Penrith and District Beekeepers Association
Beekeeping in Penrith and surrounding areas
The Yellow Legged Asian Hornet is an invasive insect which is threatening the survival of bees and other pollinators across Europe and the UK . A display at Penrith library, available until 12th March, provides information about honey bees and how you can help to combat this existential threat. On Saturday 7th March at 2.00.p.m. beekeepers will lead an activity session for adults and children. This will include a free honey tasting. Buzz along to the library to find out more!
| * Due to impending surgery two dates have been provisionally arranged in case Julia’s operation means that she cannot lead the course in June. Only apply if you know that you would be able to manage to attend if either of these weekends are used. Confirmation of the date will be provided as soon as possible. |
Julia & Martin Hoggard will run the Introducing Beekeeping on behalf of PBKA. It will be of interest to anyone who would like to become a beekeeper or who wants to know what is involved as well as those who have started beekeeping, but consider themselves to be beginners.
Julia and Martin are both highly experienced beekeepers and trainers. They run the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. More information about Julia, the Bee Reserve and her training programmes, along with course feedback, can be found at www.BeeEd.org.uk
Introducing Beekeeping is a two day course. It will run on one of the following weekends:
Day one will commence at 9.00. (registration) and finish at 5.45.p.m. (Includes colony inspection) Day two will commence at 9.00. and finish by 5.00.p.m.
The course will combine theory with practise and will involve an introduction to all the basic skills needed to become a competent, confident beekeeper
Fee: £120 This includes: tuition; loan of kit; information to take home; light refreshments, EXCLUDING lunch. Please bring your own packed lunch.
Concessions: £100 PBKA Members £70 *students in full time education.
*Minimum age 12 years. Students U.18 must be accompanied by an adult who is parent/guardian or officially acting in ‘loco parentis’ and is also attending the course.
Places are limited. To reserve a place please contact PBKA asap: see below.
Closing date for applications: Monday 18th May. Cancellation: unless PBKA cancels the course, refunds for cancelled places cannot be made after 18th May 2026.
| * Due to impending surgery two dates have been provisionally arranged in case Julia’s operation means that she cannot lead the course in June. Only apply if you know that you would be able to manage to attend if either of these weekends are used. Confirmation of the date will be provided as soon as possible. |
Julia & Martin Hoggard will run the Introducing Beekeeping on behalf of PBKA. It will be of interest to anyone who would like to become a beekeeper or who wants to know what is involved as well as those who have started beekeeping, but consider themselves to be beginners.
Julia and Martin are both highly experienced beekeepers and trainers. They run the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. More information about Julia, the Bee Reserve and her training programmes, along with course feedback, can be found at www.BeeEd.org.uk
Introducing Beekeeping is a two day course. It will run on one of the following weekends:
Day one will commence at 9.00. (registration) and finish at 5.45.p.m. (Includes colony inspection) Day two will commence at 9.00. and finish by 5.00.p.m.
The course will combine theory with practise and will involve an introduction to all the basic skills needed to become a competent, confident beekeeper
Fee: £120 This includes: tuition; loan of kit; information to take home; light refreshments, EXCLUDING lunch. Please bring your own packed lunch.
Concessions: £100 PBKA Members £70 *students in full time education.
*Minimum age 12 years. Students U.18 must be accompanied by an adult who is parent/guardian or officially acting in ‘loco parentis’ and is also attending the course.
Places are limited. To reserve a place please contact PBKA asap: see below.
Closing date for applications: Monday 18th May. Cancellation: unless PBKA cancels the course, refunds for cancelled places cannot be made after 18th May 2026.
| *6th– 7th June 2026 OR 25th – 26th July 2026 led by Julia & Martin Hoggard. * Due to impending surgery two dates have been provisionally arranged in case Julia’s operation means that she cannot lead the course in June. Only apply if you know that you would be able to manage to attend if either of these weekends are used. Confirmation of the date will be provided as soon as possible. |
Julia & Martin Hoggard will run the Introducing Beekeeping on behalf of PBKA. It will be of interest to anyone who would like to become a beekeeper or who wants to know what is involved as well as those who have started beekeeping, but consider themselves to be beginners.
