Supervised Practical Training Sessions (2026)

Do you want to develop your beekeeping skills & gain experience? These sessions will support you to apply what you have learnt in the hive

Join us for these fantastic sessions, where you will get hand-on experience of the different tasks that need to be completed throughout the main beekeeping year.

Running weekly throughout the primary beekeeping season, these hands-on sessions will support you to confidently inspect hives during the various stages of growth and maturation, as well as experience swarm control, supering and honey extraction techniques, and consolidate your learning at the end of the season through a group discussion and reflection session.

You can attend as many sessions as you would like, enabling you to gain a whole season of experience and support for just £100 per person, including the provision of protective clothing and equipment.

Sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings and Sunday Afternoons, running from 27th April to 16th August, at hives located in the Portsmouth and District Area.

Apiary sites can be muddy or have uneven ground. Therefore, please make sure you wear suitable footwear. We recommend boots such as Wellingtons or hiking boots, as these also provide full coverage.

Sessions will be dependent on the weather, as for the welfare of the bees, we do not open hives in poor weather conditions. In the case of prolonged bad weather, non-apiary based sessions may be offered to assist with non-hive-dependent tasks.

Please note:

This session will build on what has been taught on the PDBKA Introduction to Beekeeping Course. Therefore, all attendees must have attended either our introductory (winter training)course or a similar one at another local beekeeping association.