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Surrey Bees Training (SBT)
Probably the best Beekeeper Training in Surrey
What do we do? Well, what we are very good at, is teaching the basics of bee keeping.
To date we have more than 220 beekeepers, all have successfully completed their basic training and are now part of our Surrey Bees beekeeping group. In 2022 , all 17 candidates not only passed but all gained Credits in their BBKA Basic Assessment. (Credit=over 75% pass mark). We had 22 candidates this year (2024) pass their Basic with 4 gaining Distinction (90%) and 2 juniors aged 16 and 10 attaining credits (75%).
SBT is run by Lorraine Ragosa-Rout, a qualified Master Beekeeper, providing beekeeping courses of all levels of experience from beginner, to the more advanced bee microscopy, for experienced beekeepers who want to advance their knowledge.
We also have a very successful BEE MANAGED SERVICE, providing bees onsite to local businesses, individuals and institutions. We manage the bees on their behalf and harvest the honey that they receive to gift on to clients, staff and visitors. This can also involve Meet the Bees sessions and Extraction Sessions so they learn more about their bees. This supports Sustainability Goals and decreasing carbon footprint for these clients.
SBT promote the development of beekeeping, both in its practice and the theory for the greater understanding of these fascinating creatures and we do this through:
Training and support at our apiary for all levels, from beginners to experienced beekeepers
Learn how to become a beekeeper and save the honey bees
Buy handmade items from our own bees, equipment and hives
- We provide great coaching and mentoring at all levels; especially when it comes to gaining your qualifications
- Got a problem that needs urgent attention, we can do this face-to-face and online
- As a back-up we have access to information and literature through our website members pages
- SBT never stops, as soon as the season has ended, we run a range of theory classes during the winter months to apiary based practical sessions.
Surrey Bees Training has also founded a very successful independent Bee Membership Group, SBT, with over 250+ members. Our purpose is to provide training, a collective source for sharing bee information, mutual membership support to increase beekeepers knowledge of beekeeping and the development of a variety of practical beekeeping skills. Surrey Bees is DASH accredited (Disease Accreditation Scheme for Honeybees), having successfully completed the scheme in 2019; which provides greater autonomy and fewer inspections by Bee Inspectors. DASH is recognised within the DEFRA Farming Regulation Task Force Implementation.
We provide talks during the winter months to various Women’s Institutes, Horticultural groups, etc. providing a better understanding of the importance of bees and other pollinators among the general public. We also take an active part in the education of children in Beekeeping though visits to local schools, and arranging apiary visits for scout, girl guide groups for junior beekeepers to meet the bees. Each year we sponsor a state school, and help them set up their own beekeeping club, after all we need the next generation to help our pollinators . This year Surrey Bees members sponsored Jubilee High in Addlestone and last year Garth Hill in Bracknell providing them with training, equipment and bees, see our blog for more details.
Bee Swarming – If you have a swarm which you want removing
Not sure if beekeeping is really for you? Then why not come and meet the bees for a day and find out? Meet The Bees
The practical sessions are mainly taken at the SBT training apiary site in Wisley, but we also have another training site in Farnham, and a members apiary sites in Pyrford, Liphook and Wisley. The training apiaries have a mixture of different types of hive which beekeepers are able to experience.