Getting Started
If you enrol on our Beginners' Course, normally held in May, you will gain loads of knowledge and hands on experience to prepare you for keeping bees. It's run by some of Durham's finest, most experienced and interesting beekeepers. Email us for more details, or check the website for updates about the course.
The course, which is aimed at total beginners, is often over-subscribed, so you must attend an enrolment evening, where names are drawn in a lottery if there are too many applicants for the available places. The number of places is strictly limited. No reservations for places will be made before the enrolment evening.
The course is free, but you do need to join the Association for the year, at a cost of £20 to cover insurance. Bee hoods are usually available to buy at a reasonable price, and you'll need to think about your clothing - perhaps wear wellies, a coat with elastic round the bottom, and you might want to wear gloves made from leather, or rubber.
Please read the article about what to consider before beginning beekeeping on our articles page, and you can also find out more details about the course on the articles page.
Look at the pictures below to get a sense of how hands-on this brilliant course is.
