Beekeeping for Beginners

This one day course will introduce the important basics of beekeeping to anyone thinking about keeping bees in their garden. You will learn about the incredible lifecycle of the honey bee, how they pollinate our flowers and crops, and what is necessary to successfully keep happy, healthy honey bees. You will find out about the different kinds of bee hive that are available and all of the basic equipment and techniques needed to keep bees and harvest your own honey. In the afternoon we will visit the bee hives in the grounds of Westonbirt, and you will have chance to handle the bees and find the queen (weather permitting). Whether you want to produce your own honey and wax, help preserve our vulnerable pollinators or just find out more about these fascinating creatures, this fun and highly informative day is the perfect opportunity to find out more.

Richard Rickitt, is an experienced beekeeper and beekeeping tutor. He is co-editor of Bee Craft, the UKs beekeeping magazine and author of the forthcoming book Beekeeping for Gardeners (Bloomsbury). Richard will be happy to offer further advice after the day should you wish to set up your own hive.