Education and Training
We will be running a series of beekeeping courses again in 2025. There will be two during the winter, one for Beginners and one for Improvers. Then in the Spring there will be a weekend Beginners course. Our courses are run by David Packham, previously a Seasonal Bee Inspector with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). David has kept bees for over 40 years, having been under the spell of honey bees since a swarm encamped in his garden almost 50 years ago. As a bee inspector, David inspected over 700 bee colonies each year, and remains a British Beekeeping Association (BBKA) assessor. When he’s not tending his bees, you will find him walking the moors or coast with his wife Christine. David brings a fresh perspective to his courses and his sense of humour and enjoyment of interactive elements of his courses make them very popular.
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Beekeeping for Beginners 2025
Discover all you need to know about safe and successful beekeeping on our winter course for new or aspiring beekeepers. The winter course comprises six weekly evening classes in a face to face setting.
The weekend course has a full weekend schedule with mornings spent learning the theory of beekeeping and afternoons spent gaining practical experience in our apiary.
Both lead into a weekend practical session in the Spring when the hives are active.
We will also hold four practical ‘Beekeeping Basics’ sessions during the summer season to cover topical subjects at the relevant time of year. The Beekeeping Basics sessions are aimed at helping new beekeepers through the major events of their first year of beekeeping and cover some of the course topics in a bit more detail.
Course topics are:
• Getting started – hive types, equipment, cost and time commitments
• Honey bee natural history – honey bee life cycle, queens, drones and workers
• The beekeeping year – inspections, managing colonies
• The importance of plants and pollination
• Swarms!
• Honey!
• Bee health and hygiene
Practical sessions:
A chance to meet the bees – Beekeeping basics, correct use of equipment, how to inspect a colony safely, how to check the health and development of the bees.
The Beginners winter evening Course dates are 29th January, 5th February, 12th February, 26th February, 5th March and 12th March 2025.
Wednesday evenings, 7pm – 9pm at Broadclyst Victory Hall, Exeter, EX5 3EE
Plus one Practical session – Saturdays, 10.30am – 1.30pm. Provisional dates (subject to weather) are *12th and 26th April 2025 at the Exeter Beekeepers’ branch apiary in Woodbury Salterton (near the Greendale Business Park)
The Beginners Spring weekend course dates are 3rd and 4th May 2025,
Saturday and Sunday, 9am – 4pm.
Mornings are inside at Woodbury Salterton Village Hall and afternoons at the Exeter Beekeepers’ branch apiary in Woodbury Salterton (near the Greendale Business Park)
Cost £125** (to include 12 months’ membership of the Devon Beekeepers Association and the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) ‘Guide to Beekeeping’ book).
**If you are attending the course with a partner living at the same address, or if you are already a member of Exeter Beekeepers please contact the Education Officer for a discounted course rate.
To reserve your place please book on Eventbrite (see link below), your reservation will be confirmed once you have completed the DBKA membership form. Places are limited.
Beekeeping for Beginners 6-week evening course
Beekeeping for Beginners weekend course
*Please note the practical sessions are weather dependent and so subject to change.
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Beekeeping Improvers 2025
This course is designed to improve the skills and knowledge of existing beekeepers. You will need to have completed the beginners course and ideally have at least one year’s practical experience of keeping bees.
The Improvers course is an ideal next step for new beekeepers who have recently completed a Beginners course as the content will refresh your knowledge. The course comprises six weekly evening classes in a face to face setting.
Course topics are:
• Principles of hive design, frames and spacing
• The beekeeping year
• Apiary hygiene
• Swarming
• Queen rearing
• The importance of plants and pollination
• Bee health and disease management
The 2025 course dates are 28th January, 4th February, 11th February, 25th February, 4th March and 11th March.
Tuesday evenings, 7pm – 9pm at Broadclyst Victory Hall, Exeter, EX5 3EE
Cost £95
To reserve your place please book on Eventbrite (see link below). Places are limited
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