Training courses

[Jasonp13875]

If anyone in Surrey is keen on learning to keep bees I would highly recommend going on a course with ************
I attended their Oxalic practical demonstration the other weekend at their Apiary in Pyrford and it was well organised, free of charge and rather than just watch we actually got a go at treating a hive each.

 

[pargyle]

Excellent ... well done Surrey..

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=388884#post388884 Post #53

"Unfortunately, I think the signs are that beekeeping may see a decline in the next few years as the massive number of new people who have started beekeeping (often without sufficient basic knowledge) experience frustration and possibly failure and either give up or become neglectful of their bees. Indeed, looking at the membership of this forum ... I wonder just how many of the apparently 'lapsed' members have actually given up beekeeping ?

There is a lot to be done, if this trend does materialise, to ensure that anyone in this situation is encouraged and helped to stick with it or perhaps linked with an experienced beekeeper who can guide them through the difficult times.

I have an idea that, perhaps, could go some way to making life easier for new beekeepers. 'Share a Hive' - whereby two or three new beekeepers take on the responsibility of a single hive (or two) for a season. Actually doing the beekeeping as a collective - learning as a small group is often easier than learning as an individual. A small group of people, working together, will usually solve a problem more effectively than an individual on their own. Working as a group, discussing collectively around a hive - more pairs of hands and more pairs of eyes, in the early days, has to be easier. People in a small group are also more able to secure collective knowledge - each person remembering or understanding some aspect of knowledge that a person working alone may have failed to retain or understand.

Perhaps it is something that associations could offer alongside the introductory courses ... a better start to beekeeping ? Perhaps some already do ? Or perhaps there is the possibility for those beekeepers with more than a few hives to gain a little extra income from allowing new beekeepers to gain this experience from handling some of their hives for a season... obviously for a fee ? "

Best of both worlds at Surrey !

 

[youngyoungs]

Actually doing the beekeeping as a collective - learning as a small group is often easier than learning as an individual. A small group of people, working together, will usually solve a problem more effectively than an individual on their own. Working as a group, discussing collectively around a hive - more pairs of hands and more pairs of eyes, in the early days, has to be easier. People in a small group are also more able to secure collective knowledge - each person remembering or understanding some aspect of knowledge that a person working alone may have failed to retain or understand.

Perhaps it is something that associations could offer alongside the introductory courses ... a better start to beekeeping ? Perhaps some already do ?

At North Cheshire BKA we have a training apiary where we offer new beekeepers exactly what you describe:- a practical course with a chance to work hives, solve problems and discuss alternatives in a small group. Having trainers who have a variety of home set-ups also allows the discussion of other approaches to issues. Ask two beekeepers, get at least three different opinions

As someone who wasn't sure about whether I could commit to the time required, or whether I would be too terrified of handling bees, this gave me the confidence to actually start. I would highly recommend this approach to both new and "improving" beekeepers.

 

[pargyle]

Well ... lets hope there's a lot of association committee members reading this thread ... that's two associations out of ??? that really go out of their way to help new beekeepers ...ANY MORE ??

 

[jd101k2000]

Hi Pargyle,

I admire your optimism for shared hives. I have experienced it go wrong. I am not saying 'no!'. I am saying, 'please think about how you are going to work together'.

I was sharing a hive (many years ago) with two other novice bee keepers. The experienced bee keeper had moved away and we had just been told - get rid of any queen cells. Unfortunately, that advice had been given early in the season. One of our number took it upon herself to do a queen-cell eradication on a hive late in the season that we realised subsequently had become queenless. In retrospect, the queen cells seemed to be of the emergency variety. Now that could happen with any newbee, but because we were not all together each time the hive was opened each of us only saw part of the evidence. For instance, one person noticed that on their visit the bees were not happy. The next person saw queen cells and destroyed them. On subsequent visits no brood were seen. On my final visit I found that the whole hive had been covered in insecticide powder. (We had no mentor present to help.) Worse still, it was in the earlier days of varroa, when that was seen as an automatic death sentence for a hive.

My advice would be, if you are going to share a hive make sure you have a mentor who can point out what is happening. Ideally, all be present at all openings of the hive. If you cannot all be present at each opening, ensure that you have common aims and objectives, e.g. you do not have one person trying to raise queen cells while another is ensuring that there are no queen cells. If you are going to destroy the colony, let the others know. Communication is key. Don't let my bad experience put you off... hopefully it will help you.

Fortunately, that early experience did not put me off, I was just waiting to get a plot of land to inflict my own individual madness on the poor bees. I would call them 'MY bees', but everyone knows that bees only belong to themselves.

 

[itma]

I've been particularly keen on the idea of mentor groups - pub meets, apiary safaris, joint purchases for free delivery - and helping each other rather than the first call always being to the mentor (which helps everyone, mentor included!)

I have the impression that for many Associations, "the social side" is limited to a Christmas-time get-together and (for some) a drink after the Committee meeting.
Promoting self-help and interaction between members outside the monthly meetings ought to be somewhere on the aims and objectives list.

Mind you, many beekeepers can seem particularly curmudgeonly characters!

 

[pargyle]

I admire your optimism for shared hives. I have experienced it go wrong. I am not saying 'no!'. I am saying, 'please think about how you are going to work together'.

Totally ... my idea was that two or three novices SHOULD ALWAYS work together, plan together and share all the early experiences of beekeeping, good and bad. .

I was sharing a hive (many years ago) with two other novice bee keepers. The experienced bee keeper had moved away and we had just been told - get rid of any queen cells. Unfortunately, that advice had been given early in the season.

