The "Middlesex County Beekeepers' Association" was founded in 1883 and that organisation was the origin of the Middlesex Federation of Beekeepers Associations which dates from 1965 in the present form.
The Federation celebrated the centenary of foundation in 1983 and produced a booklet with some historical detail of the member organisations. A scanned copy of the booklet is available and also a smaller, searchable text version.
In the years after the BBKA was founded in 1874 there were many disputes about how to organise nationally. It was becoming apparent that a central organisation was too unwieldy and there was lobbying to establish "county" associations which would become members of the BBKA. With many of the previous centralists living around London, other counties were quicker to organise. It was not until 1883 that the Middx County Assoctiation was founded after a meeting at "The Feathers" pub (now the Metro Bank) in Ealing.
In the early years the Middx County Association was divided in "Provinces", later "Branches" or "Districts". Individual associations were founded and became "Affiliated Associations" alongside direct members. Various attempts at reorganisation were attempted over the years with consequent boundary disputes until the present structure as a federation was adopted in 1965 with the change of name and no direct members.
The general pattern of beekeeping in the county is a growing interest in the technical development of beekeeping and increasing amateur involvement from the later 1800s. Beekeeping organisation grew between the world wars with the expansion of suburbs and peaked during and just after the second world war until sugar rationing ended. There was a decline in beekeeper numbers from the 1950s to the end of the century, not helped by the arrival of varroa in the 1990s. From a low around 2001, interest in beekeeping has increased and membership numbers have risen.
Many of the long established Beekeeping Supply companies were still trading in the 1980s but did not survive to see the upturn in interest in the next century. The suppliers at the time are reflected in the advertising in the Centenary booklet. Our "Middlesex" based supplier for instance, Robert Lee in Uxbridge, could trace a history back to 1862 and had traded for most of the 20th Century on a site where Debenhams now stands. Before Middx centenary year they had moved to nearby Cowley after the redevelopment of Uxbridge town centre. By the mid 1980s many bee business names were struggling to survive and gave way to a series of amalgamations. The remaining Robert Lee business was transferred to Hampshire, then taken over by Steele and Brodie (another advertiser in 1983, founded in 1875) who were themselves folded into Thornes after closing their Scottish works in 1998. Likewise another advertiser - E H Taylor of Welwyn, founded 1880, were once the largest supplier in England but taken over by Thornes in 1984.
The above time listing is based on various accounts in the Centenary booklet, some dates may be as recalled after the event. Much of the later information is either based on BBKA and other association notes or individual recollection. If anyone has firm dates for these or other events, or dates when current Middx association apiaries or the club house was established please get in touch.