With a combination of hands-on experience and expert guidance this one-day beekeeping course will give you the confidence and skills to establish your own honeybee colony, as well as offering an insight into different approaches to beekeeping. The day will also cover timescales to help you decide when to establish your colony, what equipment you need and where best to source it. You’ll gain a full understanding of the whole process before you commit to keeping bees yourself.
River Cottage now has a multitude of different styles of hives so you can gain an insight into how each type works. Your tutor Steve Minshall, who looks after the River Cottage hives, will offer knowledge from his years of beekeeping to help you decide which is best for you.
Your morning will be spent at River Cottage, learning some essential theory before donning your protective suit and gaining some hands-on experience with our bees in their various locations and hives.
After an insightful morning you will enjoy a delicious two-course lunch prepared by the River Cottage chefs, which will feature creative recipes featuring honey.
For the afternoon practical session, you will again visit our hives – learning in more detail how to inspect and safely handle the bees, with guidance and ethical discussions on how often you should open your hives, feeding bees and protecting your colony from disease, weather and more.
The day will end with further theory lessons and the chance to enjoy some tasty honey treats.
10:00 - 17:00
Start your day by meeting your hosts and enjoying tea, coffee, and a tasting of various honeys, including our own River Cottage honey.
Tutor Steve will guide you through the fundamentals of beekeeping, covering reasons to keep bees, honey bee behavior, different hive types, and the necessary equipment.
Get suited up and walk to the first of the River Cottage apiaries. There, you’ll see different hive styles, meet our bees, and gain hands-on experience with our colonies.
At River Cottage, food is always a highlight! Enjoy a two-course seasonal lunch made from local ingredients, featuring delicious honey.
In the second practical session, visit the second River Cottage apiary to examine a beehive in detail. Learn how to inspect a hive, care for the bees, and maintain safety. Steve will also showcase the various hive types on the farm, including our Rocket hive (as seen on River Cottage Reunited), a Warre hive, and a Top Bar hive.
Savor treats from the kitchen featuring honey, while diving deeper into the essential steps to set up your own hive and establish your bee colony.
Before heading back up the hill, there will be time to chat with fellow participants and talk to Steve, all while holding your course notes.
This course is run from River Cottage HQ on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of HQ will be provided once you have booked.
We are a licensed venue. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines available to purchase.
If you would like to stay at the heart of River Cottage, we offer overnight accommodation at River Cottage HQ in our beautiful 17th century farmhouse. We have three stylishly refurbished bedrooms for B&B plus the 2-bedroom Gardener's Cottage. These get booked quickly so for more information go to rivercottage.net/stay to book. Alternatively, we have put together a list of our local accommodation which includes B&Bs, self-catering, hotels and camping.
We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12 years of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. We put these guidelines in place for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.
Sorry, we’re afraid this course is not suitable for those with allergies or specific dietary requirements. However we do run courses that are gluten free, vegetarian and vegan friendly. Please get in touch if you have any questions or need further details.