Beekeeping for Beginners: How to Be a Successful Beekeeper!
What you'll learn
- Students will learn about the history of beekeeping and collecting honey for food.
- They will have a firm understanding about why honey bees are dying and how to help them.
- Students will learn the cost/time commitment, equipment needed, and everything else they need to know to become a beekeeper.
- Students will know what state and local regulations they should research before placing hives on their property.
- Students will learn about the primary breeds of honey bees used by beekeepers, and about their basic physiology.
- Students will know where to buy their own honey bees.
- Students will learn about the main types of hives used by beekeepers.
- Students will know what basic beekeeping equipment they need and where to buy it from reputable suppliers.
- Students will also know how to setup their hives and put their bees into them.
- They will learn about the different diseases and parasites that affect honeybees, and how to treat them.
- Students will learn the annual hive maintenance schedule used by beekeepers, and what they should be looking for during each season of the year.
- They will have a solid understanding of how to manage the hives and inspect them on a regular basis.
- They will know when and how to extract the honey from the hives, process it, and bottle it for sale.
Requirements
- Students should have an interest in becoming a beekeeper and learning all the basics required to be successful at beekeeping.
- Students should be interested in finding out what they can do to help save honey bees.
- Individuals who are interested in a hobby where the learning never stops will love this course!
- Successful students will not mind being outdoors and getting hot.
- Students who know that they are allergic to honey bees SHOULD NOT take this course. Beekeeping is not a hobby for someone who is allergic to bee stings.
Description
At Queen Bri's Honey, we are 5th generation beekeepers, and our entire family is involved in our beekeeping operation. Let us teach you how to be beekeepers!
Whether your interest in beekeeping is as a hobby, because your grandpa once kept bees when you were growing up, or you think this might be a cool little side business, this course will help get you started on your new adventure as a beekeeper!
In this course, you will learn everything you need to know about getting started as a beekeeper. By the time you finish this course, you will have learned all about each of the topics listed below, and you will be ready to get started out in your own beekeeping adventure.
With 44+ lessons and 9+ hours of instruction, there is a ton of information packed into this course. In fact, this course contains even more information than my 2- day in-person Beginner Beekeeping class that I conduct!
We will cover the following topics:
History of Beekeeping
Benefits of Bees
Decline of the Honeybee Population
Zoning, Neighbors, Family Support, Costs, and Time Considerations
What You Need to Do Before You Start Beekeeping
Types of Honey Bees
Obtaining Your Bees
How Bees Communicate and Make Honey
Honey Bee Life Cycle - Honeybee Jobs & How Queens are Made
Types of Hives
Selecting a Location for Your Hives
Protecting Your Hives With Raised Stands and Fencing
Basic Beekeeping Equipment - What You Need and What's Optional
Video Demo: Basic Beekeeping Equipment
Video Demo: How to Build Your Equipment for Your Bees Arrival
How to Install Your Bees into Their New Hive
Video Demo: How to Install Packages of Bees
Do's and Don'ts Before Visiting Your Hives
How Often to Inspect Your Hive Throughout the Year
Video Demo: How to Light Your Smoker
Video Demo: How to Suit Up to Prevent Getting Stung
How to Inspect a Beehive - Inside and Out
Video Demo: How to Inspect Your New Beehive
What to Expect Your First 12 Months
Beekeeping Calendar: How Beekeeping Inspections Change Throughout the Year
How Nectar Flow and Bloom Cycles Affect Your Bees
Common Hive Problems
Potential Hive Diseases
Honeybee Pests - Prevention and Treatment
Honey Harvest - Honey Extraction Equipment Needed & How to Harvest Your Honey
Honey Label Requirements
Cleaning Up Your Beeswax to Make Bee Products With It
When and How to Prepare Your Hives for Winter
Video Demo: Preparing Your Hives For Winter
This class uses multiple learning formats, from PowerPoint slides, to handouts, to on-site video demonstrations in one of our apiaries (bee yard) so that the information can be easily learned no matter your preferred learning style.
If you have any questions during or after the course, you are always more than welcome to contact me. I am so excited to help you get started as a beekeeper, and I look forward to hearing stories about your new beekeeping adventures!
Who this course is for:
- This course is for someone who is interested in learning all the basics of becoming a beekeeper, the equipment needed, and how to run a successful apiary.
- Beginner beekeepers who are wanting to reinforce skills or who want to further their current beekeeping skills.
- People who cannot make it to an in-person beekeeping class due to time constraints or lack of a local class to take.
Instructor
- 4.7 Instructor Rating
- 452 Reviews
- 1,262 Students
- 1 Course
This class is taught by Tonya Wells and Brianna Wells. I'm Tonya Wells with Queen Bri's Honey! Together with my dad and my daughter, Brianna, we are 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation beekeepers. We are located just outside of Oklahoma City. Queen Bri's Honey is named after my daughter Brianna, one of our Head Beekeepers. We sell our raw, unfiltered honey, and offer Beekeeping 101 and Intermediate Beekeeper classes, and now have an Online Beginner Beekeeping 101 Class available. We also offer Beekeeper Services that include bee removals, assistance with hive installations, hive maintenance, bee presentations, and speaking engagements.