Beekeeping Courses
Please register your interest Contact : Terry Gibson eMail bee-aware@gmx.com or phone 01553 674051, or fill in the course registration form below
BEEKEEPING COURSES. The association offers a number of courses. Please register your interest Contact : Terry Gibson eMail bee-aware@gmx.com or phone 01553 674051 . For more details click here
Hive Building course Sunday 18th and 25th January 2009 10.00-12.00 at Tottenhill. Cost of course £10.00 per person plus the cost of the flat-pack from Thorne's (approx £100)
Introduction to Beekeeping. Five sessions (2 theory 3 practical) Friday 20th March 2009 and 3rd April at Tottenhill, Sunday 26th April, 10th & 31st May at the Apiary. Cost £10.00 per person.
BBKA Basic Exam Six sessions, all practical, on dates in 2009 to be fixed at the Apiary. Cost £10.00 per person plus BBKA examination fee. 10 places only.
BBKA Bee Husbandry Five sessions. Dates to be fixed in 2009. (Introduction + Theory session followed by 3 practical sessions) Cost £10.00 per person plus BBKA examination fee.
Mentors Wanted. We also concluded that although the Beginners course went very well this year, 23 completed the course, at least some of the 18 participants who then went on to get their own bees this season needed advise from time to time either be email, telephone or perhaps a visit. With this in mind we would like to set up a Mentoring Scheme whereby an experienced member is prepared to ‘take on' one of the new crop of beginners and just ‘be there' should the need arise.
"May all your supers be full". Terry Gibson.
Please register your interest Contact : Terry Gibson eMail bee-aware@gmx.com or phone 01553 674051, or fill in the course registration form below
Just interested ?
Welcome to the fascinating life of Bees and Beekeepers in West Norfolk. If you want to find out about honey bees then a good starting point is to join one of our apiary sessions (see events page). Here you can see hives and bees, hear about looking after honey bees and meet beekeepers too. We also have stands at the major Shows in Norfolk and often have an Observation hive too where you can see bees in action. If it is not possible to make these dates then contact us and we will see if there is a beekeeper in your area who will be willing and able to talk to you about keeping bees.
Getting Started
In summary you will need .... some knowledge, some equipment, an inquisitive mind and a few hours a week during the season (late March to September). As with many animals if you leave them alone they will die but if you look after them they will reward you with lots of honey and a wonderful sense of satisfaction too. Wear a beesuit into your local store, garage or pub and you will get a warm welcome and a barrage of questions too !
Probably the best way to start is to attend one of our apiary sessions early in the season and then come along to our association apiary each week to get used to handling bees
If you join our association, which we hope you will, you will get insurance (public and product liability), a year book with lots of useful articles and a list of beekeepers in your area, and a newsletter which provides useful contacts, equipment and bees for sale and details of meetings.
The right hand panel provides links to some of the topics you need to think about or alternatively / as well you can contact us directly and we will try and help you work out the best approach for your circumstances.
Here is your first year in beekeeping .......
DURING THE WINTER:
- Go to lectures and meetings of your local branch.
- Attend any courses you can find.
- Read, using the library of your association and your local library. We suggest two of the books to read are "Guide to Bees and Honey" by Ted Hooper and "Beekeeping a Seasonal Guide" by Ron Brown.
- Take a beekeeping journal
- Find a site for keeping your bees, your garden may not be suitable.
IN THE SPRING and SUMMER
- Buy, from a Beekeeper in your association if you can, a 4 frame nucleus with a young queen. Ask for bees that are quiet and easy to handle. With your nucleus you will gain, experience, confidence and manual skills. You are unlikely to have swarming problems. Your bees will be on 10 or 11 frames by July.
- Feed your bees ready for winter.
NEXT WINTER:
- Make or buy two more hives.
IN THE FOLLOWING SPRING:
- Increase your bees to two shocks by making an Artificial Swarm.
- Collect a Swarm.
By the end of the season you will have three good stocks, experience and a crop of honey.
With Acknowledgment to RON BROWN of Devon