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Beekeeping

Coed Hills Bee Awareness and Beekeeping

Saturday 14th - Sunday 15th August 2010

With Charlotte Le Marchant from Coed Hills

9am to 4pm. Lunch 1pm to 2pm

This fascinating and very important subject will cover beekeeping and how we can help support our allies in the natural world. 

Topics covered will include:
  • Life inside the hive
  • The biology of the honey bee
  • Different types of bees
  • Life cycle of the worker bees
  • Structure of the comb
  • A year in the life of a colony
  • History of beekeeping
  • Products of the hive and their uses
  • Beekeeping and honey harvesting around the world
  • Conventional beekeeping styles
  • Alternative forms of beekeeping – Top Bar, Warré
  • What alternatives teach us about the bees
  • Threats to the bees – disease, parasites, pesticides, handling techniques
  • Planting for bees
  • Making a top bar hive
  • Hive visit* 
*Weather dependent



There will be an opportunity to taste the honey from the bees at Coed Hills. 

This course is suitable to the complete beginner, for those who know a little about bees and want to learn more.  It is also for those who feel that there is more that they can do to work with the natural intelligence of the bees but are not sure where to go next. Both conventional and a natural/holistic beekeeping methods will be covered. Participants will come away with a good understanding of different methods of beekeeping and hopefully the enthusiasm to keep bees themselves. 



Charlotte Le Marchant

Charlotte Le Marchant has been keeping bees for three years at Coed Hills.  She grew up surrounded by the scent of the bees as her mum Christine was a beekeeper.  She remembers sneaking downstairs while the honey was being extracted and watching the golden liquid pouring into what seemed like a giant vat. 

Since starting in some abandoned national hives with a swarm that a neighbour Carolyn brought around at short notice, Charlotte has become interested in different ways of keeping bees.  She has attended courses and workshops with both Bees for Development and The Natural Beekeeping Trust.  From this she has become very interested in finding hive styles that mimic how bees live in the wild whilst gaining the benefits of being able to manage the bees.  This course is a wish to share what she has learnt.

“The bees are at crisis point it seems and we need to look at all of the environmental factors, from the effects of pesticides to the way that we manage and handle the bees to see where it is we are going wrong.”


Fees

£180 - waged
£160 - low waged
£140 - unwaged

Prices include all meals - all organic and locally sourced when not from the gardens - and camping. We have limited dorm-style accommodation for an extra £10 per night, on a first come first served basis. If you do not require accommodation you are welcome to commute to the course. There are also local B&B options.

Local Price (Without camping and food):
£145 - waged
£130 - low waged
£115 - unwaged


To Book

Please complete the booking form below. A £50 deposit is required to secure your place.

For more information please call Charlotte Le Marchant on 01446 774084 / 07768 881157 or email coedcourses@gmail.com