Shropshire Beekeepers’ Association runs various courses throughout the year, teaching the theory and practical skills required to successfully manage your own colonies.
Beekeeping involves a significant investment in time and money, especially when starting out. For that reason, it is recommended that you start by doing the Taster Day to gauge whether beekeeping is for you. If it is, the next stage is to embark upon a Beginners Course.
Taster Day
Saturday 14th September 2024, 10:00-16:00
The annual Shropshire Bees Taster Day is a great way of finding out if beekeeping is for you. Over the course of the day, you’ll get an overview of the theory of beekeeping and also the chance to handle the bees under the supervision of our experienced members.
This full day event costs £75 per person and is held at our apiary in Shrewsbury. Lunch is included.
Beginners Courses
Our Beginners courses for this year are sold out, or have been completed now. We usually run two courses
Saturday course: 10:30-16:30 for 3 weeks
Evening course: Wednesdays 18:30-20:30 for 6 weeks
The two courses offer the same content, but held at different times to make them as accessible as possible for attendees. You can do it as 3 full day sessions or 6 two hour sessions.
As the Saturday sessions are held earlier in the season, there will be enough time for you to get your first colony of bees this year. With the Wednesday sessions being slightly later, it is recommended that you get your own bees the following spring.
These courses were £125 per person for 2024, and are held at our apiary in Shrewsbury. Next year’s courses will be available to book later in the year.
Mentoring
Once you have completed a course, we offer help with mentoring for course graduates. This will help you to get encouragement and expertise from experienced beekeepers.
As part of your Shropshire Bees membership, you are encouraged to join our members who manage the bees in our apiary. This is a great opportunity to gain experience of working with different bees and different beekeepers.
Members learning
We offer opportunities for our members to undertake further learning
BBKA Basic Assessment
The BBKA Basic Assessment is for all beekeepers who have kept at least one colony of bees for a minimum of 12 months. This course is designed to formalise the knowledge that you have gained whilst managing your first colony. It is a prerequisite for more demanding assessments and certifications.
There is no charge for the training, but the assessment fee is £30.
This is a 4 week course. All sessions will be held at the same location (the SBKA apiary in Nobold Lane, Shrewsbury) from 15th May – 19th June, 6:30PM – 8:30PM. Please arrive promptly for the start. The assessment will be held in August.
Tutored study group for BBKA Modules
We offer support for those wishing to take the BBKA Modules. The courses are a mix of presentations, group exercises, and discussion covering the syllabus and relating to exam questions. Details of available courses are circulated to members.
BBKA Module 1
This autumn we will be running a BBKA Module 1 course leading up to the Honey Bee Management exam on 16 November 2024. The sessions will be held on Saturday mornings 09.15 – 10.45 at the Brian Goodwin Beekeeping Education Centre, Conduit Head. There will be 6 sessions –
– August 31
– September 21
– October 5, 19, 26
– November 2
Cost will be £50 to cover costs of books and materials. This course is ideal for anyone wanting to build on the basic knowledge given on the Beginners course. All are welcome as the aim is to improve standards of beekeeping and taking the exam is not a prerequisite for attending. If you want to book your place use the button below.
Refund Policy
Cancellations made 30 days or more before the event will be eligible for a full refund.
Cancellations made less than 30 days before the event will be eligible for a full refund on condition that we are able to resell the place.