Home

Suffolk BKA offers a hands-on course over three separate days for beekeepers who wish to achieve a higher level of skill and knowledge in the main areas of practical beekeeping. This will be our thirteenth year running these courses. Places are limited to twelve. Early application would be wise.

This course requires experience and confidence in handling bees and the drive to improve still further. Participants should have an interest in testing their methods, learning about alternatives and sharing expertise and knowledge. Weather permitting, for much of the time, we will be actively working with bees.

While it is a condition of acceptance that applicants already hold the BBKA's Basic or have applied to take it in 2027, in the interest of spreading good technique, we may accept a few who do not. Applicants should also have four or more years beekeeping experience, but again this criterion is not absolute.

Practical sessions:

• Finding queens, clipping and marking.
• A method of raising queens.
• Health checks.
• Bailey comb change.
• Swarm prevention and methods.
• Nuclei for different purposes.

Talks & demonstrations:

• Swarm control.
• Dealing with aggressive colonies.
• Stings and first aid.
• Taking the BBKA’s General Husbandry Assessment.
• How to produce soft-set honey and clean wax blocks.

If there are more applicants than places, preference will be given to those intending to take the BBKA’s General Husbandry Assessment in 2027 or 2028. If you cannot be sure of attending all 3 days, please do not apply.

Tutors: Jane Corcoran, David Burns, Peter Langford, and Jeremy Quinlan.

Cost: £50.00. For this you get some queen-raising equipment (a graft frame with cell cups & an Apidea mini-nuc). If you can’t afford the fee, please ask - discounts and waivers are possible.

Dates and places: 1st & 9th May in Dallinghoo IP13 0JX and 2 nd May in Westhall, Halesworth IP19 8RQ.

For further details and before registering or sending any money, please contact: Jeremy Quinlan; [email protected]; or 01473 737700. Please don’t assume there are places available, check first.

Once assured that there is a place available, go online and complete the application form

Suffolk BKA offers a hands-on course over three separate days for beekeepers who wish to achieve a higher level of skill and knowledge in the main areas of practical beekeeping. This will be our thirteenth year running these courses. Places are limited to twelve. Early application would be wise.

This course requires experience and confidence in handling bees and the drive to improve still further. Participants should have an interest in testing their methods, learning about alternatives and sharing expertise and knowledge. Weather permitting, for much of the time, we will be actively working with bees.

While it is a condition of acceptance that applicants already hold the BBKA's Basic or have applied to take it in 2027, in the interest of spreading good technique, we may accept a few who do not. Applicants should also have four or more years beekeeping experience, but again this criterion is not absolute.

Practical sessions:

• Finding queens, clipping and marking.
• A method of raising queens.
• Health checks.
• Bailey comb change.
• Swarm prevention and methods.
• Nuclei for different purposes.

Talks & demonstrations:

• Swarm control.
• Dealing with aggressive colonies.
• Stings and first aid.
• Taking the BBKA’s General Husbandry Assessment.
• How to produce soft-set honey and clean wax blocks.

If there are more applicants than places, preference will be given to those intending to take the BBKA’s General Husbandry Assessment in 2027 or 2028. If you cannot be sure of attending all 3 days, please do not apply.

Tutors: Jane Corcoran, David Burns, Peter Langford, and Jeremy Quinlan.

Cost: £50.00. For this you get some queen-raising equipment (a graft frame with cell cups & an Apidea mini-nuc). If you can’t afford the fee, please ask - discounts and waivers are possible.

Dates and places: 1st & 9th May in Dallinghoo IP13 0JX and 2 nd May in Westhall, Halesworth IP19 8RQ.

For further details and before registering or sending any money, please contact: Jeremy Quinlan; [email protected]; or 01473 737700. Please don’t assume there are places available, check first.

Once assured that there is a place available, go online and complete the application form