Courses

Please Note that due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and the current advise from the government and Public Health England we are not running any courses at present.

Types of Courses . The association runs 2 set courses a year for would-be beekeepers, The Winter Theory and the Summer Practical. These are followed in your second year with training towards a certificate in beekeeping competence (the Basic) from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA). Afterwards there are opportunities for members to study for other BBKA practical and Theory (Modules) exams on subjects like Bee Diseases, Bee Biology, General Husbandry and Bee Products. Go to BBKA for the full list. In the summer we can run courses for members on queen rearing, skep making, Top bar hives and other hive methods.

Warwick Francis
An infa-red image of the winter class by Warwick Francis

Winter Theory Course. Usually run between January and March on Wednesday evenings. This consists of 10 x 2 hour theory sessions, where you will learn the basics of beekeeping. The Syllabus is…….

Summer Practical Course. Six months of practical experience on Friday nights (18:30-21:00) from Easter to end of September in the apiary garden. Where you will learn to inspect a hive, identify the parts of a hive, bee castes, basic swarm control, lookout for the signs of bee disease, extract honey and manage the hives needs. Spaces on these sessions are limited by the number of hives and space required. Each evening is finished with a de-brief, where all the groups get together and discuss what they have seen and learnt or there will be a talk by an experienced beekeeper on a topical subject.

Follow up with the Basic Course. In your second year we would recommend that you complete the course on bee competence and do the practical ‘Basic’ exam. This is a simple practical assessment carried out by a BBKA examiner who will test your basic knowledge. This may seem daunting but it is just the minimum knowledge all beekeepers should know. Click here for syllabus.

Further Training … If you are interested in further qualifications in apriculture, we do training sessions to help members with the BBKA’s range of practical assessments and theory exams (modules). Even if you have no intention of sitting the exams they are an opportunity to learn more. Subjects include honey bee health, general husbandry, bee biology, bee products and forage. For the full list and syllabuses goto BBKA.

Contact us …. For more information on our courses contact our Training Team.