Practical Beekeeping Training at Cowdown Apiary - Winter Programme
With the colder, more inclement weather now with us the regular activities at Cowdown are being wound down with only essential maintenance tasks being undertaken. An ad-hoc programme of these activities will be sent out to a maintenance team but effectively Cowdown is now closed until Spring next year.
The year despite the vagaries of the weather has been successful and it is hoped that those participating in the regular events have found it beneficial and might return to assist the new intake of beginners from the start of April.
With thanks – Martin Prince, Paul Booth and team – November 2026
Activities Monthly Diary Guide
Spring: donning bee suits, apiary safety and cleanliness, lighting smokers, hands in hive, handling frames with bees, spotting workers, drones (possibly) and queen, record keeping
Spring/summer: opening and stacking hive boxes, use of smokers, use of queen excluder, spotting stores of nectar, honey and pollen, identifying drone, worker and store cappings, identifying queen cups and queen cells, spotting eggs and larvae, observing bee space and its function, finding, catching and marking queen, Apiary maintenance, Water supply
Summer: assemble frames and foundation, splitting colony, assessing for disease, combining colonies, adjusting entrances to deter robbing
Autumn: clearing supers, extracting honey, assessing stores, hefting, feeding syrup, fondant, administering varroa treatments, fitting mouse guards, insulating
Introductory Training Course 2027
Our next beginners' course starts in January. It covers the basic steps, then gives you practical experience at our Andy Kingman (Cowdown) apiary, working with experienced beekeepers.
Colony inspection using DEFRA acronym
D -- DISEASE -- Are there any signs of disease or brood conditions indicating abnormalities?
E -- EGGS -- Is the colony queen right and the queen laying the expected quantity and pattern of eggs?
F -- FOOD -- Has the colony sufficient stores (food) to last until the next inspection?
R -- ROOM -- Has the colony sufficient room in the brood box for the queen to continue egg laying and workers to store nectar in the supers?
A -- AVERAGE -- (a) Early Season. Is the colony building up compared to other adjacent colonies?
(b) Mid Season. Are there any queen cells in the colony? Know what to do if open queen cells or sealed queen cells are seen.
Seen an Asian hornet? The best way to report it is with the Asian Hornet Watch app.
Got a swarm?
Don't panic. Bees in a swarm are full of honey and calm if you leave them alone.
Call our swarm helpline on 07776 429613 or email