Lune Valley Beekeepers

22/09/2025

An enjoyable day at Heron Corn Mill, Beetham. A historic, water powered mill which produces its own flour.

30/01/2025

Beekeeping Courses 2025!

Each year we run a number of courses ranging from an introductory course for those contemplating taking up beekeeping to more specialised courses for those who wish to develop new or existing skills. To book please click here: https://www.lunevalleybeekeepers.co.uk/course-booking/?course=An%20Introduction%20to%20Beekeeping&places=1

Our current courses are:

1) An Introduction to Beekeeping. Cost: £35
This online course will introduce you to the craft of beekeeping and raise your awareness of all the matters you should consider before acquiring any bees!

2) Practical Beekeeping for Beginners . Cost: £50
This is a one-day, practical course for those who have completed our Introduction to Beekeeping course and now wish to familiarise themselves with the skills and equipment needed to keep bees and gain some practical experience of managing an active colony of bees.

Date: 18th May 2025.
Time: 10:30am to 4:00pm.
Location: The Apiary, Nazareth House, Ashton Road, Lancaster, LA1 5AQ

3) A complete introduction to beekeeping. Cost: £195 (which includes membership of Lune Valley Beekeepers for 2025-2026)
This course is for those who prefer “live” sessions to online sessions. It covers all the content of An Introduction to Beekeeping and Practical Beekeeping for Beginners in a four session course.

Dates:
• Part 1 - 8th March 2025, 10:00am to 12:30pm.
• Part 2 - 15th March 2025, 10:00am to 12:30pm.
• Part 3 - 22nd March 2025, 10:00am to 12:30pm.
• Part 4 - 3rd May 2025, 10:30am to 4:00pm.

Location:
• Parts 1, 2 and 3 will take place at The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster LA1 1PX.
• Part 4 will take place at The Apiary, Nazareth House, Ashton Road, Lancaster, LA1 5AQ.

4) Alternative approaches to beekeeping. Cost: £20
This is a course for conventional beekeepers wishing to learn more about alternative approaches to beekeeping.

Dates: 11th October 2025
Time: Start at 10:30am and finish at 4:00pm.
Location: The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster LA1 1PX.

More information on each of our courses can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TC2gxoLpnLE-oLJinpZHtW7htQ3AuxG4/view?usp=sharing

05/12/2024

The Pollinator Game!

The Pollinator Game is in the final stages of development by Ishara Press. The game is intended to promote discussion around local, real-world environmental themes, in this case pollination. The idea is that as you play the game you gradually start to understand the wider issues regarding pollination in your local area. You spin the dial and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the topic it lands on. There is also a “Joker” which introduces surprise elements.

The aim is that players engage with the topic and react emotionally as well as intellectually. That way they remember it. Your level of knowledge at the start is not important; anyone with additional knowledge just adds this to the game.

16/09/2024

Last weekend we were at the Heron Corn Mill in Beetham, talking about the bees beside a working flour mill!

04/09/2024

Alternative Approaches to Beekeeping
Sunday, 20th October 2024
10-30am to 4-30pm
Truckhaven Conference Centre, Carnforth, LA5 9RQ

The objective of this conference is to introduce beekeepers and anyone else who might be interested, to a range of alternative approaches to beekeeping such as treatment free, insulated hives, natural comb, swarming, locally adapted bees and more.
The conference is organised by Lune Valley Beekeepers whose members have been using these approaches for many years.

Speakers include:
Dr Derek Mitchell – Insulation and ventilation in hives
Steve Riley - Varroa resistant traits in honey bees
Roger Patterson – Locally adapted bees, what are they and why are they important?
Dr Sam Walton – The Third Age of Beekeeping
Dr Fred Ayres – What is alternative beekeeping?

The course fee is £25 per person which includes tea/coffee/biscuits during breaks.

To book a place please visit www.lunevalleybeekeepers.co.uk and click on course information.

16/07/2024

Many thanks to all who visited the Open Day last Saturday.
We hope you enjoyed our welcome and that you learnt more about the honey bee, the apiary and wildflower meadow, and our low touch, enviromentally friendly approach to beekeeping.
New members welcome!

25/06/2024

Very grateful to be featured in Lancaster Guardian by Lancaster District CVS 🥳🐝

This week in our Lancaster Guardian article we shine the spotlight on the Lune Valley Beekeepers 🐝 ✨

Learn about their natural beekeeping methods, check out their training apiary, and explore their beautiful wildflower meadow. Plus, don’t miss their Open Day on July 13th with free entry, parking, a BBQ, craft stalls, and a chance to safely see inside a living beehive!

Get all the details and dive into the fascinating world of bees in the full article here… https://lancastercvs.org.uk/discover-the-buzz-lune-valley-beekeepers-eco-friendly-haven-and-open-day-celebration/

20/06/2024

We could all do more to plant our gardens for our hungry honeybees.

07/06/2024

Thank you to all those who paid us a visit today!