This course, Beginner Beekeeping with Phil Craft, is intended to get a first year beekeeper started with basic knowledge to purchase equipment and honey bees.
There are six (6) one (1) hour classes approximately every other week. The first class starts in November. By the third class the student should be prepared to purchase honey bees and equipment in anticipation for the upcoming beekeeping season. By the end of the course the student should be well prepared to keep their colony healthy and strong through winter.
So You Want to be a Beekeeper?
Recommended Books
- The Beekeepers Handbook” by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile
- First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith Delaplane
- The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum
- Beekeeping for Dummies Howland Blackiston
- Storey Guide to Keeping Honey Bees by Malcolm T. Sanford, Richard E. Bonney
- Beekeeping Basics (download)
- Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping by Dewey Caron
- Keeping Bees Alive: Sustainable Beekeeping Essentials By Lawrence John Connor
- The Biology of the Honey Bee By Mark L. Winston
Session One on November 12, 2020
Session Two on November 19, 2020
Beekeeping Equipment
Handouts
Session One on December 1, 2020
Session Two on December 8, 2020
Getting Bees!
Session One on December 15, 2020
Session Two on December 22, 2020
Honey Bee Biology
Session One on January 5, 2021
Session Two on January 12, 2021
Hive Management Year One
Session One on January 19, 2021
Session Two on January 26, 2021
Challenges for Beekeepers
Session One on February 2, 2021
Session Two on February 9, 2021
Summer & Onward
Session on February 23, 2021