Education And Training
During 2020 the SBKA will run a 6 week introductory course on Beekeeping. The course syllabus is below, and will give a sound introduction to the basics. Students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of colony management, and remove some of the myths about bees.
Course Dates Are:
Monday 9th March,
Monday 16th March,
Monday 23rd March,
Monday 30th March,
Tuesday 7th April
Monday 20th April.
Followed by 3 Practical Sessions:
Saturday 25 April
Saturday 2 May
Saturday 9 May
If you are interested, please complete the contact form, and a member of the team will be in touch.
Week 1 - The life of the honeybee queen, worker and drone
09 Mar 2020
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Development of the Queen, worker and drone
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Identify brood in all stages and honey, nectar and pollen in the comb
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Periods spent as egg, larva pupa and adult summer and winter bees life span
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Collection and use of pollen, nectar, water and propolis
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How the honeybee passes the winter
Week 2 - Equipment
16 Mar 2020
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Personal equipment needed to open a hive of honeybees and importance of cleanliness.
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Able to name and explain the functions of the principle parts of the modern beehive. Different types of hives and their advantages and disadvantages
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Use of hive tool, smoker and other tools; spray, queen cages, nucs, markers bucket for washing soda
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Effects of stings and treatment
Week 3 - The Beekeeping Year
23 Mar 2020
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Growth of the colony
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Spring Inspections
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Swarming Season
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Harvesting
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Feeding
Week 4 - Queens, Swarming and swarm control
29 Mar 2020
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Reasons for swarming and events during swarming
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One method for swarm control
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How to collect a swarm
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Signs of queenlessness and tests
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Laying workers and drone laying queens
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How to introduce a new queen
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Reasons for uniting colonies and one method of uniting colonies
Week 5 - Honey harvest and the annual cycle
06 Apr 2020
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Feeding the bees sugar syrup/fondant/pollen supplement
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Robbing and prevention
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Harvesting honey and wax and legal requirements of bottling and selling honey; hygiene
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Apiary hygiene and comb change
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Flowers for Bees
Week 6 - Pests and Diseases
19 Apr 2020
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The appearance of healthy brood
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Symptoms of AFB and EFB, chalk brood and sac brood
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Varroa and its effects
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Treatments for varroa including integrated pest management
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Adult bee diseases Acarine and Nosema symptoms
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Disease diagnosis and sampling bees
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Notifiable diseases and legislation
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Wax moth, mice, woodpeckers, wasps and precautions
Practical Session 1
24 Apr 2020
This will be weather dependent - details will be announced at the training Sessions
Practical Session 2
01 May 2020
This will be weather dependent - details will be announced at the training Sessions
Practical Session 3
08 May 2020
This will be weather dependent - details will be announced at the training Sessions