Image:© David Wootton

Starting beekeeping

Beekeeping Courses 2012

PLEASE NOTE - BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL


Taster Sessions
Sundays 2 – 4pm at Blackborough End Apiary.
Dates: April 15th. May 20th. June 24th. July 22nd.Cost: £5.00 per person. Participants to bring suitable footwear, i.e. wellington boots.
Maximum of 10 people per session
Contact Judy Heal - telephone 01263 862569 or email: judyheal@dsl.pipex.com to register

Introduction to Beekeeping
Commencing Autumn 2012
Theory Sessions – Tottenhill Village Hall. Tuesday evenings 7 – 9pm.
Practical Sessions – Blackborough End Apiary. Sundays 10 – 12noon or 2 – 4pm
Contact Judy Heal - telephone 01263 862569 or email : judyheal@dsl.pipex.com or Alan Marshall – telephone 01775 821478 or email: alanmarshall174@btinternet.com to register your interest

Beginners Follow-On
Two Theory Sessions Tottenhill Village Hall. Wednesday 8th & 22nd February 2012. 7 – 9pm.
Five practical sessions Blackborough End Apiary.24th March, 21st April, 26th May, 23rd June & 28th July.
Open to Association members only. Maximum number 12

Contact Jill Tinsey – telephone 01362 694160 or email: jandk.tinsey@tiscali.co.uk to register your interest.

Improvers Sessions
Five Practical Sessions Flitcham Apiary.
Dates to be advised
Open to Association members only. Maximum number 12
Contact John Woodford – telephone 01553 772005 to register your interest

General Husbandry
Four Theory Sessions plus a Mock Exam. This course is already fully subscribed for 2012.
Contact John Woodford – telephone 01553 772005 to register your interest for the course commencing February 2013.

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 panel opposite 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