Ecological Beekeeping

Whether your a long-time beekeeper or complete beginner, this three day course at FarmED will empower you to take an ecological approach to managing apiaries.

Led by Ecological Beekeeper, Sean Hearn, this course will deepen your understanding of the honeybee by learning about this species' biological lifecycle, behaviours and ecological needs. You'll have an opportunity to observe honeybees in the hollow tree hives to learn from their natural behaviours within the nectar rich landscape at FarmED as an essential starting point for managing bees ecologically. We will also seek to place honeybees in a broader context and spend time understanding other types of bee and wild pollinators.

Grounded in this renewed understanding of bees we will then look at the craft of working with bees. Following the annual cycle of beekeeping, we will consider how to maintain strong and healthy hives by putting bee health at the centre of our relationship with this species. While much of this course will be centered around the Warre hive we spend time discussing the pros and cons of different hives, but more importantly we will consider best practices for each of these hives. We'll visit the managed apiary at FarmED and learn from our own beekeepers and their experience with National, WBC, Top-bar and Warre hives.

What you can expect from this course

Inspiring talks and farm walks, time outdoors observing managed and feral bees, practical workshops with hive products, group discussions, and delicious food from the FarmEAT kitchen!

Who is this course for?

This course is for anyone from  beginners to experienced beekeepers who are interested in learning about more sustainable methods of beekeeping.

What do you need to bring?

If you've got your own bee-suit then please bring it along, if not we will have a few veils to hand. It's advisable to wear long sleeves for when we visit the bees, and to bring waterproofs in case of rain.

About the course facilitator

Sean Hearn has lived and worked with bees for over 13 years. Initially trained in conventional beekeeping practices he soon began exploring alternative and more holistic ways of managing apiaries, informed by his training as an organic food grower. Sean has delivered beekeeping training to hundreds of people across the UK and continues to inspire people to reimagine their relationship with honeybees as a species that invites us to connect more deeply with the natural world. He currently manages two apiaries in London where he is based.

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Ticket Prices

Tickets include refreshments and a seasonal lunch from the FarmED Kitchen.

Delivery of our mission is a collective effort and our values embrace inclusivity and diversity. We don’t want price to be a barrier to anyone visiting FarmED or attending our events. Read more about our tiered pricing policy here.

If cost is a barrier to you attending, then please do ask us for financial support. The FarmED Bursary offers free or subsidised places to those that will benefit most.

More Information and Booking

For more information please email sophie@farm-ed.co.uk

Your booking is safe. If we cannot run any element of the training face to face due to Covid restrictions, you will be refunded or you can switch to an alternative date.