Beekeeping for Beginners

The history of beekeeping can be traced back thousands of years and you can become part of this extraordinary story by keeping bees today, a rewarding hobby or enterprise that opens up a whole new world and brings you closer to nature. 

Led by one of FarmED’s beekeepers, Tony Yarrow, this full day course will cover everything from an introduction to the honeybee colony to how to examine bees in the hive.  

You’ll learn all the basics:

• A brief history of beekeeping in Britain.
• Why bees make honey.
• The honeybee colony – queen, workers and drones.
• Beekeeping in Britain, a brief history and where we are today.
• How people keep bees – ‘natural’ beekeeping, commercial beekeeping and everything in between.
• Component parts of a beehive. Which type of hive is best for you and why?
• Where to site your bees and how to find your first colony.
• Protective clothing, smokers, hive tools and other useful stuff.
• The beekeeper’s year. Swarming, honey, preparing for winter and much more.
• What to look for when examining your bees.
• Introduction to the main honey-producing plants in our area.
• When things go wrong – diseases and other issues, learn how to identify and deal with them.

Weather permitting, you’ll also visit the FarmED apiary to check the progress of the colonies that produce the honey we use in the kitchen and sell in the FarmED Cafe.