Category: Events

At Greystoke Village Hall, near Penrith CA11 0TW

A PBKA Course

Provisionally the Next course will be 7 -8th June 2025

Course Details: Introducing Beekeeping PBKA June 2023

Ian Robinson wins W Barton cup for best exhibit in the Mead classes

at the Cumbria Honey Show November 2022.

Order Form

Please print your name: ……………………………………

I would like to order…….  copies of the calendar.

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□    I will collect them from 16, Byrnes Close.

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Cheques should be made payable to: Penrith Beekeepers Association.

Post to:  Dr. Margaret Riches 16, Byrnes Close, Plumpton, CA11 9PE

Alternatively : E mail your order to

and make your payment by BACS:

HSBC Account: Cumberland Beekeepers Association, Penrith Branch

Sort Code: 40-36-10   Account: 61519573

Please make sure that you have added your name as reference.

N.B. Calendars will not be available for collection / posted until payment has been received.

On 9^th October beekeepers gathered at Great Salkeld Village Hall for the first meeting of the Winter Programme. The panel of experts, which included Fred Ayres (Chair Lune Valley Beekeepers), Stephen Barnes, (Chair of British Beekeepers Association Trustees), and  Dominic Rhodes (Vice- Chair PBKA)   responded to the questions posed to them by members. The session was expertly chaired by Mike Innerdale (PBKA member). The panel advised on issues such as whether treatments to destroy varroa should still be applied; how to deal with lots of bees remaining on the crown board/ bearding on the outside of the hive in early autumn by removing the queen excluder and how to recognise the on set  of Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus which is becoming increasingly common. During the refreshment break members chatted to each other, swopping the ‘tricks and tips’ they had used to meet the challenges that the summer season had presented.

 The course was led by Graham Royle:

Graham has been beekeeping since 1988 and started to study for the BBKA examinations in 1995 when he decided he wanted to know more about the bees he was keeping. His studies resulted in achieving the BBKA Master Beekeeper certificate in 2002 and the National Diploma in Beekeeping in 2004 (the highest beekeeping qualification recognised in the UK). He was also awarded the Wax Chandler’s prize in 2002. Until recently Graham was a seasonal bee inspector. 

The one day course covered the following aspects and approaches to beekeeping: stages of queen rearing; 3 possible queen rearing techniques; cell raising; queen cell distribution; mating and queen introduction techniques.

The course was held at Acorn Bank (CA10 1SP) National Trust property at Temple Sowerby. The theoretical aspects of the session took  place in the Drawing Room of the Main House. The bees and equipment that were used during the course came from the Penrith Beekeepers Association apiary which is located in the orchard at Acorn Bank.

The 15 participants provided the following feedback:

Key : % of responses:

The course increased my knowledge/ understanding of queen rearing strategies:

Because:

-Practise techniques that be taken into action.

-Perfect level of course for our needs

-Interactive, engaging. Lots of knowledge given

-I was coming from limited knowledge, and course was delivered really well, with good knowledge and a great teaching style.

-I had little success before.

-There is a lot to learn

-Clearly demonstrated procedure. Good responses and interaction and questions.

-A little because I have already been doing this for a while

-Increased skill with grafting

I will now try to rear queen bees using some of the strategies that were demonstrated today:

I would like to learn more about:

-Disease ;  Bee husbandry;

Overall the course was :

Because:

-Good teaching style and good pace.

-Good pace. Plenty opportunity for questions and practical experience.

-Gave us more confidence and knowledge with how to proceed.

The approach was simple and well explained

Excellent presenter, nice setting. Good chocolate biscuits!

Very knowledgeable presenter, well organised, engaging delivery, with good pacing.

Very well presented, taking the mystery our of queen rearing.

-Simple, concise, entertaining presentation

The course could have been improved by:

Excellent as it was

Not much- two days?

Many thanks for extending the invitation to KBKA. Very interesting and helpful opportunity.

Additional comments:

-Just to say very many thanks for inviting us to the Queen Rearing Session. Not only enjoyable, we learnt so much to help our endeavours. Charlie Payne (Chair Keswick Beekeepers Association)

– Thank you so much for allowing us to join onto your queen rearing course, which was really excellent. We learnt so much and it was great to see the wonderful setup you have at Acorn Bank.  I do hope there may be opportunities in the future for members from South Westmorland to join in with your activities. (Stella Crompton)

Enthusiastic gardeners gathered at Up Front Gallery last Sunday afternoon to present their questions to the panel of experts. The event was organised by Penrith Beekeepers Association to raise awareness of how bees and pollinators can be supported through more environmentally sensitive approaches to gardening.

