Introduction to Sustainable Beekeeping Course

Description

Would you like to know how to keep bees sustainably, on a small scale? Have you always wondered what goes on inside a hive? Perhaps you’re worried about how our bees are declining and want to know how to help them. Many people would like a colony of honeybees in their garden, and on this course I will show you how a hive works, and how to keep your bees happy and healthy with minimal intervention. This course is suitable for complete novices with no previous experience, or those who have decided to pursue a less invasive way of beekeeping compared to more traditional methods.

This is a broad course designed to enable you to get going straight away with beekeeping, or to gain sufficient insight in to whether or not having a hive is for you. I have been teaching sustainable beekeeping since 2010, and run many conservation and community beekeeping projects, championing sympathetic methods to promote healthy, resilient and productive bees. Beekeeping is a constant learning curve, and follow-up support is available from me direct or via my Patreon. Attendee numbers are limited to 4 to allow for questions and involvement, and I run the courses by arrangement to allow for flexibility and to tie in with people’s schedules and travel times, and it allows me to deliver personalised tuition. Short notice welcome!

As we discuss the care and management of the honeybee colony rather than purely beekeeping techniques, the information can be utilised for any hive type in any situation, anywhere in the world. It is also suitable for those requiring more information than they might get from books or the internet: authors, food stylists, natural health practitioners, nutritionists, and PhD students are among those who have attended the courses to gain a greater understanding of these fascinating insects and the products we can use from the hive.

Topics covered include:

• How the bee colony works
• Different types of hive
• Overview of sustainable management
• Swarming
• Equipment needed
• Costs involved
• Harvesting honey and beeswax sustainably
• Plants for your bees

There will also be a chance to ask questions and discuss how we can all help our pollinators, irrespective of whether we want to keep bees or not. Tea, coffee, fresh herb tea and homemade cake are provided, and an information handout of the notes will be emailed to you before the class.

Please note that we don’t open up a hive on this occasion (you will learn why on the course!) so there is no need for equipment but we visit the hives and I will point out different behaviours and show you what to look for as we watch the bees. Do bring your bee suit if you have one, and I have veils for you to borrow.

£85 per person for the intensive 2.5 hour session, or £150 for two booked at the same time: see below for dates. Courses can also run on days and times by mutual agreement to take account of any restrictions, weather, and working hours, and to allow for individual tuition so please contact me to discuss availability.