Beginner’s Course for 2025

Update posted  on 27th February: please note that this year’s beginners’ course is now full, as is the taster session on 12th April. The taster session on 14th June still has places available but that is a stand-alone session and will not lead on to beginners’ training this year. We are sorry to disappoint anyone who had intended to apply to do the beginners’ course this year but we will not increase participant numbers beyond that where we can offer a high standard of training and supervision.

 

Please note that it is not necessary (or a good idea) to buy bees, hives and equipment before attending the course. There are several different types of hive and what you work with will be affected by your situation and by the strain of bees that you start with. You will have plenty of opportunity to talk through what would be the best hive for yourself and your bees during and after the course.

This course is presented using content endorsed by the British Beekeepers Association and is taught by BBKA-qualified tutors.

Julie Coleman
BBKA Master Beekeeper

 

A honeybee colony is  a complex super organism.  A hive may contain 60,000 individuals at its peak in summer.  As beekeepers we have a responsibility to understand, work with, and support the wellbeing of these important pollinators.  In return we enjoy a fascinating and rewarding hobby, contribute towards protecting and enhancing our environment, and in some years collect surplus honey to eat.

Our beginner’s course gives an overview of the beekeeping year from the perspective of the bees and the beekeeper and will be a good introduction to the honeybee if you want to become a beekeeper. The course will start off with a ‘taster’ session, where those interested will take part in the inspection of a live colony and handling the bees. This will be followed by weekly classes in the evening on Wednesday each week that will include both the theory and practice of good beekeeping. This will be taught in the branch’s teaching apiary at the University of Kent, Canterbury. There will be 12 places available on this course.

Course dates:

Taster session 1 – Saturday ^12th April 1.30 – 4.00pm. This will be the practical introduction to the rest of the course but doesn’t commit participants to the full course if, having taken it, they feel unsure about being at close quarters with a lot of bees.

Weekly classes – Wednesday evenings, 7.00-9.00 pm on 23rd April, then 6.30 – 8.30 pm for the remaining five weeks starting on 30^th, then May 7^th, 14^th, 21^st and 28^th. There are likely to be two further weekly classes in late summer which will focus on the important topics of honey harvesting and then the preparation of a colony for winter – a critical period.

Course Cost:

Taster – £20

Six weekly classes in April and May – £140.

Two late summer classes – cost included in fee above.

Participants on the six-session core of the course will have branch membership as a Friend, newsletters and monthly meetings in the apiary, for the beekeeping season which ends 30th September 2025, included in the fee. A non-returnable deposit of £10.00 will be required, to be paid at least 14 days before the date of the taster session. The balance/full fee, for each part of the course, is required at the latest by the day before that part of the course commences.

Requirements:

All equipment and protective clothing will be loaned by the branch in the first instance although participants will need to wear their own gumboots.  Tutors will advise beginners about the options available to purchase their own equipment as the course progresses.

Anyone interested in the course should contact Julie Coleman in the first instance (see email link below). A deposit of £10.00 is required, to be paid at least 14 days before the start of the course.

This Taster Session cost is £20. An appropriate briefing on health and safety issues around the bees will be given at the start of the session. If you wish to book a place on this session, please contact Roger Simpson, the Branch Secretary All valid bookings will be confirmed by email in the order received, together with joining instructions for the day. In the event of bad weather making the session impractical to run, in our opinion, an alternative date will be offered.

Payments should be made by bank transfer to our account, details of which are shown below. Please use the participant’s surname and ‘100824 taster’ as the reference.

Sort code: 30-99-61;

Account number: 00053964;

Account name: Whitstable beekeepers

Please note: we will accept children aged 10 or over on this taster session as long as they are accompanied throughout the session by a responsible adult participant. We are happy also to welcome participants who use wheelchairs, so long as they are accompanied by an adult helper participant. Please note that all the hives are on grass, which occasionally gets a bit soggy underfoot.