10.30am to 4.30pm

The course

On this introductory day, you will have the opportunity to learn about types of bees and how they live and bee friendly flowers. You will see different types of beehives and their component parts and discuss where you can (and can’t) keep bees. There will be an introduction to honey bee management and the beekeeping year, including the issues of swarming, pests and diseases as well as the honey crop and other hive products. Also discussed will be the cost and time commitments as well as the risks and responsibilities to keeping bees, to enable you to make an informed decision as to whether this is a craft you wish to pursue.
This day will not include visits to live bees, but will be supported by extensive pictorial material.

The Tutor

Christine Stevens has been keeping bees with her husband, John, for some 15 years. Until recently they have kept up to 40 colonies, managing them for honey production as well as rearing new queens.
Christine has successfully competed with honey and hive products, winning many awards including ‘Best in Show’. She teaches beekeeping for Chichester Beekeepers, as well as lecturing to other beekeeping associations.

Emma O’Driscoll is in her third year keeping bees and has apiaries nearby to the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum. She produces honey on a small-scale for local markets. She is also a leatherworker with nearly twenty years experience, beginning as an apprentice harness maker making agricultural and show harness for draught horses, to making bespoke upholstery for luxury motor car companies.She runs her own leather working business from her workshop in Charlton, West Sussex.

Participants

Please bring pen and paper with you.

Fee

Fees are £50 per person, inclusive of coffee and tea.

The Museum

The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over 45 historic building exhibits.  It is also home to the award winning and innovative Downland Gridshell, which houses a conservation workshop and artefact store, and is also used for many practical courses.  The Museum runs a full programme of courses in historic building conservation and traditional rural trades and crafts, along with MSc programmes in Building Conservation and Timber Building Conservation. Please telephone for further details.

To book, download a form here. Alternatively, fill in the booking request below.

Make a Booking Request

 
This is an initial booking request form, and does not guarantee a place on the course. The Adult Learning Team will check the availability of the course, and reply to you as soon as possible - usually within one working day.