Training for improvers is in two parts, held on the same days:-
Hive-side training (mornings)
- 9am - 1pm April till August
- Free and funded by APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency)
- Delivered by Bee Farmers Association members
- Maximum 6 persons per course
- Same days as
be a better beekeeper
afternoon courses
- Available through the medium of Welsh
- Use of protective bee-suit and gloves included
- Focused hive inspections
- Apiary and hive hygiene
- Disease, parasite and predator detection
(Available for booking from mid February)
Be a better Beekeeper (afternoons)
- 1.30pm- 4.30pm April till August
- Same days as free hive-side morning training sessions.
- £65 per person
- Understand how to react to the appearance of queen cells
- Swarm prevention strategies
- Switching off the swarming impulse
- Dealing with queenless colonies and drone-laying queens
- Raising queens and producing nucs on a small scale
Reserve a place through the on-line shop
Be a better beekeeper (afternoons)
Presentations, practical apiary activities and acting out scenarios using empty hives are used as teaching methods. We firstly help you differentiate between swarm cells, supersedure cells and emergency queen cells and explain what the bees are trying to do and a course of action for each, with a successful outcome for you.
We then practically explore an easy to follow preventative method to delay the onset of swarm preparation and then practice a reliable method used by bee farmers to "switch off" the swarming impulse in colonies that have already started swarm preparations.
You will learn how to rescue a queenless colony or a colony with a drone-laying queen by using a second colony to rear a spare queen and if you wish, produce a spare nucleus colony and make an increase.
- This is an all-weather half-day course in the afternoon
- Cost, £65 per person
- maximum 6 persons.
- 1.30pm - 4:30 pm
- Use of protective bee-suit and gloves included.
- Invitation to join Whatspp group for on-going support.
- Gift vouchers available for this training course.
Dates for 2026
April - 11, 22, 26
May - 9, 17, 20
June - 3, 20, 21
July - 9, 15, 16, 18, 26, 29
August - 1, 2, 12, 16, 27
Enter the online shop to reserve a place on a be a better beekeeper afternoon course.
