All about honey bees

Starts: Wednesday 10 Jun 2026

Places: 20 ( Left: 20 )

Time: 7pm - 9pm

Duration: 5 weeks

Tutor: Chris Bunnett - Sligo & Leitrim Beekeepers Association

Price: € 0.00

Detail

A chance to learn about honey bees and a taster for people thinking of keeping bees.

A talk exploring one of nature’s most remarkable insect societies - the honey bee colony. Together, we will look at every aspect of hive life: who lives within the colony, how it functions and how the roles of the bees change according to age, season, and circumstance.

The talk will also include a brief history of the beehive itself - how modern hive designs developed, why they work so well for beekeepers and why they are not always ideally suited to the natural behaviour of bees. 

Importantly, we will examine the wider world of pollinators, comparing honey bees with Ireland’s many native bee species and discussing why this distinction matters for biodiversity in both our gardens and wild landscapes.

We will also explore the different strains and subspecies of honey bees found in Ireland, their long-term viability and the growing threat posed by invasive predatory wasps in Ireland.

The course will include a practical day at an apiary to see the tools of the trade and the elements of the hive.

Chris Bunnett is a beekeeper in Scraugh, near Aclare in County Sligo.  He is the Treasurer of the Sligo & Leitrim Beekeepers Association and studying Apiculture at the University of Galway.

This course will run on the following evenings from 7pm - 9pm at The Benwiskin Centre:-

Wednesday, 10th 17th, 24th June and 1st July 2026.

This course is FREE.  To book a place, please call The Benwiskin Centre on 071 9176721 or Email us 

This course is kindly supported by Sligo Leader Partnership under SICAP [Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme].