyddiad 4 diwrnod.

Teithiodd tîm Cymru gyda'r timau o'r Alban a Lloegr gan gymryd rhan lawn yn y digwyddiad. Dyma'r tro cyntaf i CGC ddewis tîm llawn i gynrychioli Cymru yn y digwyddiad a daeth y tîm yn 22ain credadwy o'r 32 tîm a fynychodd. Roedd aelodau’r tîm yn glod i Gymru, a'r gobaith yw adeiladu ar y profiad a gafwyd er mwyn mynychu’r cyfarfod yn y blynyddoedd i ddod. Diolch i bawb a fu’n rhan o’r trefniadau ar gyfer y gwenynwyr ifanc sy’n mynychu’r IMYB ac a aeth gyda nhw.

Mae CGC yn teimlo bod y digwyddiad hwn yn rhoi profiad gwerthfawr i wenynwyr ifanc ac yn gobeithio y byddwn mewn sefyllfa i anfon tîm yn y dyfodol. Dydy manylion IMYB 2024 ddim wedi’u cyhoeddi eto. Os bydd cyfarfod IMYB yn 2024, rydyn ni'n gobeithio gallu dewis tîm o blith aelodau iau CGC. Wrth i gostau teithio a chostau eraill godi, bydd angen i ni chwilio am nawdd i helpu i ariannu tîm Cymru sy'n mynychu'r digwyddiad.

Gwefeistr

Dim ond ers mis Medi 2023 mae Google Analytics ar ei ffurf bresennol wedi bod ar gael ar y wefan hon. Felly mae'r canlyniadau isod ar gyfer y chwarter diwethaf yn unig.

Yn y cyfnod hwnnw, rydyn ni wedi cael 876 o ddefnyddwyr newydd, gyda'r mwyafrif yn dod o'r DU. Hefyd, mae gennym ddilynwyr yn UDA, Tsieina, Awstralia, Iwerddon, Canada a'r Almaen, (wedi'u rhestru yn nhrefn niferoedd defnyddwyr, o'r mwyaf i'r lleiaf).

Ar ôl cyrraedd y wefan, ein tudalennau mwyaf poblogaidd yw cyhoeddiadau CGC, AelodGymdeithasau, gweminarau CGC, cylchgrawn CGC, Heidiau, Cyrsiau Hyfforddi Dechreuwyr, Aelodaeth i Gymdeithasau ac i Unigolion, a Pwy Ydym Ni, eto wedi'u rhestru o'r rhai a ddefnyddir fwyaf, i'r rhai a ddefnyddir leiaf.

Mae’r amser ymgysylltu ar gyfartaledd ar gyfer pob tudalen yn debyg iawn i bob defnyddiwr heblaw am ‘Aelodaeth i Gymdeithasau ac Unigolion’ lle mae'r defnyddwyr yn treulio 60% yn hirach nag ar unrhyw un o’r tudalennau eraill a restrir.

Mae'r amser ymgysylltu ar y wefan gyfan yn dangos mai defnyddwyr o Awstria, Iwerddon, y DU a Chanada sy'n treulio hiraf ar y wefan.

Mae ystadegau cynulleidfa'r wefan yn dangos cynnydd yn agos at ddyddiadau gweminarau ac maen nhw'n dringo eto yn ystod wythnos gyntaf mis Rhagfyr wrth ysgrifennu'r adroddiad hwn.

Yn olaf, mae 52% o'n defnyddwyr yn cyrchu ein gwefan gan ddefnyddio cyfrifiadur bwrdd gwaith/gliniadur, 44% drwy ddefnyddio ffôn symudol a dim ond 3% sy'n defnyddio tabled.

