Having a beehive in your back garden may seem like something you see in a Victorian picture postcard.

But beekeeping is no longer the preserve of farmers and country folk - anyone with a back garden or a flat roof can give it a go.

The hobby is becoming increasingly popular with people who live in urban areas and courses for learning the basics are springing up across Sussex.

Dennis Stidder, a lecturer in psychology and childcare at Sussex Downs College, based in Lewes, has been beekeeping for more than 20 years and is setting up a part-time course at the college.

Mr Stidder, 58, said: "Bee-keeping can be done in the back yard, however small, or on a flat roof.

"You have to be neighbourly and be careful not to upset someone. Some people are allergic and you also have to take that into account.

"But it's not really dangerous. A lot of people are scared of bees but my seven-year-old boy is not as he has been around them for a long time.

"It is a great hobby and takes you back to nature."

Mr Stidder first got hooked on beekeeping when he took a course in the late Seventies. Since then he has kept hives in his garden.

In the past he has had as many as 15 hives but currently only has one because he is living in a terraced house.

But he said in a good summer, just one hive could produce between 40lb and 60lb of honey, as well as wax.

He said: "I remember the first time I looked into my hive without anyone there.

"It's worrying because there are thousands of bees and you don't want to hurt them or squash them.

"It has been more of a hobby for me, even though there are bee-keepers who make a lot of money. I just give the honey away to friends."

Bees are now in hibernation and will start to wake again in February when the queen lays eggs.

Mr Stidder said there was a real difference in taste between supermarket honey and honey from the back garden.

He said: "Sussex honey is world renowned and has a lot of variety in it. You haven't got huge fields here like in the USA so the bees forage in all sorts, like poppies and dandelions."

The courses are aimed at beginners and novices, with more advanced courses later on.

For further information about the course, call the college on 01323 637427.