Julia and Martin are both highly experienced beekeepers and trainers. They run the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. More information about Julia, the Bee Reserve and her training programmes, along with course feedback, can be found at www.BeeEd.org.uk
Introducing Beekeeping is a two day course. It will run on one of the following weekends:
Day one will commence at 9.00. (registration) and finish at 5.45.p.m. (Includes colony inspection) Day two will commence at 9.00. and finish by 5.00.p.m.
The course will combine theory with practise and will involve an introduction to all the basic skills needed to become a competent, confident beekeeper
Fee: £120 This includes: tuition; loan of kit; information to take home; light refreshments, EXCLUDING lunch. Please bring your own packed lunch.
Concessions: £100 PBKA Members £70 *students in full time education.
*Minimum age 12 years. Students U.18 must be accompanied by an adult who is parent/guardian or officially acting in ‘loco parentis’ and is also attending the course.
Places are limited. To reserve a place please contact PBKA asap: see below.
Closing date for applications: Monday 18th May. Cancellation: unless PBKA cancels the course, refunds for cancelled places cannot be made after 18th May 2026.
Penrith & District Beekeepers Association (PBKA) has its Teaching Apiary at Acorn Bank, the National Trust property at Temple Sowerby. From time to time visits are arranged for community groups that are interested in learning more about bees, pollinators and the work of beekeepers. This summer, for the first time, a group of Young Carers from the Eden area were invited to come along as part of their summer activity programme.
The group of 7-13 year olds were accompanied by two members of Eden Carer staff . The session was led by two PBKA Members , and one of the PBKA apiary managers who helped by supplying an observation hive to ensure that the children could safely take a closer look at bees during the session.
Informal learning activities initially took place in the main drawing room of the house when the children were introduced to the defining features of bumblebees, solitary bees and honey bees and their life cycles. They sorted silk flowers into those that were/ were not ‘bee friendly’, tasted different types of honey and made wax candles.
As the weather was fine, these were followed by taking a walk through the gardens where the children were encouraged to spot bee friendly flowers and watch the bees gathering pollen and nectar. The trail led to the apiary where the children could see the bees entering and leaving the hives. On the way back to the house, they were provided with kits to help them to safely catch and identify different types of bumble bees. At the end of the day, the children were given a bag in which to carry home their candle and information cards about the Asian Hornet.
Before they left, the staff and children wrote a few comments on their experience. These included
‘I enjoyed: everything; honey tasting; bee catching; looking at the bee hives; making the candles ; every part of the day; It was very informative and doing the activities it was good everyone got involved; catching the different kinds of bees and trying the honey. ‘
‘I will remember: The children being so enthralled and concentrating! How hardworking bees are and to keep a watch for Asian Hornets; All of it- fantastic day- thank you; catching the bumble bees and making candles; what an Asian Hornet looks like; what a bumble bee looks like and how they are different from a honey bee.’
Penrith Beekeepers’ Winter Zoom Meeting Programme
You are cordially invited to join us for any of these meetings
The next zoom meeting in our winter programme, comes up next week on Wed. 3rd December. This
and the others which follow , with the relevant zoom links, are listed below:
Wednesday 3rd December 2025 7.30.p.m.
‘Fast and slow beekeeping’.
The art of decision making in Beekeeping:- Knowing when to take timely action and when to be patient. -Making the right decisions for your bees. -Getting the best outcomes for you and your bees
Presenter: Kevin Thorne
Kevin is a Bee farmer with 50 hives in and around Lavenham, Suffolk. Kevin is
passionate about improving his bees to be calm, healthy and productive and working
to educate beekeepers in this area. He and his wife Julie run Stour Valley Apiaries
and Busy Bees Cosmetics. Kevin has established a Bee Improvement Group at
Abberton Reservoir in Essex, working with local beekeepers, Colchester BKA, Essex
and Suffolk Water and Essex Wildlife Trust to reintroduce the native black bee to the
area. Kevin is a BBKA national speaker.
Thursday 15th January 2026 7.30.pm.