Golygyddol

12 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Mae’r Pwyllgor Golygyddol wedi goruchwylio'r gwaith o gyhoeddi pedwar rhifyn print o gylchgrawn Gwenynwyr Cymru, ac mae’r rhain ar gael ar-lein ar wefan CGC. Mae'r cylchgrawn wedi bod yn ffordd o gyflwyno newyddion CGC a'r Cymdeithasau ac mae wedi cynnig amrywiaeth o erthyglau o ddiddordeb technegol a chyffredinol i wenynwyr, gyda dros bedwar deg o awduron gwahanol wedi cyfrannu. Adroddwyd ar weithgareddau Dysgu a Datblygu yn rheolaidd ac mae ein cysylltiad â'r Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers wedi cael sylw. Mae’r golygydd hefyd wedi gweithio gyda Wally Shaw ar adargraffiad o’r llyfryn ‘Mae celloedd brenhines yn fy nghwch gwenyn – beth dylwn i ei wneud?’

Swyddog Technegol

Gwasanaeth Archwilio Gwenyn – Mae CGC yn dal i weithio'n agos gyda Llywodraeth Cymru a'r Gwasanaeth Archwilio Gwenyn yng Nghymru. Dechreuodd Arolygydd Gwenyn Rhanbarthol Cymru, Maggie Gill, swydd ymchwil gyda FERA ar ddechrau 2024. Edrychwn ymlaen at weithio gyda Daniel Baxter sy’n cymryd ei lle fel Arolygydd Gwenyn Rhanbarthol Cymru ar gyfer 2024. Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, mae’r adroddiad blynyddol gan y Gwasanaeth Arolygu yng Nghymru wedi bod yn rhan sylweddol o rifyn gaeaf ein cylchgrawn. Rydym yn deall y gallai’r cynnydd yn y llwyth gwaith a grëwyd gan yr adroddiadau ar Gacwn Asia yn yr hydref fod wedi gohirio cyhoeddi’r adroddiad hwn ond gobeithio y bydd ar gael i’w gynnwys yn rhifyn gwanwyn 2024.

Datblygiadau yn ystod 2023 – dydw i ddim yn ymwybodol o unrhyw ddatblygiadau nodedig yng Nghymru yn ystod y flwyddyn ond mae’r cyrchoedd gan Gacwn Asia wedi cynyddu'n fawr 72 o nythod wedi’u lleoli a’u dinistrio wedi hynny. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r rhain wedi bod yn ne-ddwyrain Lloegr ond gwelwyd rhai mor bell i fyny'r arfordir dwyrain Lloegr â Swydd Efrog. Mae'n bleser gen i roi gwybod nad welwyd unrhyw nythod cacwn Asia yng Nghymru hyd yma, ond efallai mai dim ond mater o amser yw hi.

Mae hyn i gyd wedi creu llawer iawn o waith i APHA ac mae pryderon bod hyn wedi bod ar draul cadw llygad fel arfer am AFB ac EFB ond does dim tystiolaeth bod hyn yn wir. Mae pob nyth cacwn yn cael ei gasglu a'i gludo i NBU i gael archwiliad post-mortem. Mae hyn yn cynnwys eu cyflwr datblygiad, h.y. a ydyn nhw'n cynnwys unrhyw unigolion aeddfed rhywiol (gwenyn gwryw a breninesau). Dydy hyn ddim mor hawdd o bell ffordd ag y mae gyda gwenyn mêl gan nad yw'n bosibl adnabod breninesau cadwn yn ôl sut maen nhw'n edrych yn allanol. Yn ôl eu pwysau maen nhw'n wahanol i'r gweithwyr yn bennaf a dim ond trwy ddyrannu y mae'n bosibl cadarnhau hyn. Maen nhw hefyd yn cael eu proffilio am eu DNA i wirio a ydyn nhw'n gysylltiedig â nythod y daethpwyd o hyd iddyn nhw mewn blynyddoedd blaenorol a fyddai'n awgrymu poblogaeth sefydledig sydd wedi osgoi cael ei chanfod. Mae'r nifer enfawr o nythod wedi creu ôl-groniad ( backlog ) enfawr, a fydd y canlyniadau ddim ar gael tan rywbryd ym mis Chwefror 2024. Y strategaeth bresennol gyda Chacynen Asia yw ei gwahardd ond os bydd poblogaeth yn ymsefydlu, cyfyngu arni fydd y nod. Gan ei bod yn hysbys bod y ffrynt ymledol yn symud ymlaen tua 60km y flwyddyn, bydd hon yn dasg ddigon diddiolch. Ar hyn o bryd does neb yn gwybod a fydd hinsawdd yn cyfyngu ar Gacynen Asia yn y DU .

