BEEKEEPER EDUCATION 2025
2025 Introductory to Beekeeping Course - Classroom/Field Hybrid
We will again be offering our popular introductory beekeeping course to get you started in this fascinating and worthwhile hobby.
Our course will consist of both classroom and hands-on learning, to give you the necessary theoretical knowledge and also hands-on competence in your observational skills and handling of bees in the yard. We are confident that our course will give you a terrific foundation in your beekeeping journey!
Course Dates
The evening sessions will be the following dates:
- Tuesday, March 18, 2025 from 6-9pm
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025 from 6-9pm
- Tuesday, April 1, 2025 from 6-9pm
Fieldwork day is tentatively set for:
- Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 9am-1pm (weather-dependent; will be rescheduled as necessary)
COURSE CONTENT
The classroom component of the course will encompass the following topics:
Honey bee biology
- Queen, workers, drones
- Communication methods
- The bee lifecycle
- Seasonal cycles
Beekeeping equipment
- Parts of a hive
- Management options - Single or double, top-bar
Working in the bee colony
- Components of a hive inspection
- Adding honey supers
- Notetaking
Bee pests and their treatment
- Varroa mite lifecycle and management
- American Foul Brood, European Foul Brood, Nosema, Chalkbrood
- Wax moth, Small hive beetle
Troubleshooting queen issues
- Swarming and supercedure
- Introducing a new queen
- Laying workers
- Drone layers
Beekeeping responsibilities through the year
The beeyard component will be encompass the following topics, to reinforce good beekeeping practices and to build confidence with working a hive:
Hands-on guided hive inspection, including:
- Smoker use
- Handling of frames
- Identification of types of bees
- Stages of brood development
- Working through the frames
- Recognition of “signs” of a queen-right colony
- Recognizing other colony irregularities
Assessing varroa levels
- Alcohol wash
- Sugar roll
Handling and introducing a queen (practicing with drones!)
Feeding options and demonstration
Winter wrap types and demonstration
This course is ideally suited to aspiring beekeepers, current beekeepers who would like to increase their skillset, and people who are interested in simply learning more and experiencing bees first-hand.
This course consists of 3 evening classroom sessions during the winter months and a fieldwork session in the spring. This will give you both the theoretical and hands-on knowledge to start being a successful beekeeper.
Course content can be reviewed here.
The evening sessions will be the following dates:
- Tuesday, March 18, 2025 from 6-9pm
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025 from 6-9pm
- Tuesday, April 1, 2025 from 6-9pm
Fieldwork day is tentatively set for:
- Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 9am-1pm (weather-dependent; will be rescheduled as necessary)
Both classroom and fieldwork sessions will be held at our home yard in the outskirts of Eganville.
- Full payment is required to register and to reserve your seat. If you prefer to pay by eTransfer, please email us at info[at]honeybeecompany[dot]ca
Courses are transferable. There will be a $20 administration fee charged for cancelling a registration.