Unfortunately, due to family commitments Eric Robson could not Chair the session, but Shelagh Todd (Head of Horticulture and Garden Design based at Lowther Castle Gardens part of Newton Rigg Training) was happy to rise to the challenge.  She managed to make the audience and the panel feel at ease. There was a lot of jovial banter between Shelagh and the panel which brought a great sense of fun and enjoyment to the proceedings. Shelagh acknowledged that the expert line-up of horticulturists on the panel, it made her job very easy. There were helpful and humorous references to bees throughout the afternoon.  The five horticulturists on the panel included:

Heather Birkett who is Senior Gardener at Acorn Bank Gardens. Heather was referred to as the  Queen Bee. Karen Roberts who is an independent Garden Designer & Fashion Designer. Karen was the Sewing Bee. Martin Ogle who has recently become a freelance Horticultural Consultant,  was the Drone Bee (a male bee).  Lyn Brunetti, an expert horticulturist who works as a hands-on gardener and part time lecturer in Horticulture at the School of Horticulture based at Lowther Castle Gardens. Lyn is always always buzzing with energy and is known as a ‘Busy Bee’  Louise Stoddart combines a variety of horticultural work with part time lecturing in Horticulture at the School of Horticulture based at Lowther Castle Gardens. Louise is “just the bee’s knees when it comes to the world of horticulture”

The audience asked a varied range of questions, including ‘What’s attacking my peas? What hedge do I plant to attract wildlife? How do I produce a wildflower meadow? What flowers attract honeybees? Can you give hints on successfully growing plants using peat free compost. Why is my aunt’s waterlily not flowering? What’s wrong with my magnolia?

At the end of the GQT each panel member was asked to give the audience advice on what they should be doing in or gardens in June:

Karen advised a bit of pond maintenance & reminded everyone to net their strawberries to protect them from birds. Heather advised the cutting back of early flowering herbaceous perennials and reminded very one to regularly water and feed their plants. Martin suggested to take time to observe what’s happening in your garden. What’s looking good and note what’s not performing. Lyn was adamant that we should all be composting our grass clippings and cardboard boxes.  Finally Louise suggested we pour ourselves a glass of wine (or cup of tea) and take time to sit in our gardens and enjoy the flowers, scents, sounds, bees, butterflies, and other visiting wildlife.

At the end of the afternoon, four floral pots that had been donated by a member of Penrith Beekeepers Association were auctioned. The proceeds raised from the auction and other donations made during the afternoon will enable Penrith Beekeepers Association to send  the British Beekeepers Association £100 toward their appeal for support for beekeepers in Ukraine.  Ticket holders also had the opportunity to win a packet of ‘bee friendly plant seeds’ that had been donated for the occasion by Sutton seeds. The Chair of British Beekeepers Association, Stephen Barnes, who attended the event, congratulated the panel on the expertise that they had shared, their interest in providing advice on planting ‘flowers for pollinators’ and thanked Penrith Beekeepers Association for organising the event.

The audience were very enthusiastic and provided the following feedback;

• Very informative – Thank you
• Very professional panel and chair with lots of very good information. Lovely afternoon.
• Very many thanks! Such and enjoyable session. (Ash)
• Thanks for an informative afternoon. I would definitely come again, given the opportunity.
• Very interesting and useful.
• Great afternoon. Lovely panel. Thank you.
• Very good presentation overall- care of detail like names, brining exhibits, bee theme speakers, table layout, timing good. I’d come again! Well done all round.

Bee Hotel Workshops were  held at Upfront Gallery on  22^nd May and 18^th June.   They were designed to help family groups make a bee hotel to take home to install in their own garden.

PBKA had been allocated grants from Persimmon Homes and Penrith Town Council which enabled PBKA to produce 20 commercially produced bee hotel kits. Across the two workshops: 12 bee hotels were constructed by 13 adults and 12 children.

The remaining 8 kits will be used at workshops at community events now being planned for 2023.

Each workshop session was introduced by Margaret Riches, a PBKA member who explained the similarities and differences between the three main types of bees in the UK : Honey bees, Bumble bees and Solitary bees.  Each family group was provided with a presentation pack about bees , which included information about the types of Solitary bees that will be most likely to use the bee hotel as a nesting site:  Leaf cutter bees and the Red mason bee. For further information they were recommended to read: ‘The Secret Lives of Garden Bees ‘ by Jean Vernon. (publ. Pen & Sword 2020)

Feedback from attendees included the following comments:

The best thing was:

-Everyone in our family enjoyed it

-The fun we had whilst here

-It was fun making the hotel and I enjoyed learning about bees.

-Having a finished bee hotel that can be put to good use.

-The construction

-The hotel

-Not getting glue all over herself and the grand daughter helping her and us all laughing about it.

-Glueing on the cute little bee with the glue gun.

-Glueing

-Learning about bees.

The Bee Hotel workshop could have been improved by:

–All good thank you

-Honey to taste

-Larger visuals at the front.

-A sweetie or two.

-seeing some bees

-More guidance to make it.

-No improvements needed. Margaret was very good. An excellent way to spend an hour.