13 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Cyfarfodydd Fforwm Ymgynghorol Iechyd Gwenyn (BHAF) – Bu pedwar cyfarfod o'r fforwm (42[ain] -46[ain] a phob un yn rhithiol) yn ystod y flwyddyn gyfredol. Roedd yr olaf o'r rhain i fod i fod wyneb yn wyneb yn y Sioe Fêl Genedlaethol ond methwyd gwneud hynny oherwydd pwysau o ganlyniad i Gacynen Asia. Bu John Bowles a Wally Shaw yn cynrychioli CGC yn y cyfarfodydd hyn. Eitem barhaus ar agenda'r cyfarfodydd hyn oedd y Cynllun Gweithredu ar gyfer yr ail Gynllun Gwenyn Iach sy'n estyn hyd at 2030. Mae’r rhan fwyaf o’r fenter yn y rhaglen hon yn dod o dan y pennawd addysg i wenynwyr (ac mae’r adroddiad Dysgu a Datblygu yn dogfennu CGC 2023 arwain digwyddiadau yn y gofod hwn). Mae Cacynen Asia wedi dominyddu’r 45fed a’r 46fed cyfarfod ac mae diweddariadau rheolaidd ar y sefyllfa wedi’u hanfon at y rhanddeiliaid drwy gydol diwedd yr haf a’r hydref - ffynhonnell y wybodaeth uchod. Yng nghyfarfod mis Hydref, rhoddodd Nigel Semmence (Swyddog Cynllunio Wrth Gefn a Gwyddonol yr Undeb) adroddiad manwl ar y fethodoleg a ddefnyddiwyd i leoli a dinistrio nythod cacwn. Ailadroddwyd y cyflwyniad hwn yn y Sioe Fêl Genedlaethol. Rhoddodd Maggie Gill gyflwyniad am Gacynen Asia yn y DU i gyfarfod Cyngor CGC ym mis Tachwedd ac mae hwn ar gael ar wefan CGC.

Gweithredu Cynllun Gwenyn Iach 2030 – Un o’r prif bynciau a drafodwyd yn ystod 2023 oedd y cynnydd a wnaed ar y Cynllun Gweithredu ar gyfer Cynllun Gwenyn Iach 2030 a oedd yn ymwneud yn bennaf ag addysg gwenynwyr.

Mae CGC wedi gweithredu'r amcanion o dan y cynllun drwy'r canlynol:

Mae’r Fforwm Gwyddoniaeth wedi cyfarfod unwaith yn ystod y flwyddyn a disgwylir iddo gyfarfod eto yn gynnar yn 2024. Mae rhestr o'r projectau gwyddonol cyfredol sydd ar y gweill yn y DU, eu cynnydd hyd yma a'u ffynhonnell ariannu wedi cael ei pharatoi a'i thrafod. Cynhelir rhagor o gyfarfodydd yn 2024. Datblygiad pwysig yw bod Kirsty Stainton bellach wedi ailymuno â’r Uned Wenyn Genedlaethol fel Rheolwr Technegol.

Y Cyfrif Cychod Blynyddol – ailadroddwyd hwn yn 2023 ond does dim canlyniadau ar gael wrth ysgrifennu'r adroddiad hwn.

Lefelau Varroa 2023 – Dim gwybodaeth fanwl ar gael. Atgoffodd Maggie Gill gynrychiolwyr BHAF WBKA ac Ysgrifennydd CGC fod Varroa yn dal i fod yn un o brif achosion colli cytrefi yng Nghymru. Ei chyngor yw y dylai gwenynwyr sy'n dymuno lleihau triniaeth Varroa fonitro lefel y widdon yn eu cytrefi. Dylid defnyddio technegau Rheoli Plâu Integredig pan fydd lefelau Varroa yn mynd yn ddigon uchel i effeithio ar iechyd cytref. Roedd Maggie wedi bwriadu ysgrifennu erthygl am Reoli Plâu Integredig ar gyfer rhifyn yr haf o Wenynwyr Cymru. Yn anffodus, ni dderbyniwyd yr erthygl ond mae rhagor o wybodaeth ar wefan BeeBase.

