Chris Wells of Cotswold Bees Ltd provides beekeeping training, services and equipment to the small scale and hobby beekeeper. We’ve enjoyed a long association with Chris, who for several years has kept beehives at FarmED and has also trained and mentored our own beekeeper, Paul Totterdell.
We’re delighted to host the next set of Cotswold Bees courses here in August and September. Come and learn how to be a beekeeper in our inspiring new centre for farm and food education, appropriately located at Honeydale Farm, overlooking the Evenlode Valley.
The 107 acres of fields that surround FarmED are full of flowers and grasses designed to encourage bumblebees, honeybees and other pollinators. The ‘Introduction to Beekeeping’ courses will take place in our beautiful new eco education space, with visits to the FarmED apiary.
The one day or weekend ‘Introduction to Beekeeping’ courses takes you from complete beginner to someone who has the knowledge to enjoy this wonderful and rewarding hobby. It is also suitable for those who have had bees for a short time and wish to gain more experience.
The course covers:
Farming with nature at FarmED
The life of the honeybee
How to set up an apiary
The beekeeping year
Equipment
Working with bees
Products of the hive
A visit to the apiary at FarmED to enable you to handle bees under supervision.
The second day of the weekend course goes into more detail, with practical sessions on frame-making and a discussion on honey extraction techniques and other hive products.
You’ll also have a chance to explore FarmED. As well as the apiary, other features include a natural flood management scheme, heritage orchard, tree planting, wildflower margins and kitchen garden. Trial plots include sainfoin, herbal ley, barley, heritage wheat, wild bird seed and various cover crops with grassland managed by mob grazed sheep.
If you need to stay overnight, there’s a choice of accommodation nearby.
Light refreshments will be provided. Bring your own picnic lunch. Social distancing good practice will be followed.
This event is run by Cotswold Bees Ltd - for all enquiries and booking information please contact them directly.