Start Keeping Bees > Introduction
A novice beekeeping requires certain basic knowledge & skills i.e. those required to maintain a colony successfully & safely over a first seasonal cycle. There are a myriad of more advanced techniques and skills, and a wide range of related specialist knowledge that can be acquired once the basics have been mastered.
The wise novice will focus carefully on what is required to achieve a successful first season or two using standard and conservative methods, before branching out if desired into other areas of apicultural interest.
The requirements to start the craft of beekeeping are clothing & equipment, knowledge, skill, an "expert" (mentor) on hand for when complications set in, adequate time and a suitable hive location. Beekeepers face an almost infinite range of husbandry issues requiring their attention so it is important to gain experience, which is acquired as the craft is practiced & problems are resolved.
The required knowledge is most enjoyably acquired on a course where you can learn in the company of others. Where this is not feasible, the knowledge can be gained from textbooks or the internet. An excellent summary of the basics required to be a successful beekeeper may be found in the British Beekeeping Association (BBKA) Basic Assessment ("beekeeping driving licence") syllabus
The Warwick and Leamington Introduction to Beekeeping Course covers all essential theory and includes some practical skill training, but this is ideally enhanced by attendance at our teaching apiary sessions.
A major benefit to the novice of belonging to Warwick & Leamington Beekeepers, is that you will normally be teamed up with a "mentor" towards the end of the Introductory course.
Beekeeping is a craft best learned in an organized and thorough way. "Amateur" beekeepers are a menace to the community as they can create danger to the public thereby bringing the craft into disrepute, and failure to recognise bee pests and diseases can endanger the colonies of other beekeepers
Ideally the learning process should commence in February/March as the window to the season opens. However if an introductory course is missed, knowledge can be acquired by other means, teaching apiary sessions can be attended and plans made to join an introductory course early in the following year. In the interim there are normally experienced beekeepers who would value your help in exchange for allowing you to gain experience.