Cyhoeddiadau Technegol CGC – Mae stociau o lyfryn CGC ‘Mae celloedd brenhines yn fy nghwch, beth dylwn i ei wneud?’ wedi dod i ben ac mae’n cael ei ailargraffu ar hyn o bryd.

14 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Yswiriant

Mae'r newidiadau i ddiffiniadau o'r hyn a olygir gan aelodaeth a wnaed dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf wedi ein galluogi i fod yn fwy hyderus bod y wybodaeth a roddwyd gennym pan wnaethom ofyn am ddyfynbrisiau yswiriant yn gywir. Mae hefyd yn ein galluogi i ganolbwyntio ar faterion eraill megis yswiriant gwenynwyr ifanc (dan 18 oed) a oedd yn cadw gwenyn yn annibynnol.

Eleni gofynnon ni am ddyfynbrisiau gan ddau frocer, Jensten, ac Aston Lark (sydd bellach wedi newid i Howden), y cwmni sy'n frocer i'r BBKA. Llwyddodd y broses i leihau’r premiwm cyffredinol ar gyfer CGC a’i Haelod-Gymdeithasau tua £1200 ar gyfer yswiriant tebyg (gweler nodyn 1 isod) yn ogystal â darparu yswiriant ar gyfer gwenynwyr annibynnol o dan 18 oed.

Nodyn 1: Mae'r prif wahaniaeth rhwng y ddau bolisi o ran diffiniadau o dan Atebolrwydd Cynnyrch.

Mae geiriad polisi Jensten yn defnyddio’r ymadrodd ”Sale of bee-related products including honey, creams/balms and salves made from products of the hive”.

Mae Aston Lark (Howden) yn defnyddio'r disgrifiad “Gweithgynhyrchu a chyflenwi cynhyrchion cwch cynradd”. Maen nhw wedi nodi na fydd yswiriant yn berthnasol i werthu cynhyrchion sy'n cynnwys cynhyrchion nad ydynt yn cael eu cynhyrchu gan gychod gwenyn. Cynghorir unrhyw un sy'n paratoi cynhyrchion o'r fath i'w gwerthu i ystyried yswiriant ar wahân.

Iechyd a Diogelwch

Yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf rydym wedi adolygu ein Polisi Iechyd a Diogelwch ac wedi argymell bod ein Haelod-Gymdeithasau'n gwneud y canlynol:

a. Cynhyrchu dogfen debyg.

b. Enwebu aelod o’r pwyllgor i fod yn gyfrifol am sicrhau bod asesiadau risg priodol yn cael eu cynnal ac unrhyw gamau angenrheidiol yn cael eu cymryd yn unol â’r awgrymiadau a wnaed yn “Asesiadau Risg – Canllaw syml” sydd ar ein gwefan.

Hyd yn hyn dydy pob Cymdeithas ddim wedi cynhyrchu tystiolaeth o eu bod yn cydymffurfio â'r arweiniad hwn sydd wedi'i fwriadu'n dda.

Atgoffir Aelod-Gymdeithasau bod angen iddynt gymryd camau i nodi risgiau a sicrhau bod y rhai sydd angen gwybod beth a ddisgwylir ganddynt i ddangos tystiolaeth o'r ddyletswydd gofal ofynnol. Os na chymerir y camau hyn, nad oes angen iddyn nhw fod yn feichus, gallai diogelwch ac iechyd y cyhoedd ac yn enwedig aelodau newydd, nad ydyn nhw efallai’n ymwybodol o risgiau posibl, gael eu peryglu. Gallai hyn arwain at ganfod bod yr Aelod-Gymdeithas ar fai mewn unrhyw ymchwiliad.

