Winter Training for would-be Beekeepers

18th and 25th February and 3rd, 17th & 24th March 2024

2:00 pm until 4:00 pm – Petersfield Community Centre – Exhibition Room – easy parking

Training comprises 5 theory and 4 practical sessions and commences with an introduction so that potential new beekeepers can decide if beekeeping is really for them.

Introductory Session – 18th February (free)

Brief outlines:

  • What is a honey bee.

  • How does it live.

  • Brief history of beekeeping

  • Where do we keep them.

  • How do we house them.

  • Hardware involved in keeping them.

  • Amount of work involved in their care and management

  • Basic beekeeping year

  • Why they swarm.

  • Hazards to keeper (stings and allergies) to bees.

  • Rewards.

Session 2: 25th Feb Keeping Bees

  • Basic hive & components

  • Bee Space (fundamental building block)

  • Establishing an apiary

  • Colony Management across the year

  • Importance of record-keeping

  • Importance of keeping healthy bees

Session 3: 3rd March The life of the Bee Colony

  • Bee Life cycle

  • Colony Life cycle

  • Swarming

Session 4: 17th March Manipulation and Equipment

  • Types of hives and hive parts

  • Concept of bee space

  • Where to spend and where to save

Session 5: 24th March Hive products – honey & wax 

  • Bee products & uses by bees
  • Honey – composition, harvesting, treatment, storage and selling 

  • Wax Recovery & use

  • Asian Hornet

Contact PDBKAtraining@gmail.com for more details. To book a place on the introductory session please go to Eventbrite

Places for the remaining sessions can be booked here Eventbrite