Certified Beginner Beekeeping Course

Description:

Beekeeping is an immensely rewarding but also significantly challenging pursuit. Taking a beginner class will help you start your beekeeping adventure right, giving you detailed instruction on what to expect over the course of a season, and helping you understand what you are seeing each time you open your hive.

Beekeeper knowledge is the most important part of keeping healthy bees and will help ensure your apiary becomes a source of pleasure and enjoyment.

Here at Urban Bee we have been helping new beekeepers in BC get their start for over a decade. Our BCHPA Certified instructor Julia Common, who has decades of experience in both urban and rural beekeeping , has helped hundreds of new beekeepers start their beekeeping journey already. We have learned a lot together over the years from our class attendees and customers about the needs and challenges for new beekeepers, and we strive to apply that knowledge to help our registrants succeed in their new passion.

About this course:

Rooted in the love for all bees and the culture of the hive, this 2 day Certified Beginner Beekeeping Course covers the core principles that support the best practices of beekeeping. Whether you plan to keep a few or many colonies, or whether you plan to keep them in the city or a more rural setting, this course will provide you with the fundamental skills and knowledge you will need to start your journey with your bees .

Beginner Beekeeping classes have a focus on the practical knowledge and technique needed to get started with honey bees. This weekend course will cover all the core topics needed to get started in beekeeping and keeping happy and healthy colonies.

This course includes 2 days of theory and one field day in the UBS teaching apiary to round out to 16 hours of instruction.

The class runs from 9am-4:30pm Saturday and Sunday, including a break for lunch each day.

Date: March 14th & March 15th

Field Day: Sunday June 7th; rescheduled to Sunday June 14th if poor weather

Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Location: This weekend course will take place at Urban Bee located at 5300 34b Avenue in Delta, BC. We are located in the same location as West Coast Seeds, of which Urban Bee is a division, and we share their beautiful grounds which include trial gardens, orchards, and a beautiful heritage house.

Format:

This course is presented in five-parts over the course of 2 days.

The five modules:

1. Honey bee Biology and Behaviour
2. The Basics & Getting Started
3. Colony Nutrition, Growth & Health
4. The Four Seasons of Beekeeping & Products from the Hive
5. Honey Harvesting & Integrated Pest Management

The exact progress and order of the modules may not follow exactly the above between sessions, as the progress & interest of each class can vary. However, all of the above topics will be covered by the end of the class to make sure you are ready to start beekeeping!

Registering:

This course is intended for adults and is restricted to those 18+

You can register on this page by clicking "Get tickets". Once you have signed up you will receive updates and reminders as we get closer to the date of the class.

Format:

This class takes place in the late Winter and will allow participants to get a jump on the beekeeping season. March does not always allow for spending much hive visit time, so the class will be predominantly indoors.

A field day will be offered on June 7th to supplament this beginner course. We also recommend returning later in the season for one of our Hand-in-the-Hives mentorship classes that take place from April - October.

Taking a beginner class is a necessary first step before being able to participate in one of our many hands-on workshops.

NOTE: We also recommend that those interested in participating in our beekeeping course take the free Ministry of Agriculture webinar as a pre-curser, although this is not a requirement to join our course. Beekeeping courses - Province of British Columbia

We also recommend that those interested in taking up beekeeping join a local bee club so they are in contact with other beekeepers on an ongoing basis once they complete the course.

About the Instructor:

Julia is a Vancouver, BC-area beekeeper with over 40 years of experience. She is a BCHPA certified instructor, a member of the Western Apicultural Society, and member of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturalists. Formerly the co-founder and chief beekeeper of Hives for Humanity, Julia’s current focus lies in her research, pollination work, and livestock production through her new operation ‘Bees Actually’. Julia is also a frequent speaker at local bee clubs, providing knowledge and insight in her unique voice to hundreds of local beekeepers year after year.

Julia has many years of experience helping new and hobby beekeepers. Through her work with Hives for Humanity she came to understand the unique challenges and opportunities of urban beekeeping. However, the bulk of her hives have remained in rural Ladner, and with experience in crop pollination she also understands the unique considerations for rural beekeeping.

Regardless of your setting, Julia knows what is most helpful for “newbees” making their management decisions and is inspired to help them become thoughtful and successful beekeepers. You will love her enthusiastic teaching style, and she is very well known for her fun & insightful presentations!

Above: Photo of a beautiful day in the educational apiary during one of our past workshops. ; Below: Educational space in 2023.

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