Diogelu

Fel y soniwyd yn flaenorol yn yr adroddiad hwn, mae Polisi Diogelu CGC newydd wedi'i gyhoeddi eleni ac ategir hwn gan Ganllawiau Diogelu a DBS. Mae hyn yn cysylltu â deddfwriaeth a chanllawiau cyfredol sy'n berthnasol yng Nghymru. Y bwriad yw cefnogi Aelod-Gymdeithasau i sicrhau bod ganddyn nhw bolisïau ac ardystiadau priodol ar waith, sy'n berthnasol i'w gweithgareddau penodol.

15 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Cyswllt Chwistrellu

Bu digwyddiad chwistrellu anfaleisus ac anfalaen, diolch byth, yn ne Rhanbarth Meirionnydd ym mis Mehefin y llynedd yn sbardun i wneud adolygiad o gyfathrebu a chyngor chwistrellu Cenedlaethol. Nododd yr adolygiad ddogfen ganllaw HM Gov y DU a oedd wedi'i hysgrifennu'n dda, sef y Cod Ymarfer ar Ddefnyddio Cynhyrchion Diogelu Planhigion, nad oedd yn hawdd dod o hyd iddi a'r pryder mwyaf oedd bod y wybodaeth gyswllt ar gyfer CGC yn hen.

Cysylltwyd â phob un o Aelod-Gymdeithasau CGC i weld a oedd ganddynt brosesau rheoli chwistrellu (i weld a oedd gan unrhyw un system dda iawn) a gofynnwyd am wirfoddolwr â gwybodaeth pwnc (SMK) fel cynrychiolydd CGC. Dechreuwyd cyfathrebu â'r NBU i gael y cyngor chwistrellu diweddaraf (ac efallai i helpu i ddiwygio'r Cod Ymarfer ar gyfer Defnyddio Cynhyrchion Diogelu Planhigion) a gofynnwyd i dîm Bee Connect, sydd wedi cael canmoliaeth fawr, am gymorth/arweiniad.

Wrth ysgrifennu'r adroddiad rydyn ni'n aros am ymatebion gan yr NBU a Bee Connect. Dydyn ni ddim wedi dod o hyd i wirfoddolwr SMK. Rydyn ni'n awyddus i beidio ag ailddyfeisio’r olwyn er ein bod wedi cael cynigion i gynhyrchu map chwistrellu nad yw’n annhebyg i’r map casglu heidiau presennol. Mae'n ymddangos bod Bee Connect yn gwneud popeth y byddai ei angen arnom fel gwenynwyr, ond bod yr holl wenynwyr ac unrhyw un sy'n chwistrellu yn ei ddefnyddio. Felly mae'r canolbwynt ar hyn o bryd ar gywiro'r Cod Ymarfer ar gyfer Defnyddio Cynhyrchion Diogelu Planhigion i gyfeirio at wefan CGC a/neu Bee Connect; ar yr amod y bydd Bee Connect yn caniatáu hyn.

Mae'r prosiect yn un sy'n mynd i bara tipyn o amser. A gallwn ddeall gyda'r holl weithgaredd ynghylch cacwn Asia pam nad yw'r NBU yn arbennig wedi ymateb eto. Mae’n ymddangos bod yr AelodGymdeithasau wedi cael llawer o adroddiadau am chwistrellu o awyrennau ac er bod chwistrellu’n fygythiad sylweddol i bryfed peillio, dydyn ni ddim wedi cael gwybod am unrhyw ddigwyddiadau diweddar sy’n peri pryder.

Mae cyfathrebu'n allweddol i'r broblem hon. Mae angen i'r Cod Ymarfer ar gyfer Defnyddio Cynhyrchion Diogelu Planhigion fod yn haws dod o hyd iddo ac mae angen ei gywiro. Mae angen i ni helpu unrhyw un sy'n chwistrellu i ddod o hyd i'r Cod Ymarfer a gobeithio mai Bee Connect fydd y cyfrwng rhwng chwistrellwyr a gwenynwyr.

