The Panel

Lynfa Davies

Lynfa Davies lives in Aberystwyth and has kept bees with her husband, Rob, for 18 years. During this time, she has worked her way through the BBKA assessments to become a Master Beekeeper and in 2019 was awarded the National Diploma in Beekeeping. She is an active member of Aberystwyth and District BKA where she gets involved with training new beekeepers. Lynfa is also a member of the Welsh Beekeeper’s Association Learning and Development Committee. She regularly gives talks and leads training sessions on practical aspects of beekeeping. She is a regular speaker at events and association meetings and her articles appear in the beekeeping press.

Lynfa currently has approximately 30 colonies which she manages for honey production and for the joy of looking after bees! In addition, she raises her own queens and uses these to produce nucleus colonies and to replace her own stock. In Spring 2022, Lynfa’s first book, The Miller method of queen rearing, was published by Northern Bee Books.

Outside of beekeeping, Lynfa works for Menter a Busnes on the Farming Connect contract, a support and advisory programme for farmers in Wales. She manages to bring her expertise on insects to this work providing information and advice on the value of biodiverse ecosystems in a farmed landscape. In addition, Lynfa is currently working on a contract for the Animal and Plant Health Agency to deliver online training modules for intermediate beekeepers.

Roger Patterson

Roger Patterson started beekeeping in his native West Sussex in 1963. He is a practical beekeeper who has learnt by observing honey bees and interpreting what they have told him, rather than from standard material. He is the Apiary Manager and a demonstrator for his local BKA, where there are usually 30-40 colonies for teaching and queen rearing, in addition to his own 35-40. He speaks and demonstrates widely, where his practical approach is appreciated, giving him the privilege of seeing different beekeepers keeping different bees in different locations, where he has learnt that the “one size fits all” and “beekeeping by numbers” approach may not always be appropriate, as conditions can often be different only a short distance away.

Roger is the author of five books, has many online videos and is a contributor to the beekeeping press. He owns and manages the well-known Dave Cushman’s website. He uses colony management techniques that have stood the test of time and are based on what bees need, not what beekeepers think they need, though some may not be found in modern books. He encourages beekeepers to understand “the basics” and keep healthy productive bees that suit their environment.

Roger is the Programme Secretary for the Central Association, Lecture Secretary for the National Honey Show, President and Education & Events Secretary of BIBBA and Vice President of BDI. He is a past Trustee of BBKA.

Robert Pickard

Robert Pickard is Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Cardiff and President of the Central Association of Beekeepers. He is an Independent Member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, Chair of the International Bee Research Association and a former Editor of the Journal of Apicultural Research.

His research team developed new microelectronic technologies for the recording of biochemical activity in brains and tumours. In 1985, the first computerised atlas of the honey bee brain was illustrated at The Royal Society, in London, and Apimondia, in Nagoya.

Robert has studied bees since 1956 and his postgraduate students are spread through 50 different countries worldwide.