This course is a four part series covering the fundamentals of beekeeping and includes a hive tool kit. Each level is offered once a month (with the exception of colder months) and you can take them back to back on the same day, or take one level at a time at your own pace. We give you a year to complete all four levels, provided there is not a gap of more than four months between classes, and award a certificate upon successful completion.
The following classes are also offered individually to those that need just a primer in a particular area. *Individual classes do not include the hive tool kit or certificate of completion.
Level One
Honeybees v. Native Bees
Identify Bee Castes & Responsibilities
Stages of Development
Tools & Protective Gear
Woodenware
Requirements & Responsibilities
Hands-on Hive Inspection - The Basics
Level Two
Managed v. Feral Bees
Apiary Set-up
Equipment Alternatives
Queen Excluders
Hands-on Hive Inspection - Comprehensive with Varroa Mite Wash
Level Three
Breeds of Honeybees
Feeding
Hive Relocation
Usurpation
Robbing
Varroa Mites
Hands-on Hive Inspection - Comprehensive including Moving Brood & Resources, and Mite Checks
Level Four
Pests & Pathogens
Detection
Treatments (IPM)
Record Keeping
Techniques for dealing with a hot hive
Hands-on Hive Inspection - Comprehensive including Queen Marking
