The trainee beekeepers will receive a 'starter kit' which includes bees
A new generation of beekeepers will receive start-up training from local experts thanks to an initiative by Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT).
Six new beekeepers in the Carse of Gowrie will learn the skills required to start their own hives through funding under a partnership project.
The trainees will learn about bee behaviour, how to approach a colony, how to avert swarming and how to collect honey.
PKCT manager Morag Watson predicted the new beekeepers would make a difference to the bee population in the area.
“Bees are vital to the pollination of many food crops; in fact one third of the food we eat would not be available without them, so this will really help keep food crops flourishing,” she said.
Training will be provided in March and April by the Perth and District Beekeepers’ Association on a stretch of countryside between Perth and Dundee which is an important area for growing strawberries and raspberries.
The project has been sponsored by off-grid fuel company AvantiGas which will provide a beekeeping ‘starter kit’. It will include everything the novices need to make a success of their new venture – including the bees.
