Dates: 26 February - 30 April (excluding 5 March and 23 April)

Time: 6pm-8pm  

Venue: Western Gateway Building, Room G14, UCC

Fee: €250

Closing date for registrations: 20 January 2025

Course Overview: 

Are you thinking about beekeeping? This is the course for you!  

Because there's so much to learn about bees and taking care of them, many people put off beekeeping for years. This course will help you feel more comfortable about your decision and clarify those questions you always had. This short course will help you learn about bees, their behaviour and care. You'll learn everything from how to start a beehive and beekeeping tactics to what equipment you need to sustain your bees. 

Hopefully this course will bring you closer to tasting honey from your own bees! 

Course Schedule: 

Week 1:  

• Bees 
• Honeybees 
• Beekeeping as a hobby 
• Hive parts 

Week 2: 

• Hive inhabitants 
• Castes 
• Roles 
• Colony lifecycle 

Week 3: 

• Hive Inspection 
• Foraging 
• Harvesting  

Week 4: 

• Communication 
• Swarming 
• Swarm control 
• Queen lifecycle 

Week 5: 

• Honeybee health 
• Beekeepers’ role 
• Prevention and treatment of common diseases 

Week 6: 

• Hive tools and accessories 
• Winter preparation  

Week 7: 

• Choosing a hive 
• Positioning a hive 

Week 8: 

• Nucs 
• Expansion 
• Plans for the future.

Course Lecturer : 

Dr. Anda Dumitrescu is an enthusiastic beekeeper, looking after her own bees and being a beekeeper for CUH. She is a Paediatric doctor and a clinical lecturer for the medical students in UCC.

Requirements: 

Applicants must be at least 18 years old at course commencement. 

Contact Details for Further Information: 

Email: shortcourses@ucc.ie  

Please note our refund policy as follows: 

100% refund if student cancels 1 week prior to course commencement, less €50 processing fee.

100% refund if student's course is cancelled due to insufficient numbers.