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. 

This course is perfect for those who are at the beginning of their beekeeping journey, course tutor, Tony will teach you the evolution of the honeybee, the roles within the colony, and the seasonal ebb and flow of colonies in their natural habitat. We’ll also about the different ways in which we humans can interact with bees, before looking at the hives and other equipment that beekeepers use. Weather permitting, we’ll inspect the FarmED bee colonies. We’ll also taste a range of selected honeys.

The ticket price includes refreshments in the morning and afternoon, together with a delicious lunch at the award-winning FarmED Cafe. 

Course tutor Tony Yarrow has been keeping bees for over fifty years and is keen to help each attendee along the path to becoming a competent, confident beekeeper. Your questions are encouraged and we’ll do our very best to answer them!

Comprehensive notes will be available at the end of the course. 

The sequence of topics covered during the day will be -

• Insect pollination of flowers- perhaps the greatest story ever told!
• How honeybees differ from bumble bees and other pollinating insects
• The roles of individual bees and the life of the colony
• Beehives and other necessary equipment
• How to care for your bees through the season
• The main bee plants of the UK, and their individual characteristics
• Products of the beehive - honey, pollen and propolis
• The honeybee’s main pests and predators, and how to deal with them