Beginners Course

Interested in beekeeping? Looking to find out more? Brecon and Radnor Beekeepers’ Association has been providing a comprehensive beekeeping-for-beginners course for over 15 years.

The BRBKA is a charity run by volunteers passionate about honeybees and beekeeping, and education is at the heart of our aims. Our Beginners’ Course is comprised of 10 sessions running on weekends from April to November. We kick off the course with a ‘meet the bees’ induction day, followed by 4 core theory classes designed to build your knowledge week by week, hosted at Llanddew Village Hall just outside Brecon.

Teaching of the theory classes is shared among expert BRBKA members, who each bring the benefit of their knowledge and unique experience to their sessions. Teaching is supported by PowerPoint presentations (which are available to download for reference through the ‘Beginners’ Course’ portal on our website), props, and handouts.

Each theory class is followed by a corresponding practical sessions at our teaching apiary, the Wern (a five minute drive from Llanddew), where we keep designated teaching hives to ensure continuity in learning. The apiary sessions are tailored to reinforce the key learning points of each week’s topics, and we’re very lucky to boast a great team of volunteer demonstrators who lead small groups of learners through the hive inspections, answering your questions and testing your understanding in an always-positive atmosphere. We have a range of bee suits in all sizes available to borrow at no extra cost at our apiary stores. 

During the teaching break in midsummer, beginners are strongly encouraged to come along to our weekly apiary sessions at the Wern and our Llangorse teaching apiary Ty Mawr, which are open to all members. This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know your fellow BRBKA members, encounter some of the on-the-ground problem solving that makes up week-to-week beekeeping, and chat about bees with more knowledgeable beekeepers.

Our structured course resumes later in the summer with 5 seasonally relevant sessions. First, we walk our learners through the task of extracting honey with a workshop day fully kitted out with all the gear you can expect to need for the purpose - a jar of honey to take home is a given! In August our session introducing pests and diseases of the honeybee focusses on understanding the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, with an apiary session looking at some of the ways to monitor for the mite.

Our September session centres around feeding bees – the why, what, when, and how – and in October we take a full morning to look back at the course contents, revise the key themes, and answer any questions learners have formulated over the season. Our final activity of the course is a beeswax processing day in November, where beginners can learn what to do with the wax cappings left over from extracting their honey, with experienced members on hand to demonstrate the use of various gadgets and gizmos… and we may even make a candle or two.

The course cost is £90 plus Associate Membership (£12).

We are delighted to have received lots of positive feedback about our Beginners’ Course. But don’t just take our word for it! Here’s what some of our alumni have to say about their experience: