Preliminary Beekeeping Courses are organised and delivered by local Beekeeping Associations affiliated to the Ulster Beekeepers’ Association (UBKA) at a range of venues around Northern Ireland.

Overview

A practical and informative course over 10 evenings providing the necessary knowledge and skills to get established in beekeeping.

Who is the course for?

People with an interest in, or who may be thinking about keeping bees.

Course Content

Manipulation of a colony of honeybees.

Understanding the construction and siting of hives and colonies.

Natural history of the honeybee and colony structure.

Examination of the colonies cyclical calendar.

Examination of colony diseases and signs of poisoning.

Harvesting the colony.

This course has both theoretical and practical sessions and provides the opportunity of achieving a Preliminary Certificate of Proficiency in Beekeeping awarded by the Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations. The minimum age for candidates participating in these courses is 16 years old.

The course runs for 10 evenings, one per week, normally commencing in January.

How to Apply

The UBKA organise and deliver the Preliminary Beekeeping course. If you are interested in attending it, you can apply for it through the UBKA. Application forms will be available in November 2011 for the 2012 courses. If you pass your contact details to CAFRE, they will be forwarded to the UBKA.