Welcome to our classroom
To the best of our abilities, as beekeepers, not teachers, we want to share our knowledge with others. It’s in everyone’s best interest to make sure honeybees are being cared for correctly and given the best possibility of survival. This is why we have 3 ways of learning available: Online Lessons, Book, and Practical Experience.
Our new book
Please welcome our new book, A Pocket Book Guide to Beekeeping. Now available to purchase.
A little bit about the book
This book is for the people who haven’t found the right beekeeping book for them that isn’t filled with a biology lesson. The information I’ve included in this book is based on the worries and questions I’ve received from beginners as a breeder. I know what you need to know! You will read about swarm control, honey production, ordering from breeders, how to set up an apiary, selling honey, overwintering your colonies, etc. Here is a little extract from the prologue to give you an idea of what to expect from my writing style:
With a decade of experience in commercial beekeeping, I have gained insights from addressing numerous questions raised by beginners. This has equipped me with a good understanding of what beginners are curious about and what knowledge they require. This book is for those of you who are like me, a practical beekeeper. I hope I improve your knowledge on how to handle bees with care and respect and teach you why bees will act the way they do so that you can manage your bees with confidence.
Online theory and video demonstrations
If you can’t take time out of your busy summer to do the practical experience with us, you can learn through video demonstrations coupled with a basic-level theory about honey bees. You can access this course by becoming a member. Once that’s done, you can come back and sign into the website at your leisure and learn about honey bees at your speed and at a time that suits you.
Here’s what you will learn:
Back to basics:
Life of a bee
Castes of bees
Hive vs nuc
Parts of the hive & nuc
Being a beekeeper
Basic bee-handling practices:
Tools & equipment & parts of the hive
How to use them
How to approach a hive
How to open & close a hive
What are we looking for?
Apiary management:
Locating an apiary
Ordering a colony
Moving a nuc into a hive
Splitting your colony into two
Foraging
Diseases:
The varroa mite
AFB & EFB
Wax moth
Chalkbrood
Honey Production:
Equipment
Harvesting
Extracting
Processing
How to join this course
To join this course, you first need to become a member. This way you can access the course when it suits you to take some time to learn. You will pay for the course and create an account so remember to write down your login details.
This is the member's area for beginners at beekeeping.
The Practical Experience
We often change the format of this experience over the years as we find better ways to teach people. However, what you learn is always the same. You will learn what’s involved with keeping your own bees such as…
Using tools
Approaching and opening a hive
How to inspect your colony
Preparation for the winter
Honey production
The price of the practical experience is €80. Our goal is to prepare you for your own bees, give you some confidence and expose you to the feeling of having bees land on you (an idea people are quite foreign to).
NEW DATES TO COME SOON
“How to” videos
How to move a nuc into a hive