Honey bee health and advice
Beekeepers strive to keep their bees as healthy as possible. There are a variety of pests and diseases that honey bees can be afflicted with. It is imperative that the beekeeper knows about these conditions and knows how to recognise and treat them.
Honey bee swarms
Swarming is a natural process. It is the colony reproducing by the old queen leaving with some of the bees. If you think you've got a swarm, please use our Local Association link to find a beekeeper near you.
Education
We run our education programme for beekeepers in conjunction with the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and the Open College Network Northern Ireland. We currently offer accredited beekeeping training courses at two levels.
How to become a beekeeper
So, you’d like to take up beekeeping. We recommend that to keep bees you must have some background knowledge as there is more to it than just buying some bees and a hive, setting them in your garden, and hoping that they will be alright.
Your best course of action is to find your local beekeeping association. Many do courses for beginners which consist of a series of classroom lessons followed by practical instruction at the association apiary so that you can learn the skills with experienced beekeepers. Once you have these skills and confidence then you may be able to make the step and own your own bees.
This process means that your bees will have the best care and you will be on your way to being a competent beekeeper.