A two-day intensive course for beekeepers aiming to increase understanding of the behaviour of honeybees, and the application of this to colony management.

The course has been developed by the National Diploma in Beekeeping Board as part of its series of Train-the-Trainer courses. It is part-funded by Fera as part of the Defra Healthy Bees Plan.

Course Content

We will explore honeybee behaviour in areas such as seasonal population variation, communication mechanisms, foraging behaviour and organisation, workload distribution, and swarming. In each of these we are looking to know what is understood to be the factors that influence honeybee behaviour, and the possible outcomes in relation to different influences. Through understanding the natural behaviour of honeybees, we can better prepare ourselves as beekeepers to respond to their needs.

Target Audience

The Short Courses are aimed at those beekeepers with some experience of the craft; they are not aimed at novices. We can provide guidance to applicants as to the appropriateness of our Short Courses to their stage of beekeeping. We do ask that students respect this policy. Students are welcome to apply on a first come, first served basis.

The NDB Short Courses can provide valuable discussion, learning, and hands-on experience for those planning to take the BBKA Modules and Assessments above Basic level.