Toolkit- Overview
Beekeeping is fun! This is a well-known saying of mine and how I sign books. The craft has been a source of great enjoyment for me for over 60 years and I try to encourage others to enjoy it too. It is a hobby for most of us, often relief from something else, where you can relax. There are many other things associated with beekeeping such as natural history, where you can learn about plants and trees and many other forms of wildlife around or inside a hive. It is sometimes surprising what you can find under a hive roof if you look, but many just throw it on the ground.
I have seen some teachers and those in influential positions insist that all beekeepers should do things “by the book” and tick boxes when done. We used to have one in my area, who strictly followed the “official line” of their one favourite author, where I often heard them say “you must do it this way or that way and you are a jolly bad beekeeper if you don’t”! In my view, all this does is get beekeepers to do as they are told, so learning by rote, rather than learn about bees and working with them, if it doesn’t put them off. Beekeeping shouldn’t be a chore.
In the past, there were many County Beekeeping Instructors (CBIs) who were employed by county councils to teach beekeeping. They were interviewed for the post and were a high standard. Since their demise during the cost cutting phase, most teaching is now done by BKAs at local level by unpaid volunteers. There is no help or training for beekeepers to teach the craft, it’s often whoever is available or willing to do it, usually with no selection procedure. This, and a shortage of experienced beekeepers, sometimes means that willing, but inexperienced people, are often pressed into service who are probably unprepared. Instead of criticising them, as sometimes happens, we should applaud them and provide good, sound information and resources to help them, not only to teach, but to learn themselves.
This toolkit has been developed to help teachers, not only with theory and practical elements, but presentation and demonstrating. We all have our own ways of doing things and they should be encouraged, not for everyone to be the same, but there may be issues we all have to deal with occasionally that are outside beekeeping, such as personality clashes.
Teachers should understand that beekeeping is a very diverse topic, often needing diverse methods of teaching. For most beekeepers, it is a hobby they want to enjoy, not a work situation where they have a specific job they are trained for and are paid to perform it. People enter the craft for many different reasons, with different lifestyles, interests and abilities. Some start by accident, often where they are presented with an unexpected opportunity, such as a swarm settling in their garden or are gifted bees and equipment, others may have done a lot of research, handled bees on several occasions, then carefully planned their entry. There is an increasing number who want to “save the bees” or are “box tickers”, some having the “I want, I want and I want it now” mentality. All are often dismissed or criticised, when perhaps it may be better to offer help and guidance.
Beekeepers and their backgrounds have changed over the last half century or so. In the past, the craft was populated by a high proportion of rural folk who worked on the land in some way. They were practical people, often on low incomes, who learnt by copying others, or, as they were often dealing with livestock, could work out what to do with bees. The modern beekeeper may not be so practical and is used to training from a structured programme, possibly with a certificate or qualifications, together with much more information. Beekeepers are faced with many more problems than those in the past, such as varroa, health and safety and legislation. Those you teach will learn in different ways, at different rates and favour different topics. A “standard method” probably won’t suit everyone, so I suggest a little flexibility. It’s helpful to know a little about those you are teaching, so you can teach in the way that suits them best.
There are several ways of teaching and there is no intention in the toolkit to promote any particular methods, just to provide resources and make what we hope are sensible comments and suggestions that might be worth considering for inclusion in your current material. To avoid a lot of initial reading, in some instances, there is a summary with links to more substantial information.
Roger Patterson.
