weekend course

beginners beekeeping weekend

location: nr Penrith, Cumbria

This 16 hour course including practical experience and run over two days is designed to equip people to keep their own bees at home. It is run along lines of BBKA courses though with an accent on minimal use of chemicals where possible.  This type of beekeeping generally uses Frame National Hives or similar and is run by Neil Cruickshank of the BBKA Penrith Group.

Neil Cruickshank has been Beekeeping for many years and has some 12 hives throughout the Eden Valley in a variety of locations.  He gardens organically and could be categorised as a conventional beekeeper with 'natural leanings' who strives towards a minimal use of chemicals in upholding the health  and constitution of the colony.

Over these weekends it is hoped you will have enough theory to  become a self reliant beekeeper – weather and bees permitting there will be time for you to explore the hives and handle the frames enough to become familiar with the various larval cells, grubs (queen, worker and drone) look for the queen and understand the inner workings of the hive.

Learn how to encourage creation of  a new queen, understand why bees swarm, when it tends to happen, ways to discourage and ways to catch a swarm and various practices that people use to reduce swarming. When a hive may be full and how much space is needed create a new colony or how to join colonies.

In addition to this Neil will cover the most important tasks of the Beekeeping Year including:

  • the types of hives to buy
  • where to site your hive for optimum bee happiness
  • where to source equipment and how to source / find/ order your first bees
  • the problems of stings and their treatment
  • the public and consultation of neighbours and friends
  • the bees enemies
  • disease control
  • variations of colony needs between spring and summer
  • collection of honey and winter
  • introduction to the British Beekeepers Association and the National Bee Unit
  • the important 5 inspection point s of a colony

 

dates: see 'book online' below

more on beekeeping

 

how to book:

  

if you can't open the booking form, you need Acrobat Reader - it's free
arrive:
  
for a 9.00am prompt start
depart:
  
after the course finishes at 5ish
directions:
  
will be sent with booking confirmation
what to bring:
  
pen and notebook; if you have access to protective clothing (veil, bee jacket or suit), please bring it with you. trousers, washing up gloves (e.g. Marigolds) and wellies to protect ankles are also advisable.
let us know:
  
if you have any special needs
price:
  
£145
Refundable up to two weeks prior to course (minus £30 admin fee)
No refunds for cancellations within two weeks of course
lunch:
  
provided
car sharing:
  
visit our car sharing forum to offer or request a lift
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


the venue is a cafe on a coast-to-coast cycle path near Penrith, close to Ullswater and the northern fells of the Lake District