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