Chalfonts Beekeepers' Society (CBS) has two apiary sites, Amersham and Chesham, with colonies in WBC, National, Deep National, Commercial and a Top Bar Hive (TBH). The club apiaries are primarily a teaching resource to support the training and development of our members, either via hands-on hive inspection visits or courses advertised to members.

 

Amersham Training Apiary

The Amersham Training Apiary provides CBS members a place to meet, learn about bees, and experience hands-on classes. All aspects of beekeeping can be experienced at the Amersham Apiary by beginners new to beekeeping and members with varying skill levels from novice to advanced and is also the venue for Practical Assessments. The Amersham Training Apiary is managed by Jim.

 

Training for new beekeepers cover the use of tools, hive location and bee installation, feeding and treating, health, hive inspections, common problems, and time tested solutions. Training for more advanced beekeepers can include how to use unfamiliar equipment, complex manipulations, split hives, re-queen, queen rearing, dealing with a defensive colony and many more. 

 

Experience makes you a better and more confident beekeeper.

 

We offer an exciting and engaging training programme for potential, new and experienced beekeepers.

 

All the work at the apiary and all the maintenance work is done by club members on a voluntary basis. The Apiary is open 9.30-12 on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. 

 

If you'd like to attend an apiary session, please email Jim in advance on apiary@chalfontsbeekeepers.co.uk

 

Chesham Observation Apiary

The Observation Apiary in Chesham allows CBS members to develop key observation skills to further their knowledge of honey bee biology and instincts. The Chesham Observation Apiary is managed by Arnold.

 

Beekeepers can sometimes follow a course of action dictated by a book or fellow beekeepers but is that always right for their colony?

 

Our mantra is that ‘bees know best’ and they should tell us what they need to optimise and minimise management. Acute observation skills can help us understand a colony’s needs and preferences. We are not moving away from conventional beekeeping as advocated by the BBKA but our methods are ‘bee-centered’. We hope to learn about bees and from the bees.

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For dates when the Chesham Observation Apiary is open, please refer to the Google calendar at the bottom on the Upcoming Events page or look out for CBS emails.

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Arnold can be contacted on apiarych@chalfontsbeekeepers.co.uk

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