Thinking about furthering your Beekeeping knowledge?
Bee Craft has come up with an infographic to guide you through your learning journey. Click here to take a look.
If you would like more information about examinations or assessments, the BBKA have a section on their website. Click on the link to go to their information pages.
2020 Spring Course for New Beekeepers
This was what we said pre-pandemic. Now things are different. We have plenty of people for the course. We have the people to teach the course and we are good to go – and then along came the virus. Now everything is on hold.
We are hopeful that we may be able to run the course later this year but in these uncertain times no one can say. All I can offer at the moment is that this will be the place to look for the latest updates.
Following the success of last year’s course we are running another course this year – and so popular was the course last year that we are already full.
The course starts with a look at the different approaches to beekeeping and why we do what we do. There is also an introduction to the equipment used and that question always asked by beginners – “will I get stung?”
The course goes on to look at the different roles played by the different bees in the hive and how we set up the hive to make their life easier and also make our work easier when we want the honey.
But how do you get your first bees? Well that too is covered. Where do you get a swarm and once you’ve got it what you do with it?
Of course beekeeping is not all plain sailing and they are prone to certain diseases. If we are to help the bee population and get the honey which we want then it is important to know how to prevent disease and how to treat it if it occurs.
After all that hard work it is time to gather our harvest – not only of honey but also wax and propolis. The course will cover how to get the honey and what to do with it once you have it.
There are is much more to beekeeping than can be covered in a short course such as this. However what this course will give you is the confidence to start your own apiary and manage your own hives – though the bees do most of the work.
After the course the support available from the club has not finished. You will be able to ring us and ask for help. We have all been beginners once and understand the problems you face. But be warned – ring up 5 beekeepers with a problem and you will get at least 6 solutions!
If you are thinking of keeping bees then this is a perfect way to start. You will learn some theory but most importantly you will get an opportunity to open a hive and see what goes on inside.