Pe hoffai unrhyw un sy'n darllen hwn ein helpu, cysylltwch â paul.pearce@wbka.com

Tasglu Peillwyr Cymru

Cynrychiolwyd CGC mewn dau gyfarfod yn 2023.

Roedd y themâu allweddol a drafodwyd yn 2023 yn ymwneud yn bennaf â chacwn Asia, glaswelltiroedd, eu hamrywiaeth, eu cysylltedd a'u rheolaeth:

16 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

COLOSS

Yng Nghyfarfod y Cyngor ym mis Tachwedd, pleidleisiodd cynrychiolwyr o Aelod-Gymdeithasau CGC i roi’r gorau i ddosbarthu a chwblhau arolygon COLOSS oherwydd yr ymateb gwael iawn gan yr AelodGymdeithasau i Arolwg 2023.

NDB (Diploma Cenedlaethol mewn Gwenyna)

Aethom i Gyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol 2023 a gynhaliwyd yn ystod y Sioe Fêl Genedlaethol ym Mharc Sandown. Ymddiswyddodd Margaret Thomas fel Llywydd ac mae Clive De Bruyn bellach yn Llywydd dros dro. Bydd Cwrs Uwch 2024 ar 5-10 Gorffennaf yn Pershore. Bydd arholiad NDB yn 2024. Trafododd y cyfarfod ffyrdd o godi proffil NDB. Mae'r cyrsiau byr a gyflwynwyd wedi'u harwain gan alw.

CONBA (Cyngor Cymdeithasau Gwenyna Cenedlaethol)

Cynrychiolwyd CGC yn y ddau gyfarfod yn 2023. Mae Cyfarfod Rhyngwladol Gwenynwyr Ifanc wedi bod yn cael ei drafod a'r posibilrwydd o gynnal digwyddiad yn y DU i baratoi gwenynwyr iau at yr un Rhyngwladol. Hefyd, mae'r ymateb i gacwn Asia a llygru mêl hefyd wedi'u trafod. Mae pryder wedi'i godi am y gostyngiad yn nifer y Beirniaid Mêl a'r broses hirfaith i ddod o hyd i bobl yn eu lle. Mae'r pynciau hyn i gyd yn rhai parhaus. Ar gyfer 2023 dechreuodd Ffederasiwn Gwenynwyr Iwerddon (FIBKA) fynychu cyfarfodydd eto. Roedd hyn yn ychwanegiad i'w groesawu at y Cyngor.

17 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Archif.

Mae'r archifau'n dal i fod yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru yn Aberystwyth ac rydyn ni'n ychwanegu atyn nhw pan mae'n rhaid.

ADRODDIADAU A ATODWYD

Atodiad 1: Aelodaeth 2023

Atodiad 2: Cyfrifon Blwyddyn Ariannol 2023

Atodiad 3: Cyllideb Diwedd Blwyddyn 2023 a Chyllideb 2023

------------------------------------------------

Datganiad: Mae'r Ymddiriedolwyr yn datgan iddynt gymeradwyo adroddiad yr ymddiriedolwyr uchod

Llofnodwyd ar ran ymddiriedolwyr yr elusen.

Llofnod:

Enw llawn: Caroline Mullinex

Swydd: Cadeirydd

Dyddiad:

18 Adroddiad Blynyddol CGC/WBKA 2023 (Terfynol 22.01.24)

Welsh Beekeepers' Association Accounts for the Year ended 31st December 2023 Registered Charity No 509929

