With the new training apiary at Coston, NBKA is in a position to offer a training courses for beginning beekeepers. The course is organised by Master Beekeeper Dr Chris Evans, together with an experienced team of other beekeepers.
The course runs annually, with 5 theory sessions of 2 hours in length, covering 10 main subject areas, running from around mid-February at 7-9pm fortnightly on Tuesdays. Following this, there will be 5 practical sessions of 2 hours in length, running from around mid-April at the Coston apiary every Saturday from 1-3pm, weather permitting.
Topics covered during the theory course include:
- Introduction
- The Colony
- The Hive
- The Beekeeping Year
- Swarming
- Pests & Diseases
- Queens
- Getting Started
- First Colony Inspection
- Full Colony Inspection
Enrolling on the course
It is not generally possible, or useful, to join the course while it is running, so potential attendees should contact the course organiser to confirm the dates of the next available course, and other details, before enrolling. There are a limited number of places on the course, so it is important to check availability before applying.
Costs
The course is offered in a combined package with full membership of the association for £105 for new members. Payment is made during the membership application process, and the member is then enrolled on the next available course.