Chalfonts Beekeepers' Society in Cyprus

In 2023 whilst on holiday with my friends Tony and Brigitte Davenport who live in Paphos, we visited the Almond Hotel for four days in Northern Cyprus. Talking to the son of the owner, a commercial beekeeper, he explained that he'd always had a vision to hold a beekeeping beginners’ course in Northern Cyprus and asked if we could help.

I had been the Beginner’s Representative for Chalfont Beekeepers’ Society for three years and Tony had recently started to keep bees in Paphos. 

We thought no more of it until a call to arrange a planning meeting. I returned to Cyprus, and we agreed to provide a Taster Day presentation on 4th April 2024, which proved successful. So much so, we returned on 7th September with a completely revised Taster Session, and the dates for the 4-day Beginner’s Course from 1st-5th November 2024 were agreed.

For the Beginner’s course, I was accompanied by three members of our Society, Deborah Campbell (Master Beekeeper), Jim Liness (Training Apiary Manager) and Steve Troll (Education Officer). 

The course had twelve participants, including Tony Davenport, and was a further success. The participants benefited from the theory sessions, then had a practical session in the apiary to the rear of the hotel with its seventy-two hives: also, making frames in the workshop and finally being presented with an attendance certificate by Deborah.