Bee Successful

What is the Bee Successful programme offered by Break the Cycle Limited?

The Bee Successful programme is a four step programme that provides participants the opportunity to increase their knowledge about the importance of honeybees, the craft of beekeeping and the multitude of products which can be produced from the by product of bees such as honey, beeswax, propolis, some of the products can include lip balm, lotions, candles and food related honey products.

Bee Successful gives participants the opportunity to learn and also teach others about beekeeping and help to promote this ancient craft. It also helps establish the participant as an authority and an educational resource in his or her community, and at the same time helps build a variety of skills over and above the skill of beekeeping.

Bee Successful has been carefully developed working in partnership with EnvironmentPlus International CIC a non profit organisation who have undertaken doctorate level research which has clearly shown that offenders who undertake this specially developed programme have a very low rate of re offending over an eighteen month period, and at the same time significantly increase their skills and employability.

Bee Successful provides both individualised and group instruction through a series of experiential education workshops by experts in the field of beekeeping. The programme can be tailored to the needs of the participants or organisations that we work with.

Beekeeping related skills that the individual will learn:

• Responsibilities of the beekeeper
• The life cycle and behaviour of honeybees
• The essential parts of a beehive
• The purpose and use of a smoker
• Identifying the physical parts of a honeybee
• Identifying the queen, the drone and worker bees
• Identifying the brood, pollen, propolis and honey in the hive
• Ability to identify and understand the use of various beekeeping items / equipment
• How to wear safety clothing (beesuit, gloves etc..)
• Ability to identify bee diseases
• Ability to distinguish between bees, wasps, and hornets
• Understanding the requirements of labelling honey
• Understanding how to jar honey, and food safety requirements
• The importance of bees in relation to pollination
• Understanding what pesticides and herbicides are
• Understanding bee stings and allergic reactions
• The essential skills to assemble beehives
• Small scale manufacturing of bee related products
• Marketing of bee related products
• Customer service skills
• Entrepreneurship

Additional related skills that the individual will learn:

• Literacy and numeracy
• Woodworking and assembly (of hives)
• Basic science, biology and anatomy
• Basic ecology
• Conservation skills
• Social skills
• Practical skills
• Listening skills
• Anger management
• Computer Skills

Which types of organisations can benefit from the Bee Successful programme?

• HM Prisons
• Probation Trusts
• Community Payback programmes
• Youth Offending Teams (YOTS)
• Voluntary Sector organisations providers of services for those who have offended