2024 The Year of the Bee (Part One)
This year will see much change, we aim to fundamentally improve the care of our bees starting with increasing training for the people we support, staff and volunteers.
Zeb, (Dale Farm’s manager) and staff, have been the driving force for improving: bee care, honey production, training and inclusion of the people we support. We also aim to improve the management and development of our beekeeping and associated activities.
Bee training Course
In March a significant number of staff and volunteers underwent training to help everyone better understand Dale Farm’s longer term beekeeping aims, bee care and maintenance, honey production and other beekeeping projects.
As a result of this training we aim to provide and assist those we support in the enjoyment and care of our bees. Throughout the training and moving forward our priority is to provide the most effective and accessible ways to pass on knowledge and skills to each individual. We aim to empower those we support, increase their confidence and enable each person to gain independence and a sense of fulfilment.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sunlight Bees for providing such a comprehensive and enjoyable course. We would also like to thank them for their continued involvement and encouragement in our bee related activities.
Aims of the Course
- We will increase the involvement of the people we support and aid understanding and involvement in all aspects of bee care, including: honey production, hive maintenance over the year, documentation, hygiene, safe gowning and first aid.
- Introduce more comprehensive training for our volunteers and staff in bee management and honey production.
- Increase the documentation and maintenance of our hives in a way that is accessible to the people we support and meets any related legislative compliance.
- Increase hive specific equipment to reduce chances of spreading disease amongst our bee community.
- Greater involvement and liaising with local beekeeping associations to increase our knowledge and local profile as beekeepers.
- Employ a bee training consultancy (Sunlight Bees), to encourage, train and advise on our beekeeping activities, honey production and ensuring we continue to meet legislative compliance.
- List of jobs and responsibilities drawn up and delegated amongst staff and volunteers.
Course Content
Sunlight Bees, trained many of our staff and volunteers in basic beekeeping, as a general outline, training included but was not restricted too:
- Improving knowledge of best bee practices and hive maintenance.
- Inspection of hives, observations and documentation.
- Queen marking – learning standardised colour markings.
- Life Cycle of the Honey Bee.
- Who does what in the hive (worker, drone queen).
- Bee communication.
- Bee hives, equipment, protective suits and gowning.
- Bee diseases, hornets, pests and monitoring.
- Treating bees for diseases, reporting the National Bee Unit and impact on honey.
- Sterilising, hive specific equipment and disease prevention.
- Different nectars and impact on honey.
- First Aid for bee stings.
- Swarm prevention.
- Creation of WhatsApp group on the farm for communication, support and discussions.
- Opportunity to build on confidence and skills.
- Discussion on naming of hives to include images that are accessible to those people we support.
Hive Maintenance and Beekeeping Schedules
It has been around three years since there was a programme of hive maintenance. It was realised that some of our hives needed a bit of tender loving care. During and immediately after training, everyone on the farm sprang into action and started to embark on the comprehensive improvement plan that Sunlight Bees had advised.
The people we support have been busy making new beehive frames, maintaining bee boxes, and giving hives a couple of coats of bee friendly paint.
We stored a lot of our hive materials in the honey room over the winter. Before the new honey season starts we are being ruthless, scrubbing, polishing, sterilising, repairing and replacing. Sunlight Bees are guiding us to make sure that everything that needs to be done, gets done. Everyone on the farm is committed to making sure that our bees are super fit, healthy and ready to make lots of lovely honey.
Below are old pieces of equipment that will either be sterilised and reused or thrown away. Our honey room is having a massive revamp before the new season starts and honey production begins.
Moving Forward
- Our primary aim as always is inclusion of the people we support in all tasks that we perform.
- Increase the number of hives on the farm – making more yummy honey.
- Later this in the season Sunlight Bees are to provide further training days based on honey production.
- To significantly increase the number of people trained in food hygiene – this will increase the involvement and supervision of the people we support in honey production.
