A Two Day Course

An intensive course to get you started, explaining all about the honey bee, helping you choose your hive and equipment, how and where to set up your apiary, the bees management, and pests and diseases. Not forgetting when and how to extract that lovely honey.

Course Programme:
Two days, 9.30am - 4.30pm

What To Expect:

1. The Honey Bee
The bee colony, biology, and life cycle

2. Equipment and Costs
Hive equipment, frames, wax, tools, personal protection

3. The Apiary
Apiary layout, siting the hives, responsibilities, and safety

4. Managing Honey Bee Colonies
Inspections, swarm control, uniting and moving colonies

5. Bee Health and Diseases
Bee diseases, pests & other problems, how to recognize & treat them

6. The Importance of Plants
Requirements of honeybees and other pollinators

7. Honey Harvest and Winter Preparation
Honey extraction & handling, equipment & costs, and preparing for winter

8. Information, Help, and Support
Resources, books, magazines, local organisations, obtaining bees

An intensive but informal couple of days spent with others interested in beekeeping.  A wealth of information from a highly experienced beekeeper and a chance to see the different equipment available, along with a useful pack of course notes to take away.

Refreshments will be provided, including a honey-themed cake.  Please bring your own packed lunch.  Parking is available at the entrance to our farm and our training room is just a short walk down our track.

Where the bees and weather allow, this course will include an inspection of a hive.

What To Bring:

Just bring yourself, confirmation of your booking, a notebook, and any questions you may have along with wellies and gloves. (Bee suits are provided)

Please arrive at 9.15 for a prompt 9.30am start

Cancellation Policy:

To ensure all attendees get the best experience from their training we only run our courses in small groups. 

We therefore have to operate with a strict cancellation policy:  Refunds or booking transfers are not given for cancellations made within 2 weeks of the course.  If a cancellation is made with more than 2 weeks notice but within 6 weeks of the course date then we will try to re-sell your tickets if we are successful then a refund will be issued for the full amount less a £10 administration fee.  If a cancellation is made with more than 6 weeks notice then a full refund will be issued.

Course Tutors:  

An introduction to each of our tutors