THERE was a buzz of excitement in Skibbereen as the latest group of novice West Cork beekeepers were presented with their preliminary exam certificates.
A group of 16 graduates of the eight module beekeeping beginners’ course, run by the Fastnet Area Beekeepers Association (Fabka), were presented with their certs by federation secretary Gus McCoy.
Award-winning bee keeper and Fabka chairperson, Mairead Love, told The Southern Star: ‘This is the second group who have completed the course and as we have been holding classes online due to Covid-19, with just some hands-on work when the restrictions were relaxed, it was wonderful to get together with the students so that they could receive their certificates after all their hard work.
‘There is a lot to know before you get a hive of bees and the course sets out to give the students an introduction and to help them get on the path of becoming beekeepers – not keepers of bees.’
It was Mairead and her husband Michael, both from Goleen, who were the driving force behind setting up Fabka and then creating the beekeepers’ course in 2019.
‘Well all know that bees are vitally important to our environment and it is extremely important that anyone who wants to have a hive or two knows what they are doing,’ Mairead said.
‘In fact, the biggest killers of bees are bad beekeepers so we want to make sure that people get the best training available, before they set off on their beekeeping journey,’ Mairead said.
Fabka will be running another eight module beekeeping beginners’ course in Skibbereen next March.
*****
Click here to sign up to our mailing list and get the best of West Cork delivered straight to your inbox.