two-day course beekeeping safari

venue: Pen y Bonc, Gwynedd

This is an all-weekend outdoor event (weather permitting) aimed at local beekeepers to the Bangor area (Anglesey, Conwy, Caernarfon). This course is aimed at new beekeepers interested in learning more or reviewing basic beekeeping skills. Participants may have recently acquired bees or kept them for a year or two. The course aims to provide practical beekeeping skills – to assess your own bees and know what you are looking at and looking for. If you have recently acquired bees and now think it all seems different from the book or beekeeping course you were on previous to keeping bees and want a bit of a confidence boost then this course is for you.

We shall have a very flexible timetable dependent on participants and where they live. We aim as a group to visit as many of the participants’ own beehives as possible, travelling together and sharing transport (exact itinerary nearer the date). We aim to make the days fun as well as informative. The sessions outdoors aim to assess each other’s colonies in a helpful and supportive way rather than being critical. In doing so we hope to cover a range of topics such as:

• equipment needed (& what's not)
• what are the functions of the various parts of a hive and whether or not this is working in your own case e.g. frame spacing and 'bee space'
• what a colony consists of and identifying all stages of healthy brood
• tips on finding queens
• siting of the apiaries – and any possible improvements
• basic management of bees and control of the parasitic varroa mite
• other pests and diseases
• the beekeeping year: what to do and when
• inspecting a colony through the year
• the group size will be kept small to allow participants maximum attention to detail and participation in inspecting colonies.
  

Please wear suitable clothing. Boots (wellies are best), long-sleeved top, long trousers and washing-up type gloves. Bring your own beekeeping protective clothing with you.

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