Bees

----------------------- 1. Introduction This is the first in a series of notes to help Associations to run courses in order to encourage people to learn more about beekeeping. This one deals with the basics of beekeeping for complete beginners with the objective of introducing people to the craft. The second one, to be produced later in 2001 will be for beekeepers with a limited experience to prepare them for the BBKA Basic Assessment. This framework is based on a number of successful courses that are run by some Associations and has been compiled to give support and guidance to other Associations who may wish to run local courses to attract new members. The course can be run as 10 by 2-hour sessions throughout the winter or as an intensive 3 weekend-day course or any other appropriate way. The local conditions and availability of lecturers will determine how the sessions are combined. It is advisable that one person from the Association is responsible for the course but it will be prudent for the lecturer to have assistance at the sessions. The course might be timed to complete in early spring so that there is an opportunity for follow-up practical sessions at a Branch apiary. In this way the new beekeepers can either have their own nucleus in early summer or spend the first season ‘shadowing’ an experienced beekeeper. Course attendees are usually asked to pay for the sessions and the general price seems to be about £25.00 for the complete course. This usually covers the hire of a hall, any handouts and lecturers’ expenses but often does not leave any payment for the lecturer. The number of attendees ideally will be between 10 and 20. The course attendees can be given a short booklist to encourage additional reading. The list should include readily available practical books. The following are suggested: • Guide to Bees and Honey Ted Hooper • Practical Beekeeping Clive de Bruyn 2. The Course Structure The course is divided into 10 sessions, each lasting two hours. The topics to be covered in each session are listed in the table below and course notes for the topics are included in section 3 of these course notes. Approximate timings are given for the topics, which will help to identify the balance between the elements and ensure sufficient detail is given. If the course is run as three one-day sessions the lecturer may find it convenient to cover Sessions 1, 2 and 3 in the first day, 4 to 7 in the second and 8, 9 and 10 in the last day.