Prepared by Graham Wheeler, Honorary Treasurer

Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 31st December 2023

Income Notes £ 2023
£		 2022
£
£		 £
Capitation 1 18,180.00 17,811.00
Individual Members - Fees 2 1,185.30 822.90
Welsh Beekeepers Advertising 3 4,844.36 4,374.35
Donations and Sundry Income 3a, 4 2,172.34 6,415.82
Convention
Income 4 6,556.10 5,608.74
Other Income
Bank Interest 91.68 13.95
Exams Income 5 600.00 765.00
Training 6 2,255.48 1,283.11
Miscellaneous 7.98
Expenditure 35,885.26 37,102.85
Administration 7 72.30 295.64
Special Project 8 3,332.47 4,469.00
Donations and Subscriptions 9 791.88 270.00
Translation Costs 10 601.00 1,562.66
Sundry expenses 123.03 165.33
Bee Disease Insurance 201.50 187.90
Software 13 3,287.01 3,118.63
Insurance 11 2,699.49 3,518.56
Exams Expenses 5 714.52 649.53
Training costs 6 5,702.71 4,531.65
Webinar Speaker Costs 290.00 200.00
Meetings Internal 138.40
Meetings Education 34.20 103.95
Meetings External 83.40 49.80
Meetings Editorial
Meetings Council 37.80 33.60
Meetings Trustees
Welsh Beekeepers Magazine 14,995.92 13,750.91
RWAS Spring Fair 356.54 365.11
RWAS Summer 286.93 247.71
WBKA Spring Convention 4 6,388.00 5,738.71
Depreciation 12 927.74 1,037.63
40,926.44		 40,434.72
Surplus for the Year -
5,041.18		 - 3,331.87

Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2023

Fixed Assets
Banner
Banner
Editors Laptop HP250 G8
Treasurer's Laptop
Display Hive
6 Microscopes
Epson Projector
Total Depreciation
Total Fixed Assets value		 Fixed Assets
Banner
Banner
Editors Laptop HP250 G8
Treasurer's Laptop
Display Hive
6 Microscopes
Epson Projector
Total Depreciation
Total Fixed Assets value		 Notes
Location
Events Sec.
Events Sec.
Editor
Treasurer
Events sec.
Lynfa Davies
Lynfa Davies
12		 Opening
value
£
171.97
50.00
575.36
94.77
71.70
3,236.73
488.18

4,688.70		 Depreciation Closing book
value
£
137.57
50.00
460.29
75.82
57.36
2,589.38
390.54
3,760.96		 2023
2022
2021
137.57
171.97
214.96
50.00
50.00
50.00
-
-
-
460.29
575.36
719.20
-
-
-
75.82
94.77
118.46
-
-
-
57.36
71.70
89.62
2,589.38
3,236.73
390.54
-
-
3,760.96
4,200.52
1,192.24
Net. Book Value		 Original
cost
1,026.00
186.00
899.00
451.90
273.50
4,045.91
488.18
7,370.49
2023
£
34.39
-
115.07
18.95
14.34
647.35
97.64
927.74
Current Assets 2023 2022
HSB
Scottish Widows
Opening Accu
Closing Accu		 C Bank Account
90 Day Account
Total Assets :
Debtors
Creditors
Creditors
Prepayments
Total Assets
mulated Funds
Surplus
mulated Funds		 10,166.11 20,779.55
10,252.70
20,510.49
24,271.45
3,105.60		 31,032.25
35,232.77
3,105.60
-------------
38,338.37
4,807.43
--------------
33,530.94
==========
36,862.81
-3,331.87
--------------
33,530.94
==========
10,344.38
4,804.36
4,804.36
---------------
29,075.81
4,164.58
642.85
586.05
--------------
28,489.76
==========
33,530.94
-5,132.86
--------------
28,489.76
==========
0.45
-
586.50

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2023

1 Capitation

2020 members and increase of 41 on the previous year

This constitutes the major income of the Association at £9 per member. Out of this is paid the publishing costs of the Welsh Beekeeper Magazine, Members Public Liability insurance and the Officers Insurance.

The balance is used to fund the running costs of the Association and initiatives for the benefit of members such as booklets and training.

