Beekeeping for Absolute Beginners
Other ways of learning about beekeeping
Beekeeping for Absolute Beginners
This is an informal one day classroom based course which is ideal for anyone who has an interest in bees and becoming a beekeeper. Our aim is to help you decide whether beekeeping is right for you.
Day/Time Saturday 15th March 2024 10:00-4:00
Cost £30.00 and £15 for under 18s (must be accompanied)
Venue Itchen Abbas Village Hall
Book your place
There are a limited number of places so please book early.
Email Richard - include your name, postal address and telephone number: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you book and then find you are unable to come will refund provided we are able to fill your place. We will also refund if we cancel the course.
Topics covered
Learning resources – books, magazines, online, assessments and exams.
Bees and apiaries – types of bees, planning an apiary and dealing with stings.
Honey bees – sub species, castes, anatomy and how to get bees.
Equipment – clothing, hand tools, hives etc. and costs.
Inspections and manipulations – swarms and extracting honey.
Diseases, problems and seasonal jobs.
Next steps – what to do before you start keeping bees - invitation to join us at an apiary meeting.
There will be also plenty of opportunity during the day to talk to us individually about your own situation.
After the course
Before you get your bees you need to have some practical experience of handling bees; join us at an apiary meeting during the summer.
Further reading: we strongly recommend you undertake further reading see Learning resources.
Mentors: we can usually allocate our members a mentor who is an experienced beekeeper. You will be able to ‘follow’ your mentor for a season to give you practical seasonal experience. While we will make every effort to find you a mentor, it may not always be possible. We can only allocate mentors to our members. If you live outside our area, while you are welcome to join us, it is better to join your local Beekeeping Association as we may be unable to allocate you a local mentor.
Membership: Once you get your first colony, you must upgrade your membership to full member so that you have Public Liability and Bee Disease insurance. Your mentor will continue to give you advice and practical support to help you get started.
Ongoing help
As there are always jobs that need another pair of hands, your mentor may be able to help, otherwise it is useful to find another local beekeeper to give you a hand.
Feedback from our 2024 attendees
'Hugely enjoyable informative fascinating day - Thank you very much indeed!'
'It was a really good course and I really enjoyed it, I still can't believe some of the things I learnt about bees.'
Other ways of learning about beekeeping
If you are unable to attend this course you may be interested in other ways of learning about beekeeping. See Learning resources. We strongly advise you to get practical experience of handling bees before keeping bees yourself.
