Queen rearing course

Join our queen rearing workshop at Knocknagael Apiary, Inverness. This will be a hands-on one day event delivered by experts with long experience of the topic. Expect to have an opportunity to learn:

the principles and outline of the steps to raise your own queens in an organised way

practical grafting, the main means of initiating new queen cells from favoured stocks

the setting up and management of mini-nuclei for the mating of virgin queens

finding, handling, clipping, marking and introducing mated queens

Our aim is to show that queen rearing really isn't complex and is something all beekeepers should try. Equipment necessary for the day will be provided; we just ask that you bring a clean bee suit and your lunch.

We can now share with you the link to register for a place on this course.

https://site.corsizio.com/c/6446b21e66b7266e3f782902

We are accepting 24 people on the course.  If more people register, a waiting list will be set up so that if anyone drops out the place can still be used.  This invitation is being shared with the Scottish Native Honeybee Society and Dingwall Beekeepers, and if uptake is slow it will be shared more widely.  Registration is only complete on payment of the £50 fee.

Being split into 3 groups, each group taking an hour on each of 3 specific activities, timetable for the day will be:

9:30am  Signing in, coffees &teas

10:00-11:00  Introduction, Outline, principles, perspectives

11:00-12:00  1: Grafting

12:00-13:00  2: Cell raising set-up, Mininucs, filling them and mating

13:00-14:00  Lunch

14:00-15:00  3: Queen finding and marking, queen acceptance

15:00-15:30  Apiary extras: revisit stuff

15:30-16:30  Review, questions, wrap-up