2 Individual Membership

This is made up of £30 capitation per member an increase from £20 in the previous year plus their BDI premium

3 Welsh Beekeeper Magazine Advertising Revenue

3a
Donations & Sundry Income
£
Donations
268.34
Welsh Government IMYB (International Meeting Young Beekeepers) Sponsorship
904.00
Local Association Sponsorship of IMYB Candidates
750.00
BDI sponsorship for convention
250.00
4
Convention Accounts
Income
£
£
Entrance Money
1792.71
Early Bird Ticket sales
1725.39
Trade Stands
3038.00
BDI Donation
250.00
6806.10
Expenses
Venue Hire
2736.00
Equipment Hire
1157.70
Accommodation
727.00
Advertising
0.00
Speakers
389.50
St Johns Ambulance
249.60
Sound System
504.90
Programme
389.00
Sundry expenses
234.30
6388.00
Surplus
418.10
5
Examinations
Income
Basic Assessment fees
600.00
600.00
Expenses
Exams Sundry Expenses
202.00
Exams venue
35.00
Exam Assessors' expenses
325.60
Exams expenses (postage certificates)
151.92
714.52
Deficit
-114.52		 2172.34

6 Training Income & Expenditure

In 2022 the WBKA was awarded a grant of £6000; the award for use over 3 years in supporting the delivery of a programme of courses and workshops, on microscopy and other topics, which will contribute to increasing the knowledge and skill levels of WBKA members.

Income
Workshop receipts
Expenditure
Training Venues
Sponsorship of members on teaching beekeeping course
Courses and Workshop provision
Net. Expenditure:
7
Administration
Bank charges		 -
2255.48
2405.56
440.00
2857.15
5702.71
3447.23
72.30
72.30
IMYB (International Meeting Young Beekeepers) Entry Fee 904.00 (Welsh Government Sponsored this with a donation)
IMYB Travel 2,282.40 ( Attendees home local associations donated £750 towards this)
IMYB Sundry expenses 146.07
3,332.47 ( Balance of £1678.47 after sponsorship)
9 Subscriptions and donations
RWAS Membership 190.00
CONBA Membership 102.50
Apimondia Membership 95.68
UK National Honey Show Membership 80.00
RWAS Honey Show 250.00
Bees Abroad donation 73.70
791.88
10 Translation Costs
Annual report, and policies 601.00
601.00
11 Insurance
Members Combined Liability, Trustee's and Officers Liability 2595.64
Microscopes 103.85
2,699.49
12 Depreciation
Items over the value of £100 are depreciated at a rate of 20% until there is a residual balance
of £50. They are kept at this value until such time as it is decided to dispose of the asset.
13 Software
Webinar and Meetings Software 1,942.41
Web Page & Domain 109.99
Virus protection 99.99
Adobe Indesign and photo manipulation software subs. 357.63
MS Office 365 subscription 79.99
eR2 subscription 697.00
3,287.01

Schedule of Income for the year ended 31st December 2023

Schedule of Income for the year ended 31st December 2023
£
Capitation- Income from member Associations 18,180.00
Individual Membership 1,185.30
Advertising Income 4,844.36
Sundry Income & Donations 2,172.34
Income from the Convention 6,556.10
Bank Interest 91.68
Examinations 600.00
Workshop fees 2,255.48
Misc. 0.00
--------------
35,885.26
==========

@

| |

----- Start of picture text -----
|
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
k ,
Gy CHARITYFOR ENGLAND COMMISSION AND WALES Independent examiner'saccounts report on the
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
i
Reportmembers to of the trustees/ Welsh Beekeeperseeiati |
On accounts for the year 31st December 2023 Charityno | 509929
ended (if any)
----- End of picture text -----

| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended Z Responsibilities and basis As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act’). | report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

----- Start of picture text -----
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection
with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in
order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
a
Name: Stephanie Craney (MAAT)
Relevant professional 7 . .
qualification(s) or body (if Association Of Accounting Technicians
any):
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
IER
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
|
Oct 2018
----- End of picture text -----

1

----- Start of picture text -----
Address: “Anwylfa, Tan Lan, Holywell, CH89UU oe
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern
(see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and
guidance for examiners).
eT
Give here brief details
of any items that the |
examiner wishes to
disclose. |
|
|
|
|
|
----- End of picture text -----

|

IER

----- Start of picture text -----
Oct 2018
----- End of picture text -----

2