Education & Workshops 2024
THE BEE SCHOOL 2024 CLASSES
We run THE BEE SCHOOL at Black Birch Farm Apiaries. All of our classes are "hands on" and are held at specific times of the beekeeping year so students can immediately apply what they have learned
Interested in Keeping Honey Bees?
Are you a beekeeper wanting to increase you hive management skills?
Are you interested in how to maintain a sustainable apiary reducing expensive hive failure and queen costs?
If any of the above are of interest, the Bee School at Black Birch Farm Apiaries offers the necessary hands-on education to become a more successful and sustainable beekeeper. The Bee School offers our main courses on all aspects of beekeeping with specialized courses offered throughout the year at times when they will be most beneficial to novice and expert beekeeper alike.
The Bee School, through its diverse and timely education programs is a resource center for the region's beekeepers, no matter their level of expertise.
WE HOLD THESE COURSES ANNUALLY ~ FOR FUTURE COURSE OFFERINGS PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR EVENTS PAGE OR SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Our intro class THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL.
Bee School Course 1:
SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
(This is an online course)
Course recommended for beginner and intermediate beekeepers. Honeybee biology and behavior are discussed along with necessary equipment and management techniques for establishing a successful apiary.
- ONLY OFFERED AS A ZOOM CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
5 days: Thursdays Feb 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
ZOOM class meets 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm (Eastern US Time Zone)
CLASS LOCATION:
Held online: - ZOOM ONLY CLASS -
COST: 5 Day Class - $80.00
the next step FOR OVERWINTERED HIVES
Bee School Course 2:
COMING OUT OF WINTER - SPRING MANAGEMENT & MECHANICS
The arrival of spring is a harbinger of excitement for the upcoming bee season but is also a critical time for bee survival and preparation for the forthcoming honey flow. This course details the numerous steps in preparing the hive for the upcoming season including applied areas in:
Feeding
Re-Queening
Equalizing Hives
Swarm Prevention
Disease and Mite Control
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1 day: Saturday March 30, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries,
105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1 Day Class - $50.00
Bee School Course 3:
STARTING YOUR HIVE - INSTALLING PACKAGES AND NUCs
This mini course shows you how to install packages and NUCS and how to set the hive up for a successful installation.
Topics include:
Feeding methods
Queen Finding
Determining status of newly installed packages and NUCS
Countermeasures to installation problems.
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1 day: Saturday, April 20, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries, 105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1 Day Class - $50
Bee School Course 4:
IDENTIFYING AND DEALING WITH HONEY BEE DISEASES & PESTS
The capacity to delineate and identify both diseases and pests of the hive and apiary are essential for sustainable beekeeping. Of critical importance is the ability to quickly initiate countermeasures to minimize the damage that pests and disease create. Unfortunately, there are a myriad of practices and medications that confuse and often delay the necessary treatments in a timely manner.
In this course the following applied subject areas will be detailed:
Identifying Diseases and Pests of the Hive and Apiary
Selecting The Proper Biologic, Physical, and Medication Treatment Protocols
Determining Applied Treatment Efficacy
Integrated Pest Management Applications
Biological and Physical Solutions to Apiary Pests
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1 day: Saturday April 27, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries, 105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1Day Class - $50
Bee School Course 5:
SWARM PREVENTION, TECHNIQUES & CATCHING SWARMS
The ability to manage an Apiary to prevent swarming is essential to obtaining a sufficient honey crop. However, swarming can never be totally eradicated and the facility to both physically capture swarms or bait them into a hive allows beekeepers to economically increase apiary size.
In this course the following applied subject areas will be detailed:
Biological and Physical Methods of Swarm Prevention
Swarm Capturing Tools, Methods, and Techniques
Bait Hive Types and Deployment
Transporting Captured Swarms
Protocols for Integrating a Captured Swarm Into an Apiary
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1 day: Saturday, May 11, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries, 105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1 Day Class - $50
Bee School Course 6:
INCREASING YOUR STOCK - MAKING SPLITS AND NUCS
The ability to make splits and NUCS allows beekeepers to increase their hive numbers and/or have honey bees available to increase weak hive populations or replace dead hives. The following topics are addressed
The biology of making splits
Necessary equipment for making splits
Physical hive manipulation for splits
Post-Split management and maintenance
NUC size options
NUC Location
NUC ventilation, robbing protection, and swarm prevention
Installing NUCs
Over-Wintering NUCs
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1 day: Saturday, May 18, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries, 105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1 Day Class - $50
Bee School Course 7:
THE SUSTAINABLE APIARY: SUMMER MANAGEMENT & MECHANICS
Course details summer management practices for the hive.
Topic Include:
Swarming
Hive Manipulation
Identification and interdiction of honey bee diseases and pests
Supering
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1 days: Saturday, June 8, 20234
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries, 105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1 Day Class - $50
Bee School Course 9:
THE KEY TO SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING: FALL & WINTER MANAGEMENT & MECHANICS
Course details the necessary fall hive inspection, evaluation, and management including:
Feeding
Requeening
Winter hive preparations
Winter feeding
Harvesting The Honey Crop
- ON-SITE CLASS -
CLASS DATES:
1day: Saturdays, August 17, 2024
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
Live class meets 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bee veils are required as students will be opening hives for inspection and discussion.
CLASS LOCATION:
Held onsite at: Black Birch Farm Apiaries, 105 Georgetown Road, West Newbury, MA, 01985
COST: 1 Day Class - $50