We hold bee identification days. The group here are making their way from Helsington church to the bee reserve.

If we are lucky enough to have sunshine the knapweed attracts plenty of pollinators to identify.

Bees are captured in glass tubes for identification and then released unharmed.

In June we take the Introducing Beekeeping and Intermediate Beekeeping Courses to Flatford Mill Field Study Centre.

At Flatford we teach in the labs and outside. The weekend is amazingly relaxing – away from the world beside the River Stour, this is the view up the river from the lab.

While we are at Flatford the beehives are in the field behind Valley Farm. We take a glass observation bee hive too so that new beekeepers can see exactly what goes on inside the beehive throughout the weekend.

A group of new beekeepers at Flatford, returning from their first hive inspection.

Homeward bound from Flatford! We were allowed in the front but there was a strict understanding – ‘no bees in my cab’.