Something that should not have happened ... a replacement 'mentor' needed to be in place

One of our number took it upon herself to do a queen-cell eradication on a hive late in the season that we realised subsequently had become queenless. In retrospect, the queen cells seemed to be of the emergency variety. Now that could happen with any newbee, but because we were not all together each time the hive was opened each of us only saw part of the evidence. For instance, one person noticed that on their visit the bees were not happy. The next person saw queen cells and destroyed them. On subsequent visits no brood were seen. On my final visit I found that the whole hive had been covered in insecticide powder. (We had no mentor present to help.) Worse still, it was in the earlier days of varroa, when that was seen as an automatic death sentence for a hive.

Recipe for a disaster !

My advice would be, if you are going to share a hive make sure you have a mentor who can point out what is happening. Ideally, all be present at all openings of the hive. If you cannot all be present at each opening, ensure that you have common aims and objectives, e.g. you do not have one person trying to raise queen cells while another is ensuring that there are no queen cells. If you are going to destroy the colony, let the others know. Communication is key. Don't let my bad experience put you off... hopefully it will help you.

Absolutely excellent post event assessment and recommendations.

Fortunately, that early experience did not put me off, I was just waiting to get a plot of land to inflict my own individual madness on the poor bees. I would call them 'MY bees', but everyone knows that bees only belong to themselves.

x

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've been particularly keen on the idea of mentor groups - pub meets, apiary safaris, joint purchases for free delivery - and helping each other rather than the first call always being to the mentor (which helps everyone, mentor included!)

I have the impression that for many Associations, "the social side" is limited to a Christmas-time get-together and (for some) a drink after the Committee meeting.
Promoting self-help and interaction between members outside the monthly meetings ought to be somewhere on the aims and objectives list.

Mind you, many beekeepers can seem particularly curmudgeonly characters!

We have always tried to work as a cooperative in our association - bulk buying of fondant, apiguard, invert syrup, jars and so forth, and we try to make some of our meetings solely social gatherings and maybe a 'beekeeping question time' so people get to know each other in a more informal atmosphere.. Also after their theory course our apiary metings are largely informal gatherings so noone feels left out or singled out.
Last year we tried mentoring with a twist - as well as being on the end of a phone if there are problems 'mentees' have been told rather than expect the mentor to slog over to their hives all the time, they go to the mentors apiary - gaining more experience and confidence with their own bees, in some cases before they've actually got theirs. One of our beginners asked to be my mentee and would travel twenty plus miles to help me out at Brynmair at the weekend, it was at the time my back was really playing up and the supers stacked high - so I think we both benefited - he's definitely got more confidence now.

 

[pargyle]

Last year we tried mentoring with a twist - as well as being on the end of a phone if there are problems 'mentees' have been told rather than expect the mentor to slog over to their hives all the time, they go to the mentors apiary - gaining more experience and confidence with their own bees, in some cases before they've actually got theirs. One of our beginners asked to be my mentee and would travel twenty plus miles to help me out at Brynmair at the weekend, it was at the time my back was really playing up and the supers stacked high - so I think we both benefited - he's definitely got more confidence now.

Excellent idea and no cost apart from travel for the new beekeeper ... very generous as well ... I was thinking that this sort of commitment had a value to the committed new beekeeper ...

"Or perhaps there is the possibility for those beekeepers with more than a few hives to gain a little extra income from allowing new beekeepers to gain this experience from handling some of their hives for a season... obviously for a fee ? "

 

[Hivemaker.]

Excellent idea and no cost apart from travel for the new beekeeper ... very generous as well

I can offer you some 12 to 16 hour days humping hives around if you wish Phillip, i wouldn't expect you to do it for nothing though, pay me say £50 a day.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sounds fair to me - got nothing better to do with his time (or his cash) anyway

 

[fiftyjon]

Well ... lets hope there's a lot of association committee members reading this thread ... that's two associations out of ??? that really go out of their way to help new beekeepers ...ANY MORE ??

Only one from this thread as I see.....

 

[pargyle]

I can offer you some 12 to 16 hour days humping hives around if you wish Phillip, i wouldn't expect you to do it for nothing though, pay me say £50 a day.

I might take you up on that Pete ... I will be properly unemployed after the end of March .... will need to lose a few stone after a couple of years of driving a computer for a living. Perhaps I could get the Jobcentre to class it as an 'educational course leading to future employment' ... Oh - I forgot, they dumped that scheme after I did my Electricians 17th Edition course ... fat lot of use that was !!

 

[Itchy]

If anyone in Surrey is keen on learning to keep bees I would highly recommend going on a course with ************
I attended their Oxalic practical demonstration the other weekend at their Apiary in Pyrford and it was well organised, free of charge and rather than just watch we actually got a go at treating a hive each.

Where is ***********?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I might take you up on that Pete ... I will be properly unemployed after the end of March .... will need to lose a few stone after a couple of years of driving a computer for a living. Perhaps I could get the Jobcentre to class it as an 'educational course leading to future employment' ... Oh - I forgot, they dumped that scheme after I did my Electricians 17th Edition course ... fat lot of use that was !!

If you get the chance, go for it! thoroughly enjoyed my time with ChrisB et al a few years ago

 

[Hivemaker.]

Where is ***********?

Deleted as a commercial website as stated on the bottom of the page.

 

[Jasonp13875]

If you can't plug anything on this forum what is the point???????????????

 

[pargyle]

If you can't plug anything on this forum what is the point???????????????

Forum policy is to keep any commercial links out ... most people on here agree with the policy and it keeps the forum clean of advertising posts sneaking in under the guise of new members.

 

[itma]

If you can't plug anything on this forum what is the point???????????????

The point is to make it pointless for those who would only use the forum to "plug" their wares.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you can't plug anything on this forum what is the point???????????????

That is the point