OBKA What is Beekeeping talk 31 Jan 2024
If you are relatively new to Oxfordshire Beekeepers Association there is a good chance your first encounter with us was in attending a What is Beekeeping (WiB) talk – I know it was my first encounter with OBKA (and I now run the website, give one of the talks on WiB and tutor on the Beginners course!).
What is Beekeeping kicks off the training season for new beekeepers. The aim of the session is to help members of the public (for attendees are generally not yet members of OBKA) to decide if they want to sign up for the Beginners Course. You may remember from when you attended a WiB that we indicate the time and costs involved in becoming a beekeeper, what could go wrong (ahem, my speciality) and also the benefits and joys of becoming a beekeeper.
If people then commit to the Beginners Course and join OBKA (a requirement of attending the Beginners Course) then we trust they are doing so with a realistic understanding of what will be involved. We always advise people to not spend any money on equipment, and definitely don’t get any bees, until they have attended the Beginners Course. We recognise that for some people it all sounds great until 10, 20, 30, 50 thousand bees pop up to say hello when a colony is opened! We do consider it a success if people recognise, either after WiB or during or after the Beginners Course, that beekeeping is not for them as we only want people to commit the time and money to beekeeping who are clear on the commitments that being a beekeeper involves – and enjoy handling bees.
This year we have a great team organising the course along with a fantastic new venue for the theory sessions.
Dawn O’Reilly is our Training officer and has worked hard liaising with potential attendees over the last few weeks. She arranged the hall for WiB and the theory sessions and has sorted out tutors for the theory and practical sessions. The new venue is Woodstock Bowls and Tennis clubhouse and worked well for WiB. Fiona Gibson arranges various events for OBKA as the Events officer.
The tutors for WiB this year were Dawn, doing the welcome and closing the session (with a great sales pitch, I have to say) and Helen Raine, Richard Stansfield and Gary Thomas.
All photos credit Fiona Gibson