Our Apiary

Located in Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds, our education and training apiary of up to twelve hives is open for members and potential members to visit by arrangement from April onwards.

Apiary inspection, training and management sessions are usually on a Sunday, but please check the event calendar and our Facebook page for details. Please phone or email the apiary managers (Graham and Marika Sigley – wsbka.apiary@gmail.com) or message on Facebook to let us know you plan to attend.

Please note that these sessions are always weather-dependent!

If you’re unsure about keeping bees, a planned visit supported by an experienced beekeeper can help you to decide whether to sign up for our Beginners’ Course, as recommended by the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA). Practical, hands-on visits for prospective beekeepers are organised on an individual basis to fit in with the usual hive inspection routine so that disruption for the bees is kept to a minimum. Bee suits are available to borrow on site, so you only need to bring Wellington boots and rubber gloves for protection.

The number of visitors will be limited, so we operate on a first-come-first-serve basis.

We encourage beginner, intermediate and experienced beekeepers to attend the apiary to extend and share their learning and knowledge. This includes developing practical skills and sharing up-to-date information. This is also an opportunity for members to discuss their own bees with friends. Many beekeepers also attend sessions regularly to support the routine management of the apiary.

At various times in the year, we have ‘working sessions’ to clean and maintain existing equipment and make new resources, such as frames and boxes, as required. These take place during weekdays and Sundays on a more informal and social drop-in basis.

As part of the Education programme, demonstrations of various techniques such as comb changes/swarm control are included during routine sessions as required. Some sessions are used as preparation for members who intend to take BBKA assessments, such as the Basic Assessment. You will also learn about Apiary siting and health & safety.

To find the apiary: Enter Nowton Park via the second entrance (going out of Bury). There is a sign on the wall reading Realise Futures – Nowton Park Nursery: drive right down the lane to the vehicle gates.

These are kept closed, so prior notification of attendance and timely arrival are essential since visitors will need to be met and let in. After driving to the parking spaces for the Plant Nursery, you will join the group and follow the path to the right of the greenhouses. This leads through the signposted vehicle gate (kept pulled closed but not bolted), then going forward on the grassed footpath. The route turns right and goes along the side of the fenced field, keeping the fence on the left. The signed apiary site is in the disused tennis court on the left. This takes about 7 – 8 minutes walking.