Swindon & District Beekeepers Association has it’s own Apiary entirely dedicated to teaching & training of Beekeepers, new or experienced. Our Apiary is managed and run by a team of volunteers from within SDBKA.
Training Days
Taster Days
If you are interested in discovering what beekeeping is all about, perhaps to take it up as a hobby, or simply want to know more about honey bees and beekeeping then this course is for you. The aim of this one-day course is to provide attendees with a good understanding of:
- what a honey bee colony is,
- that a beekeeper is only a guardian of honey bee colonies and involves responsibilities,
- what it is like to inspect a hive with hands-on experience (subject to weather), and
- what is involved in taking up beekeeping
The course runs from 10am – 4pm and the cost is £35.00 contact
Taster Days will be held on the following dates:
14 May 2022 (now full)
11 JUne 2022
9 July 2022 (now full) and
6 August 2022
Starting Beekeeping
This course is intended for people who have decided they do want to start beekeeping. A pre-requisite is that you should have attended an introductory course on what beekeeping is about, or already had some hands-on experience with inspecting honey bee colonies and have read much about bee keeping. The aim of this course is to provide attendees with enough knowledge and experience to start keeping honey bees with confidence and success. The course will run over 2 days, with each session lasting 3-4 hour:
- Lifecycle of the honey bee, rules of colony inspection and kit for inspecting colonies,
- Hives, frames, bee-space and swarm management,
- Identification and management of diseases and pests,
- Choosing your apiary site, health & safety issues, and other guidance for starting bee keeping.
Each session will include hands-on experience with inspecting colonies and handling bees (subject to weather conditions). The cost of the course is £45.00.
STARTING BEEKEEPING (A TWO WEEK COURSE) on the following dates:
28 May 2022 and 4 June 2022
Please contact Kathy Hobson – [email protected] for more information
Apiary Skills Sessions
Regular apiary skills sessions are held at the SDBKA Apiary during the summer season. These sessions are suitable for all existing beekeepers. They are also an opportunity for prospective beekeepers to get their first hands-on experience. The aim of the sessions is to:
Familiarise beekeepers with the ‘golden rules’ of hive inspections and the reasons for these
Develop their habit of regular colony inspections and improve their familiarity of what they should be looking for.
Help beekeepers cope with preventing loss of bees by swarming, including application of artificial swarming, and dealing with other seasonal issues
These sessions are a good opportunity to compare your experiences with other attendees and seek answers to problems you might be having.
The sessions take place on Saturdays, please check with Kathy Hobson,
email : [email protected]