Apiary Sessions are now over until Spring 2026.

Association Apiary

Queen raising by grafting at Offshoots Apiary, Burnley. Gwen Walton

The main association apiary is situated within the walled garden of The Offshoots Permaculture Project which is situated in Towneley Park, Burnley. We also have an 'out apiary' at Gawthorpe Hall, in the walled garden.

If you are new or need a refresher on parking arrangements and pedestrian access routes for our apiaries please email the Secretary for information on secretary@eastlancsbees.org.uk.

There is always something different going on with each colony and as a result the sessions give our members a chance to get some “hands on” with the practical side of beekeeping. We talk through and demonstrate how we can deal with different situations that crop up and therefore we always have jobs that need doing to keep the apiary running.

Please bring a CLEAN full beesuit and CLEAN wellies. We don't allow leather gauntlet type gloves due to risk of infection passing between hives.

Please check club emails for the details and timings of the sessions.

Offshoots @ Towneley Hall

Thanks to the agreement we have with The Offshoots Permaculture Project, we have excellent facilities and as a result can carry out indoor work such as frame and hive building in the covered area, and we can do queen raising by grafting in inclement weather. In addition to this we also have access to the conference room to use for training and meetings.

The apiary is predominantly a teaching apiary, so it is a chance for our new members to come down and get some experience and gain some confidence and for our more experienced members to come down and pass on some tips.

Gawthorpe Hall

Thanks to the agreement we have with Gawthorpe Hall, we have a second, so called 'out apiary' at the old walled garden.

This apiary is also set up for teaching, but due to there being no spare bee suits at the site, it is used for members rather than for introductory courses or other sessions where attendees may not have their own personal protective equipment.

Hive Scale

We have installed a hive scale on one of the hives at Offshoots, which gives data about the weight of the hive. You can see the 'live' readings from the data logger below. This is still somewhat of an experiment, but hopefully will be of interest to members and other beekeepers in the area.

While there are some unexplained blips in readings, you will be able to see the relative trend in weight, indicating a flow coming in or when the colony may be consuming more stores than it is able to replenish.

Apiary Rules

Any Member making use or visiting this site must sign in at Off-Shoots and do so entirely at the members own risk and ELBKA shall not be liable for any damage or injury to property or the member. Entrance to the site is acknowledgement and acceptance of the rules listed below
Clean bee suits should be worn, with clean disposable gloves – it is advised that these be donned before entry to the apiary. Hive tools, smokers and other tools shall be cleaned and sterilised where appropriate.
ONLY Association hive tools, smokers etc may be used at the association apiaries
No rubbish/debris to be left on site. This includes wax and hive debris. This should be removed and disposed of responsibly.
Smokers to be knocked out only in the bin provided.
No bees to be brought on site or removed from site without express prior approval from the Committee.
No equipment to be brought on site or removed from site without express prior approval from the Committee and thorough cleaning/sterilisation.
Any colonies, hives or equipment found on site without express prior permission from the Committee may be removed and destroyed with no compensation to members.
Any members carrying out duties or routine management of the Association colonies shall update the colony/apiary records in the prescribed format.
Any member carrying out routine management or manipulation of colonies shall advise the apiary team immediately of any colony welfare concerns that could harm the colony, such as queenlessness, shortage of stores and disease.
This site is managed by the ELBKA Apiary Team on behalf of the Committee of ELBKA.

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