Taste of West Cork - Children's Bee Keeping Workshop with Bee Keeper Trevor Danann (age 14)

             Trevor Danann - Children's Bee Keeping Workshop

8th September at Liss Ard Estate 

CHILDREN’S BEE KEEPING WORKSHOP

Liss Ard Estate, Castletownshend Road, Skibbereen

4 - 5:15PM | €12 PP (FAMILY DISCOUNT AVAILABLE) | BOOKING ESSENTIAL | 087 236 1616

In the natural honey-bee friendly habitat of Liss Ard Estate, Trevor Danann (age 14), certified Bee Keeper and owner of 12 hives, will host a Bee Keeping Workshop geared towards children aged 7 to 16 years. This workshop will include demonstrations, a slide show and talk, with question and answer time and honey tastings. 

***There will be no live bees at this demo 

My children working on their hives 

Top Bar Bees busy again

Its good to see the Bees back into the swing of things again, the last few weeks of sunshine was the boost that was needed to get them flying and foraging. Unfortunately, the rain has returned and settled in for the time being. This change in weather will affect the bees ability to build stores up for the winter so lets hope that the sunshine returns very soon.

I plan to show the Top Bar Bee Hives at the Skibbereen market again due to renewed interest from a number of aspiring beekeepers that I have talked to at the market. As always, I strive to improve the hive structure with each new hive that I build. The design originates in the Kenyan style of hive with some modifications to adapt to the Irish climate, such as ventilation to deal with excess dampness in the hive. I still prefer to use Larch timber for its durability and weather resistance.

 I am looking forward to seeing some more Top Bar Hives getting out into back gardens and fields. I set up a hive last week in a garden center and I am sure the bees will be very happy with the extended range of flowers and herbs to forage from.

All for now,
Max

"Yeah, I like bees"

"Yeah, I like bees but my Mom, you know, is afraid"

This was a comment from a little girl I spoke to at the local Farmers Market in Skibbereen, where we have a stall and display a Top Bar Hive. I had asked her a question after seeing her looking at the hive and trying to sort out what it was, I gave her a flyer for our Natural Beekeeping for Children course and she was very pleased.

I feel it is very important to introduce beekeeping to children because it develops an understanding of the extremely important relationship between mankind and the natural world around us. A lot of people have created an illusion of separation and distance from things natural but its still there, just outside their door, or tap tap tapping on the window.

Creating an understanding of the natural systems that we depend on to survive, instills respect and consideration for all the many facets of nature that surround us.

The Natural Beekeeping for Children course is being presented by Trevor Danann (age 12) who has been a certified Beekeeper for the last four years. This course takes place in May in West Cork, Ireland.

Regards,
Max

What is a Top Bar Hive?

This is a question that is asked most often by people who stop at our stall at the Skibbereen Farmers Market, so I thought I would explain it here.

A Top Bar Hive is an imitation of a hollowed out log with the added advantage of being able to monitor and extract honey with minimal disturbance to the hive. The hive shape and size are a more natural configuration than the common square box widely used. There is also a great amount of open space in the hive that aids in ventilation, which is a major factor in a healthy hive.

The hive stands on four legs about three feet high, which makes it very easy to work as the whole hive is at waist height. The bars that the bees use to build their comb upon are just a piece of timber with a groove, there is no foundation wax or frame. The bees are able to build the comb of varying sizes as they see fit.

The hives I build are made of local Larch, which is very weather resistant (used in boats and fencing) and assembled without toxins, glues, plywood, paint or preservatives. This creates a toxin free environment for the bees.

When you create a healthy environment for the bees to build their comb, you end up with the best honey possible. The bees are also less stressed and very easy to work without much need for smoke.

For a first hand look, stop by the market on Saturdays or even attend one of our Natural Beekeeping Courses.

Regards,
Max