What makes Bees Tick?? (Glands, hormones, pheromones, sense organs and much
more! )
The talk will describe how various glands (including those producing pheromones
and hormones) and sense organs act together, sometimes in very complex ways, to
control the colony. How does the bee manage when it has an impervious outer
skeleton? What does a superorganism mean in relation to the honey bee colony?
The impacts on foraging, swarming, development of the individual bee and the
colony will be discussed.
Presenter: Pam Hunter
Pam is based in Sussex. She is a Master Beekeeper and BBKA National Speaker
Z
‘Nutrition in Honey Bees’ :
Focussing on the nutritional requirements of bees at different times of the year:
-the role of the fat body in overwintering, -the nutritional contents of different pollens -why bees need variety in their diet.
Presenter: Margaret Murdin
Margaret has been keeping bees for over 20 years and is a Master Beekeeper. She
has won the prestigious Wax Chandlers Award for the highest marks in the BBKA
exams and holds the National Diploma in Beekeeping. Until recently, Margaret was a
BBKA Trustee and is a Past President, assistant moderator and examiner. She is a
BBKA National Speaker.
We look forward to you joining us for these sessions!
(Glands, hormones, pheromones, sense organs and much more! )
The talk will describe how various glands (including those producing pheromones and hormones) and sense organs act together, sometimes in very complex ways, to control the colony. How does the bee manage when it has an impervious outer skeleton? What does a superorganism mean in relation to the honey bee colony? The impacts on foraging, swarming, development of the individual bee and the colony will be discussed.
Presenter: Pam Hunter
Pam is based in Sussex. She is a Master Beekeeper and BBKA National Speaker
Wednesday 3rd December 2025 7.30.p.m.
The art of decision making in Beekeeping:- Knowing when to take timely action and when to be patient. -Making the right decisions for your bees. -Getting the best outcomes for you and your bees
Presenter: Kevin Thorne
Kevin is a Beefarmer with 50 hives in and around Lavenham, Suffolk. Kevin is
passionate about improving his bees to be calm, healthy and productive and working
to educate beekeepers in this area. He and his wife Julie run Stour Valley Apiaries
and Busy Bees Cosmetics. Kevin has established a Bee Improvement Group at
Abberton Reservoir in Essex, working with local beekeepers, Colchester BKA, Essex
and Suffolk Water and Essex Wildlife Trust to reintroduce the native black bee to the
area. Kevin is a BBKA national speaker.
This session will introduce the BBKA Qualifications and resources available to members and consider how you might prepare for BBKA qualifications, as well as their value.
BBKA Learning Online has a range of visual, practical materials for both tutors and learners, and we’d like to know what you want, as well as what you think about what is already there.
The joy of beekeeping is that there is always something new to learn!
This session will be led by Jane Medwell (BBKA) who manages the ‘Learning Platform’ with Julia Hoggard (Kendal BKA) and Peter Weatherill (Cockermouth BKA) also providing information about the support that they can provide at the local level.
Presenters:
Jane Medwell: Jane Medwell learnt beekeeping from her mother in the 1970s – then learnt it all over again in the 1990s, when she set up her own apiaries. She is a Master beekeeper, BBKA Examiner, trainer and member of Warwick and Leamington Beekeepers. In her other life, she is an Associate Professor of Education.
Julia Hoggard: Julia is a highly experienced beekeeper and trainer. She runs the Brigsteer Bee Reserve, just outside Kendal. Until her recent retirement, Julia was a Seasonal Bee Inspector.
Peter Weatherill: An experienced beekeeper, Peter is currently secretary of the Cockermouth Branch and is Education and Exam Secretary for Cumbria Beekeepers Area Association.
Thursday 13th November 2025
at 7.00.pm.
Focussing on the nutritional requirements of bees at different times of the year
-the role of the fat body in overwintering,
-the nutritional contents of different pollens
-why bees need variety in their diet.
Presenter: Margaret Murdin
Margaret has been keeping bees for over 20 years and is a Master Beekeeper.
She has won the prestigious Wax Chandlers Award for the highest marks in the BBKA exams and holds the National Diploma in Beekeeping. Until recently, Margaret was a BBKA Trustee and is a Past President, assistant moderator and examiner. She is a BBKA National Speaker.