This is a one day course for people who are about to start their beekeeping journey, or are thinking about whether beekeeping is for them.
Every beekeeper, every colony of bees and every location is different and will need to be treated differently, so we won’t try to tell you how to keep your bees. What we will do is give you a enjoyable and informative day, which will provide you with a ‘toolkit’ of information and ideas you can use along with your own initiative to help you keep bees your way.
We hope you’ll leave with even more enthusiasm for beekeeping, lots more knowledge, and the confidence to get your own bees and start on your journey. We’ll cover the fundamental theory you need to know, all tailored to your beekeeping aspirations. Most importantly, we’ll give you opportunities for as much (or as little) hands on experience of handling bees as you’re comfortable with. It’s endlessly fascinating, but we know it can be a little bit intimidating to put your hands into a hive full of bees, which is why we think it’s a key part of your introduction to the hobby!
The course costs £105 per person and places are available on the following dates:.
If you're interested, please drop us a line with any questions and we can sort out a date for you to visit us.
A typical day will start at 1000 and finish at approximately 1600. The schedule will depend on the time of year and the weather, but a typical day might be:
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Welcome tea and coffee
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Introduction and understanding of why you want to become a beekeeper
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Understanding the colony, castes of bees and their jobs in the hive
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Hive basics, types of hive and pros and cons, build a frame
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Types of bee and what you might consider when choosing bees
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Swarming – what it is, why it happens and what to do about it
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Bee pests and diseases and chemical-free management*
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Lunch Break
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The equipment you need
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Talk through how to do a hive inspection
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Take part in a practical hive inspection
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Review of what we saw
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How to get bees and how to start out
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Hive management round the year
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Final questions and summary
Also included are:
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A delicious lunch
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Refreshments throughout the day
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A jar of Pepperpot honey to take home
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An information pack covering all of the topics we discuss on the day, plus other useful information including web resources, YouTube links, societies and other things to help you learn more.
Please bring:
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Wellies or sturdy boots with ankle coverage
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Clothing suitable for the conditions (please check the forecast)
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Bee suit if you have one
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Epipen if you have a bee sting allergy
Some comments from previous students:
"Great information and comprehensive notes given to take away and jog our memories when looking after our own hive!"
"Hospitality was next to none and we were provided with refreshments and a wonderful tasty lunch."
"We can't recommend this course enough for beginners!"
*We don’t treat our bees with any chemicals to combat the varroa mite, and so we won’t talk in depth about use of treatments as we don’t have the personal experience to offer advice. We do use non-chemical means to control the mites and will cover these.