This weekend was the first day of our beginners course, where we do our best to teach a group all the basic information they need to start keeping bees.



This year the course was fully booked, with a few people on a waiting list in case someone pulled out at the last minute. On day one we covered a lot of material...

Role of Queens, Workers and Drones in maintaining integrity of the colony. Development times of casts and why they are important in managing bees. Substances collected by bees and their purpose. The Winter Cluster, stores, impact of winter, colony development during spring and into summer. Disease treatment and feeding



On day one we also covered the equipment needed for Beekeeping...
Structure of a removable frame hive, Personal protective equipment, Hives and accessories, Storage space, Hive types, New or second-hand - pros and cons, Cost of equipment, Hygiene



Inspecting colonies was also covered with areas covered such as; Health and well-being of bees, Why we inspect once a week in the Spring, What to look for during an inspection (Hoopers 5), How to hold combs, Disposing of wax, Hygiene between hives/apiaries/tools/clothing, Stings - protection and safety of self and public, Finding and marking queens, keeping records.

At the end of the first day all the attendees seemed to have really enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to the second day.