Why say NO to doing a course?

[mbc]

God, how did you know

All the best beekeepers are clairvoyant

 

[region2]

So we're agreed - no bees without a course!

R2

 

[viridens]

So we're agreed - no bees without a course!

R2

Seems like good sense so that you can hit the ground running, but the old timers did pretty well without, whether they designed standard hives and accessories or wrote standard textbooks.

 

[oliver90owner]

So we're agreed - no bees without a course!

No we are not!!

A course of training is best, yes. But if you are trying to be prescriptive of ALL new beekeepers, NO.

 

[For want of a better word]

So we're agreed - no bees without a course!

R2

Course in what?​

Marmite?

 

[viridens]

15 pages, and it's all kicking off again - AGhhhhh!

 

[BKF Admin]

So we're agreed - no bees without a course!

R2

About every 50,000 posts a post is made that makes my blood boil.
Yours was one of those posts!!!!

 

[Teemore]

RAB has the right of it.

Basic courses and familiarisation courses still leave a beginner short of a lot of knowledge. A wee bit of gumption and reading can help address that but a mentor to smooth the path goes an awful lot further and can be a bit of craic to boot! Since finding and joining this forum i have to say that there are a lot of really good mentors present on Beeforum; folk like, Hivemaker, Polyhive, Finman and Oliver90Owner to name but a few. Their collective posts/responses reach a lot of beekeepers, new and long standing and they really are additional mentors to myself and the other 6000 odd forumers.

My local, in the flesh mentor and friend is of the view that bees will teach you what you need to know - I guess how you learn 'what you need to know' is up to yourself! He also considers that people need to learn about bees around bees - not in a classroom and I agree to an extent. The theory learned in a classroom environment is useful, but only to back up practical knowledge. I keep coming across courses where the participants get a couple of apiary sessions in the entire course and I would have to ask whether that could really prepare them to keep bees. I would suggest not. People need to spend a wee bit more time around bees and begin to learn how to observe them, how to handle them properly and how to get a feel for their moods. Most courses will come short of that - particularly for beginners - however a mentor and their bees can provide just the requisite level of 'training'. I personally think beekeeping is admirably suited to apprenticeships!

In terms of BBKA courses, i think you are heading in the right direction with the Basic - not as a qualification to keep bees but as a means of assessing learning and building up some folk's confidence. The hive assessment is more 'immediate' and more accessible as compared to a written exam.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So we're agreed - no bees without a course!

R2

Not all of us were/are able to attend a course before offering accommodation to bees. - does that mean we should be banned from keeping them?
Most of us have the ability to enquire, whether it be from books or other beekeepers and gain knowledge that way. I attend my local BKA whenever I can (which isn't as often as I would like) but after attending meetings and talking to beginners and experienced keepers I come away better armed to deal with my bees.I should also say that those who could attend the course must have benefited greatly judging from what little I've learnt of/from the tutors in a small space of time.
I agree that knowledge/research is needed before keeping bees, courses are good, but not the be all and end all (my grandfather kept bees for many years starting with reading from one book and a bit of advice from a neighbour)

 

[region2]

So we're all agreed then - courses are a waste of time.

R2

 

[tonybloke]

So we're all agreed then - courses are a waste of time.

R2

have you got brown arms?

 

[DanBee]

So we're all agreed then - courses are a waste of time.

You'll need this:

 

[region2]

is it wooden?

 

[The Apprentices]

But I also believe that the right 1-to-1 mentor is probably the best way to learn if possible.

Exactly well put, its called reciprocacy without the cost, its the way forward for the whole.

 

[Busybee123]

Basic courses and familiarisation courses still leave a beginner short of a lot of knowledge. A wee bit of gumption and reading can help address that but a mentor to smooth the path goes an awful lot further and can be a bit of craic to boot! Since finding and joining this forum i have to say that there are a lot of really good mentors present on Beeforum; folk like, Hivemaker, Polyhive, Finman and Oliver90Owner to name but a few. Their collective posts/responses reach a lot of beekeepers, new and long standing and they really are additional mentors to myself and the other 6000 odd forumers.

Doing a course is a good starting point, but really not much more than that. Regardless of whether you do a course or not, when you get bees you need to have someone to turn to for advice and help. I have done a course, and I have to say that the follow up support in terms of mentorship could be and should be better. The real business of learning about bees starts when the course finishes...

I have found this forum extemely helpful - there's always an experienced beek around to give advice but also I've met some very helpful people in my area who are willing to help a newbee like me.

In an ideal world every new beekeeper should have a mentor but it's not always possible. It represents a big commitment (with little prospect of anything in return) for an experienced beek to take a newbee under their wing, and there simply aren't enough mentors to go round. Like Teemore said, having experienced beeks posting on a forum like this reaches a lot of people, but also I think that by posting on here new beekeepers can learn from eachother's experiences and eachother's mistakes.

So stop lurking and start posting!