Summer course details - starts Saturday 4 August 2012
| Week 1 - 'Introduction to beekeeping' |
Format of the course
Who are we and what do we do?
Why an interest in beekeeping?
A brief history - Egyptians, Greeks, Romans......Langstroth
Types of bee - bumble, miner, honeybee
Basic equipment and protective clothing
Different types of hive
The 'National' hive
British Beekeeking Association
Questions
A look at the hives at Sacrewell Farm
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| Week 2 - 'Morphology and life cycle of the honeybee' |
Life cycle of the honey bee
Bee morphology
The mood of the hive
The queen - how important is she?
Bee communications - chemical and physical
Swarming
|
| Week 3 - 'The beehive' |
Hives and hive assembly
Hive maintenance
Assembling frames
The smoker
Comb and cells
The contents of a beehive
Recognising brood, pollen and honey
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| Week 4 - 'Have we missed anything?' |
Honey extraction
Feeding bees
Pests and parasites
Neighbours
Diseases
Animals
Handling bees - practical
Questions and queries |