Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association puts a strong emphasis on the education and training of its members to become better and more knowledgeable beekeepers, and on the provision of courses to enable newcomers to take up the activity.
A three term course, meeting once per week on Monday evenings, will be held in 2011 at the R.H.S Garden, Harlow Carr, Harrogate, HG3 1QB. It will include both theoretical lectures and practical bee-handling and will be suitable for complete beginners or for those wishing to brush up their beekeeping skills. The course is based on the syllabus for the Basic Assessment of the British Beekeepers' Association and course members will be encouraged to take this practical exam when they have had a year's experience of beekeeping; if they do so, their entry fee will be paid by the Association.
Subjects covered include:
First session Starting Monday 31st January (13 weeks, 14 classes)
History of beekeeping, natural history of honeybees, equipment, economics of beekeeping, bee health, Varroa and other pest and disease management, swarming, hive building, apiary sites, spring, summer and autumn work, forage, hive products, mead making, beeswax and honey processing.
Second session starting second week in June (8 weeks)
Practical bee handling, including collection of swarms (if available). Each member will start with a small hive of bees and, as their confidence and the number of bees increase during the summer, they will provide their own standard hive (which will be subsidised by the Association) to which they will transfer the bees and eventually take them home.
Third session starting 19th September (2 weeks)
Review of practical course, general revision and forum with all teachers.
The fee for the long course will be £142.00, which will include an obligatory £22.00 subscription for membership of the Association for the year beginning 1st September 2010. Membership is essential to ensure public liability insurance when handling bees. The fee also includes a subsidy on a National hive kit and a colony of bees. Application forms and further information are available from Judith Hart, Kintail, Brearton, Harrogate, HG3 3BX, 01423 865873 or
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. It is receipt of form and cheque that secures a place on the course. Cheques will not be paid in until after 1st September when association membership commences.
Theory Plus Course
We also offer this reduced course once our long course is full or for people who cannot manage Mondays. The theory term and hive building follows the same pattern as the long course but there is no practical term. Instead we attempt to find each student a local experienced beekeeper as their mentor. You will NOT receive bees from the course, but your mentor may be able to supply you with a small colony, or help you take a swarm or help you with purchased bees. The fee for this course is £102.00 and all the conditions are the same as for the above long course.
Hive Building Class - 29th March
2008
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Weekend Courses 2011
The Association runs three weekend courses offering people interested in taking up the activity the opportunity to learn more about beekeeping and to gain some first hand 'hands on' experience of working with bees, under careful supervision.
The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to beekeeping by means of talks, demonstrations and practical bee-handling in the limited time available, so that you should feel confident enough to start looking after a hive or hives on your own with the help of your local Beekeeping Association.
The weekend courses are run in the Field Classroom at Harlow Carr, Harrogate, starting at 10am on Saturday and finishing about 5pm on Sunday. Coffee, lunch and tea will be provided at Harlow Carr. On Saturday evening course members are invited to a barbecue, run by members of the Association, which will give an opportunity to meet them and also to discuss beekeeping matters with them. Partners of course members will be welcome for a fee at the barbecue; they can sample the pleasures of Harrogate during course hours.
Protective clothing can be provided on loan if required. The Association runs a bee supplies shop at Harlow Carr, which will be open during the course.
The cost of this course is £60, including lunch on both days.
Accommodation (Bed & Breakfast) is available at a modest charge of £15 per person.
Numbers are limited to 12 places on each weekend course, therefore early booking is advised.
Application forms willl be available in early July 2010 - please e-mail for them.
Dates for 2011 weekend courses are 25-26th June; 9-10th July; 23-24th July
Beekeeping Taster Days at Harewood House
Four one day taster courses, taught by HRBKA members, will be run at Harewood House. These enable people uncertain about beekeeping the opportunity to learn about the craft and see if it suits them. There will be theoretical and practical teaching, but it must be remembeed that beehives can only be opened in good weather and practical work cannot be gauranteed. Next year's dates wil be available next spring. These courses are taught by experienced members of Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers' Associaton, but are booked directly with Harewood on 0113 218 1000.
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and application forms for 2010 COURSES. *
Further courses
In addition to the above courses for beginners, the Association runs the following courses in alternate years:
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Candle making
This course runs over a period of alternate weeks and covers all aspects of wax handling and cleaning, the casting of wax, the manufacture of wax blocks and the production of top class candles. The course can accommodate approximately ten course members and is run by qualified members of the Association.
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.
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Microscopy
This course runs one Saturday morning a month for nine months and aims to bring the course members to a level where they can achieve the BBKA qualification in Microscopy. The course can accommodate approximately ten members and is run by qualified members of the Association.
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.
THESE COURSES ARE PRIMARILY FOR EXISTING MEMBERS OF HRBKA BUT VACANCIES CAN BE FILLED BY MEMBERS OF OTHER ASSOCIATIONS.
