Beekeeping Course for Beginners

See my other items listed for beekeeping equipment and kits.

This is an Introduction to Beekeeping - The Theory course notes from a course that I teach in winter. If you haven't the time to attend a course this disk gives you the opportunity to learn at home at your own pace. I am a professional beekeeper and bee breeder for Heatherbell Honeybees so you can be assured of qualified advice.

This course is intended for those thinking of keeping bees as a hobby. Whether in a National or Top Bar Hive this covers everything you need to know to keep a colony of bees healthy and happy the natural and organic way, plus a bit more I hope.

The course consists of twelve .pdf files on a DVD disk (copyrighted) which enables me to include more photos than you'd get in a book.

• Introduction
• History of the honey bee and beekeeping. Their evolution from earliest times to present day. Solitary bees and social bees.
• Description of the honey bee colony and nest. A guided tour of their home and the residents.
• Description of the honey bee individual. Their anatomy and life cycle.
• Behaviour of the honey bee individual. The division and organisation of labour.
• Behaviour of the honey bee colony. Its natural annual cycle. Colony reproduction.
• Start beekeeping. Choice of bee hives and equipment and what you need.
• Inspecting the colony. Opening hives, handling bees and assessing health.
• Swarming. Recognition and management. Queen rearing and replacement.
• Disease and disorder. Pests and predators. Their recognition and treatment.
• Honey and hive products. Harvesting and processing any surplus from the hive.
• The years work. Putting into practice everything learned.

Contact me, if you have any queries.

Tip: If you are thinking of starting to keep bees next year, now is the time to order bees to avoid disappontment. If you wait until next spring /summer to order, you will find that order books will already be full and all available bees will have been spoken for.