All the tutors on the NDB Short courses we run have passed their National Diploma in Beekeeping Examination and prior to that Master Beekeeper or Expert Bee Master (The Scottish equivalent). This in-depth qualification provides our tutors a sound technical and practical base, which encompasses scientific knowledge, practical handling skills, microscopic analysis of diseases and anatomy/dissection to name but a few areas. This allows us to provide a high quality tuition to all our students.

The courses have been developed to have a low student to tutor ratio (courses vary between 10 – 16 maximum) with a minimum of two NDB tutors present. Our laboratory focused courses tend to have lower numbers to allow tutors to spend extra time with those who are less familiar with the use of microscopes.

Scroll down to see the tutors.

Ken Basterfield NDB, Course Director

Ken Basterfield NDB has been keeping bees for over 40 years, and in addition to his bee farm,  is an examiner for the BBKA and a member of the BBKA Husbandry & Education Committee.

Dan Basterfield NDB, Short Course Tutor

Dan Basterfield NDB is Chairman of the NDB Examinations Board (NDB) and a council member of IBRA (International Bee Research Association). He is a Master Beekeeper and a commercial bee farmer, raising queens for sale in addition to selling honey at their own bee farm premises.

Dr. Bridget Beattie NDB, Short Course Tutor

Dr. Bridget Beattie is a founder author of the NDB short courses. She holds the Robert Hammond and Wax Chandlers’ prizes for best performances in the BBKA examinations and gained the National Diploma in Beekeeping in 2008.
She first began beekeeping in 1979 with Kenya Top Bar hives while working in Montserrat in the West Indies.
She now lives in France where she teaches beekeeping and has established a local beekeeping association of which she is apiary manager, as well as being a member of the committee of her French department’s bee health organisation.
Bridget writes regularly for the British bee press, including writing the Plant of the Month, and the monthly beginners articles for Beecraft and is committed to beekeeping education and protection of the environment. Bridget is an examiner for the BBKA. She has a PhD in mathematical software

Norman Carreck NDB, Short Course Tutor

Norman Carreck, Course Tutor

Norman Carreck has been has been keeping bees for thirty five years, and has been a bee research scientist for twenty five. He has lectured about bees on all continents where bees are kept, has written many scientific papers, book chapters, conference contributions and popular articles, has edited several books and regularly appeared in the media in many countries. He is a member of the Technical and Environmental Committee of the British Beekeepers Association, a Trustee of the C.B. Dennis British Beekeepers Research Trust, a member of the Examinations Board for the National Diploma in Beekeeping, a member of the “Bee Health Advisory Forum” for the Defra “Healthy Bees Plan”, the UK member of the Executive Committee of the international honey bee research network “COLOSS”, and is Senior Editor of the Journal of Apicultural Research. He is employed as Science Director of the International Bee Research Association and is based at the University of Sussex

 

Dr. Ivor Davis NDB, Short Course Tutor

Ivor Davis NDB is treasurer of the NDB Examinations Board (NDB) and a council member of IBRA (International Bee Research Association). He is a Master Beekeeper and Past President of the BBKA and past member of the BBKA’s Examinations Board. He has kept bees (up to 25 colonies) since 1987 and has been keen to improve the education of beekeepers at local and national level. He lectures on a wide range of beekeeping matters from practical management to politics. He is a founder member of the NDB short course team and keen to hand on his knowledge and understanding of bees and beekeeping to future generations of beekeepers.”

Tony Harris NDB, Short Course Director

Tony Harris NDB is our short course Director, is a  bee farmer and an active member of Moray Beekeepers Association in Scotland where he manages 150 hives. He is an assessor for the Scottish Beekeepers Association (SBA), a Honey Judge, a BBKA Correspondence Course tutor and a regular contributor to beekeeping publications in England and Scotland. Tony is a former general secretary of the SBA and in 2015 attained the National Diploma in Beekeeping qualification. He gives talks and lectures to community and beekeeping groups on all matters relating to bees, the environment and conservation.

Adam Leitch NDB, Short Course Tutor

Adam Leitch NDB is Vice-Chairman of the National Diploma in Beekeeping NDB examination board and a member of Reigate Beekeepers in Surrey. He passed his NDB exam in 2015, having already obtained his BBKA Master Beekeeper and Microscopy Certificate. Adam is an examiner for the BBKA (Basic & General Husbandry), a correspondence course tutor for BBKA module students, and writes the monthly beginner articles for Beecraft. He teaches practical beekeeping weekly at Reigate Beekeepers club apiary at a range of levels. He gives talk to beekeeping groups on all aspects of beekeeping, including botany and anatomy, provides support to study groups and (when time allows) runs evening classes on Modules & General Husbandry.

Margaret Murdin NDB, Short Course Tutor

Margaret has been keeping bees for over 10 years and now has over 20 colonies across 3 apiaries. She is a Master Beekeeper and has won the prestigious Wax Chandlers’ Award. Margaret gained the National Diploma in Beekeeping in 2015

As an active member of Ormskirk and Croston Branch she teaches beginner beekeepers, study groups for the module exams and General Husbandry. Margaret is Vice Chair of the Trustees of the BBKA, a member of the Education and Husbandry Committee and she sits on the Examination Board. She is a Correspondence Course Tutor and an Assessor.

Previously Margaret was the Principal of a large Further and Higher Education College, a Chief Examiner for Teacher Education and a tutor and examiner for the Open University. She has sat on several Government Committees advising on further, higher and special education.

Alastair Welch NDB, Short Course Tutor

Alastair has been beekeeping for more than a decade, starting out as a student at Blackhorse Apiaries before joining their teaching team. As a partnership, Alastair ran over 300 colonies and was a member of the Bee Farmers assocation. A member of his local assocation, he teaches both practical and theory classes. At National level Alastair has run workshops at the annual BBKA Spring Conventions, including “Assembling your own hive” and in 2015 one for “An introduction to the General Husbandry Assessment”. A BBKA examiner for the Basic, General and Advanced Husbandry Assessments, he is also a tutor for the BBKA correspondence courses and has set BBKA module theory exams. Co-opted onto the BBKA Exam Board in 2013 and voted on as a full member at the BBKA Annual Delegates Meeting in January 2014 for a two year term. He obtained his NDB in 2015.