Beginners’ Beekeeping Course including Flow Hive
The course is designed to provide new or potential beekeepers (including those considering Flow Hives) with the necessary knowledge, confidence and practical skills to successfully manage their beehive. You gain confidence from having hands on experience and you will know the legal responsibilities required of a bee keeper before starting your first hive.
The Beginners’ Beekeeping Course is highly recommended before you start in bees. This course provides participants with the information they need to start beekeeping with confidence. It is specifically aiming at small recreational beekeeping and covers topics specific to keeping bees in the Sydney suburbs. No prior bee keeping knowledge or experience is required. Attending this course allows you to 5% discount at selected retailers and you will be able to obtain a bee swarm from the club.
This course is a must for anyone interested in purchasing bees or who has a flow hive. Depending on the weather we will open one or more of these hives and you will see them operating. In poor weather we may not be able to open and inspect a hive. If this occurs you will be given the opportunity to postpone this activity to another suitable day.
The Beginners’ course covers these topics:
– Introduction to beekeeping and Registration
– Safety around the bee hive and bee stings
– Personal protective gear
– Bio security and good bee keeping practices
– Locating the hive and re-locating your hive
– How and where to get the bees
– Bee hive management and pest controls
– Honey bees – castes, lifecycles, re-queening
– Catching a swarm
– Seasonal management
– Buying second hand hive equipment, frames, boxes, smoker & hive tools
– Buying your first bee hive – Langstroth 8 or 10 frame, or another hive type
– Up to 2 hours of hands on hive inspections
– Opening a hive and handling bees with confidence
– Flow®Hive – advantages
– Using essential equipment, smoker, hive tools, brush and queen markers
– Storing your equipment
– Record keeping
– On going support and mentoring
– Review and questions during the Course
The Course is run over two weekends (normally consecutive Saturdays 9am to 4:30pm) so that you have the chance to try out your newly acquired skills on your own (or a friends) beehive. The cost of the course is $395 which includes all handouts and resources. Included in the two-day course is a complimentary copy of the NSW DPI’s publication “Bee Agskills“ and a new hive tool. All lunches, morning and afternoon biscuits, tea or coffee and soft drinks are included.
If you have your own bee suit or jacket, please remember to bring it to the course. You will be dealing with live bees. The Club does have a limited number of jackets, hoods and veils for loan. Please make sure you wear long pants, gloves(optional) are recommended and a long sleeve cotton shirt. Closed footwear should be worn.