Learn beekeeping this weekend

Beekeeping is becoming an increasingly popular hobby in Britain but many would-be beekeepers are hesitant about where to begin.

Bay Tree Cottage in Farthingstone is holding a one-day Beekeeping Workshop in order to aid those who have always been interested in keeping their own bees but haven’t had the necessary knowledge to take the first step. An expert beekeeper in Northamptonshire, Darren Jeacock, has been brought on board for the workshop. With 10 active hives in five Apiaries, Darren has been keeping bees for several years.
 
The workshop is available to both beginners and those with a basic knowledge of beekeeping, and will cover various areas including the lifecycle and importance of bees, hive management, harvesting honey and handling the bees.

* Subscribe to Country Life and save; Get the Ipad edition
 
Darren will take participants to visit one of his hives to see the bees in action and will bring some of his collected honey for tasting. ‘The more time you spend with bees, the more you get drawn into their amazing world,’ he says. ‘Their organisation and behaviour make them a fascinating and entertaining species, and the honey they produce is lovely too.’
 
Jenny Dicks from Bay Tree Cottage said: ‘We are very excited about this new workshop and hope to have our own Bee Hives at Bay Tree Cottage soon. You’ll even get to try some of our Spiced Honey Cake made using some of Darren’s local honey.’
 
The workshop will be on Saturday 20th April and will cost £75 per person including the Apiary visit. For more information or to book call 01327 361720 or visit the Bay Tree Cottage website on www.btcworkshops.co.uk.

* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter