This course is for people who know nothing, seek a novel nugget of information or want to pass the BBKA Basic Assessment. You could buy some books or fly with me. I’m free!

A summary of the site

Bees are fascinating. In places on this site, I have become carried away. If that happens, you can usually get my gist if you read the bold text.

Here is how the site unfolds:

Bees: I start by explaining the importance of honeybees and point out that they are often unneeded. Furthermore, why they are so successful, sometimes too well, because they live in giant colonies that can suck up all the nectar in the area. Their strength in numbers is obvious when they swarm. Half the bees leave the hive and establish a new colony. Wasps and hornets send out single mated queens in the autumn, which must work hard to create their nest in the spring. Whereas, about 10,000 honeybees survive the winter and can kick-start the colony.

Problems: The concentration of bees in a hive renders them susceptible to disease, so beekeepers must be alert, to detect and treat them. Other issues include aggression, what happens when the queen dies, the bees rob each other’s honey and swarm. Swarming can frighten people and beekeepers must do what they can to stop it, as losing so many bees results in a lost honey harvest.

Starting: I describe everything you’ll need to become a beekeeper. Where to keep your bees, the equipment you’ll need and where to obtain your bees. Keeping bees takes time. Every week, a minimum of 30 minutes per hive. I recommend that you to keep two colonies, so if one gets in trouble, the other one can help. Keeping bees at the bottom of your garden is a lovely idea. Sitting down and watching bees come and go is a great stress buster. But your neighbours might not be so impressed! When you look in a hive, sometimes your bees react badly and are more likely to sting people.

Stings: All beekeepers get stung, usually whenever they take too long with the hive roof off or the colony is queenless. Stings through a glove aren’t so bad, but some people find this aversive. Learning the correct inspection technique can help to keep your bees calm. However, sometimes a colony becomes aggressive.

Making: if you love making widgets, beekeeping is for you!

Hives and frames constitute the bees’ home, and using them and looking after them takes knowledge and time; most maintenance can be done in the winter, off-period.

Harvest: I explain how to harvest honey and prepare your bees for winter — a colony needs 18 kg of honey.

Quizzes: fun and testing

That’s a limited compilation of how the site progresses. You might enjoy reading:

Explore bees and nature

Start beekeeping — a brief checklist for what you’ll need.