Training and Support

Our 2008 Introduction to Beekeeping Course will run for 8 Thursday evenings mostly from 7.30 to 9.30 pm commencing on Thursday 27 March 2008. The course fee is £35 per person . Most of the course will be held at the National Beekeeping Centre - Stoneleigh Park (Map).

Previous comments about the course ranged from:

“I really really enjoyed bee keeping. It is very good and you know all about bee keeping. It’s really fun to see all these bees and watching you find and mark the Queen bee. There are Worker bees, Queen bees and Drones and it is interesting to learn about all these bees and see them fly all around you. I am looking forward to learning more about loads of interesting bees and pollen.” Daisy – aged 7

To:

“I was encouraged to look into going to Bee Keeping evening classes after reading an inspiring book about wild honey from around the world - ‘Honey and Dust’ by Piers Moore Ede. After experiencing the course organized by the Warwick & Leamington Branch of the British Beekeepers Association I can see that the generosity, knowledge and sheer enthusiasm for the subject is universally shared amongst the world’s fraternity of bee keepers. Being allowed into this world is like joining a very select club of extremely nice people. It’s opened up a new world for me and my family” Saskia – Leamington Spa

Based on the British Beekeepers' Association syllabus the training course will cover:

· History of the honeybee & life in their colony.

· The beehive including a practical session building your own hive

· The beekeeper's year

· The queen bee & colony behaviour

· Caring for the health of bees

· Plants bees like

· Honey & other hive products and a demonstration of honey extraction.

· Getting started with your own hive of bees

At the end of the course trainees will have the opportunity to handle bees with further practical training at the branch teaching apiary. Anyone going on to keep their own bees will, if they wish, have an experienced beekeeper assigned to help them.

For more information and to express an interest in joining this training course, please contact our Training Co-ordinator

Some novice beekeepers either do not have time for attending formal training courses or prefer to learn as they go along. Branch meetings and the informal branch network are most helpful when such people need advice or support.

In addition to formal sources of learning, all beekeepers need to keep abreast of important developments such as disease control, genetically modified crops and honey bottling and labelling regulations. Beekeeping magazines, branch and apiary meetings, exhibitions/conventions and Warwickshire Beekeepers' Association lectures are most helpful in this regard

The branch has a library. For a full book list and access to the material please contact our Branch Librarian

The The British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) also offers a structured training programme via its correspondence courses

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