Beekeeping for Beginners SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Hi, I have absolutely zero experience of bee keeping so need to learn about it before my first Flow Hive arrives. For those in South Australia who can access Adelaide - there is a course running throughout this year at WEA Adult Learning centre. Its a 1 day 6 hour course and costs $64.00. (I have no affiliation to the centre or anyone who might be teaching on it - this is just sharing info). I’d be interested to know of any others within an hour of Adelaide.

4 Likes

Hi @ozdivergt,
I’m doing the WEA one day course in a couple of weeks time. I’ll post an update here after that.
Cheers

1 Like

I did it few years ago and It was a great overview. I also did a WEA honey palate with the Gilberts during honey week. Id be interested to see what the teacher thinks of the flow hive.

I did it, attended the WEA Beekeeping for Beginners in Adelaide on 30 May 2015. The presenter was a local beekeeper and member of the Beekeepers Society of SA, Keith Clark.

Keith did an excellent job of running through the practicalities of beginning beekeeping, including covering important but easily overlooked questions like “How do I start?”, Why do I want to be a beekeeper? Have I got the physical capacity?, are there legislative requirements?", what equipment?, costs?, time? skills?, how many hives?, where to put them? getting bees?, extracting honey, maintenance, time and bee stings. As well as the usual pests and diseases, looking at an actual hive set up (sorry no bees in this class room!).

Keith down played his knowledge, but actually was very capable in answering our queries and left us with the saying 'if you ask 10 different beekeepers…"

The other benefit of attending was meeting a lot of other like minded new beekeepers to keep in touch with in the future.

Overall a very informative, useful and well worth the money day at a WEA short course.

But if you think that you will learn everything you need to by just doing a one day intro course, you’re kidding yourself! Like everything in life, keep learning. My 105 year old grandmother says ‘if you’re not learning, then you’re probably dead already!’, and she’s still alive!

Hi Hilltop hives,
I live in Montacute, did that course a year or so back.
Did you mention to him that you are buying a flow hive, if so what was the response ?
Happy to share flowhive results with you and other Adelaide beeks.
Let me know how you go, mine arrive in a couple of weeks time.
Cheers
John

Completed the one day intro earlier this month and found it to be very informative. My flow hive will arrive some time in December but I’m still not sure where I get my bees from! Keith spent a lot of time talking about a swarm and that people in the SA beekeeping association will be able to help and I’ve got a few phone numbers for them but surely you can’t just ring them up and they go and find a swarm for you! The legislative info was very valuable - I had no idea about this - and the intro to the components of the hive also very informative. Still don’t feel I can safely set up a flow hive but I’m hoping some info will come with the hive! I do feel I understand the basics now after completing the course but there are still a lot of unknowns. Keith was asked a question about the flow hive but his answer was more about the fact they could not get their hands on one (for free) in order to assess them against the langstroth rather than his feeling about how good / bad it would be in comparison. Guess it’s difficult to assess something if he hasn’t seen it but he did say that in principal it looks good.

Ozdivergt
Lots of people selling hives in gumtree, I suggest you call one of them and ask them to put a Nuc aside for you now, also pay him now! And get the hive growing under their control until you flow arrives. When it does, you’ll have a nice large hive waiting for you, ready to go!!
John

Are there any beekeepers in Adelaide who are using flow hives and would be willing to let me visit to observe their methods?
I have a Flowhive in London, am visiting here for a few days. Thanks

hello there Helene,

my name is jack: I am in adelaide- and it’s possible I might be able to show you my flow hives (depending on the timing)- and if not me my mother may also be happy to show you hers. Let me know where you will be staying and when by PM if you like.

Will you be able to travel further than Adelaide or sticking around metro areas?

You are very kind to respond to my request, thank you. Now that we have had the heavy rain it looks like my schedule for the few days I am here has changed and I can’t make a time. Best of luck to you and I hope when I return to uk my bees have survived the awful weather, cheers, helene