Overview
Each year in April we run our “Introduction to Beekeeping” course, the aim o f which is to enable those who have an interest in taking up the craft of beekeeping to gain first hand knowledge on what is involved. The course is run over a weekend, the first day usually being held in Brailes Village Hall as a classroom session, whilst on the second day delegates are able to inspect a colony of bees (bee suits provided) at our training apiary – also in Brailes – under the guidance of an experienced beekeeper enabling them to see at first hand what goes on in a hive and see the bees going about their daily activities.
The topics covered on the course include:
- Why keep bees?
- An introduction to how an individual bee, and a colony of bees, work
- Choosing equipment and apiary sites
- The beekeeping year and the critical manipulations
- Common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and help from Shipston Beekeepers
- Inspecting a colony of bees
- Assembling and manipulating hive equipment
If your interest in beekeeping is stimulated by the course you can continue your beekeeping experience through the season by becoming a member of Shipston Beekeepers. At our apiary we hold weekly training evenings when, in the presence of an experienced beekeeper, you are able to monitor the activities of a colony of bees, take what measures are necessary for the wellbeing of the bees, carry out swarm control measures etc. etc. throughout the summer months. In this way you will become equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to have your own bees the following year.
Shipston Introduction to Beekeeping course 26th and 27th April 2025
Led by a local Master Beekeeper our weekend course will give you an insight and hands on experience of the world of the honey bee and the role of the beekeeper. We will cover:-
Day 1 (classroom, Brailes Village Hall)
How a honey bee colony works
The beekeeping year
The essential equipment
Harvesting your honey and wax
How to get started with your own bees
Day 2 (Training Apiary, Lower Brailes)
Siting an apiary
Assembling hive parts
Apiary Safety
Inspecting a honeybee colony (weather permitting)
Timings for the two days are:
Saturday 26th : 09:30AM – 04:30PM (ish)
Sunday 27th : 11:00AM – 01:30 (ish, and weather dependent)
Book your place on Shipston Beekeepers 2025 ITB Course
To book your place please complete the form below; the cost is £95 for adults and £50 for children (under 18; if you wish to bring a child you will need to sign and return the Consent form at the end of the Health and Safety Guidelines document, below). You will be sent an invoice, that you can pay via a credit / debit card, from our PayPal account; your place is not confirmed until we have received payment.
We can provide Gift certificates if you want to buy a course as a present. If you would like a Guest certificate please indicate this in the Comments section of the form.
The form asks that you accept our short Terms and Conditions, that can be downloaded below:
The Health and Safety Guide for the course, that also contains the Child Consent Form, is: