Improve Your Beekeeping Skills
Brighton and Lewes Division beekeepers are keen to help our members to improve their knowledge and skills in a number of ways.
Gain knowledge and confidence by taking the BBKA exams. A flow chart of the training process can be found here.
For more details of these or other training and education events see the relevant page and/or contact Jude New, on Buzz (WhatsApp) or Brighton and Lewes Division Facebook page.
There is usually a small charge to cover administration, catering and stationary costs for all courses.
Calendar of Events 2025
For details see HERE
Beginner Beekeeping Session Programme 2025
The sessions run from 29th March to the 6th September and include: Bee Biology, Brood Diseases, Swarming, Hive Making, Clearing hives for Honey/Feeding and Treating Bees, A Review of the Course. Full details here, Docx file or pdf.
Study group for Honey Bee Health Certificate
To encourage beekeepers who have been awarded the BBKA Basic Certificate and have at least three years of beekeeping experience to improve their understanding and practice of beekeeping. Further details here.
Queen Rearing
These sessions are open to all members of Brighton and Lewes Division, new beekeepers will be learning how to manage their queen cells, possibly preventing swarms and experienced beekeepers will be supporting the learners and exchanging their experiences and the benefits of queen rearing for locally adapted bees.
We will be arranging queen rearing at Hove apiary with Adrien on May 4th dates will be provided for participants who will be shown how to raise a queen cell in a nuc box, which they will provide with frames of foundation.
If there are any surplus queens raised they will be available for one of our registered beginner beekeepers, or offered to our members at below market rate, after we have taken the nucs we need to maintain B+L colonies.
Contact Adrien via Hove apiary WhatsApp to book a place, or contact Jude to arrange if you don't use WhatsApp.
We will be arranging queen rearing at Grassroots and Rottingdean apiaries with Jude and Jeff, when the swarm season starts. Grassroots will use the Miller method of queen rearing, Rottingdean will be using another method. Dates will be provided for participants who will be shown how to raise a queen cell in a nuc box, which they will provide with frames of foundation or an Apidea (if members have them).
If there are any surplus queens raised they will be available for one of our registered beginner beekeepers, or offered to our members at below market rate, after we have taken the nucs we need to maintain B+L colonies.
Contact Jude or via Grassroots apiary WhatsApp to book a place, or Jeff via Rottingdean WhatsApp.
Saturday July 12th Basic Assessments at the Grassroots Apiary
Registration (via Jude) by 30th June 2025; £35.00 + fee payable to BBKA to be completed 12th July 2025.
Prepare at your own pace or register interest in joining a study group with 4 x Saturday meetings in June July 2025 at [email protected]
JN with assessor Gordon Allen
Further details, links, syllabus and reading list.
Building a hive (new sessions)
This is a new venture.
We have the use of The Barn for two sessions. June 7th 11.00am - 14.00.
We plan to supervise, while beginner beekeepers, construct their flat pack hives. When looking at the offers of flat packed hives, we ask you to consider buying a cedar hive. They tend to be lighter weight and only need oiling from time to time to prevent drying out or warping. Pine hives are cheaper but need to be painted, won't last as long as cedar and they are heavier.
We can provide wood glue, some hammers, set squares, clamps, nails you may want to bring some of your own.
At the end of the session(s) beekeepers should be walking away with a hive constructed.
We are leaving choice and purchase of hives to you, look around for the best price.
Please contact Jude at or dm on Facebook or Buzz if you are thinking of coming.
The second session will be The Repair Shop at The Barn, on July 26th 11.00- 14.00. You may have a stand which is wonky, or a roof repair or a roof to make, if you bring the repair and the bits to carry out the repair to The Barn let's see if we can offer some advice on how to fix it! Get in touch to tell us you intend to come and what it is that you hope to fix, we can try to bring the implements needed and try to help you to save you buying new.
Wax workshops
November 2025 dates tbc. x 2
JN and others.
Open hive meetings
Each month April, May, June, July, August.
Practical work: Inspecting hives, shook swarm, Bailey Comb Change, disease identification, Demaree swarm control (other methods are available) varroa counts, varroa treatments feeding bees, when necessary and which feed is appropriate.
Festive meal December 1st or 8th for all membership venue tbc
Other training may be arranged during the year.