Bob Maurer

I started beekeeping about 25 years ago as an antidote to the daily grind of commuting in and out of London. I joined my local beekeeping association, Reigate BKA in Surrey England and received excellent training. As we all know, beekeeping is addictive. I became more involved and was soon part of the association committee, becoming chairman and more recently President. I am also chair of Surrey Beekeepers Association, a group of 8 associations in Surrey with over 1,000 members. I was a director of BeeCraft Magazine for 15 years and have just stepped down after 9 years as chairman. I qualified as a Master Beekeeper in 2011 and am an examiner for the British Beekeepers' Association practical assessments.
I've been involved in some way with the National Honey Show for most of my beekeeping life, starting out by helping as a steward. I joined the organising committee in 2008 and became chairman of the show in 2013. 2023 marked the centenary of the show and I had the honour of escorting our guest of honour, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, (King Charles lll sister) around the show. I am also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers, one of over 100 livery companies in London. It was founded over 650 years ago with the remit of maintaining standards in the production of beeswax. I've always had an interest in microscopy for beekeepers and published a book on that in 2012. These days I keep my beekeeping hand in with 3 hives at the bottom of my garden.