2 Day Class:

Day 1: April 1st 9 AM - 5 PM, &

Day 2: April 2nd 9 AM - 5 PM.

Description:

Every year a handful of brave and curious individuals decide that they want to learn how to keep honey bees. Often times they have been thinking about it for a long time and have done some research, and they already know that there is quite a bit involved. Others decide to start beekeeping more spontaneously, but have no idea where to start or what to expect. Whether you fit into either of these cases or something in between, if you are a new beekeeper your first step before diving in should always be the same: take a beginner course!

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 and happy bees, and will help ensure your apiary becomes a source of pleasure and enjoyment, while reducing the inevitable stresses and challenges that come with caring for a new animal.

Here at Urban Bee we have been helping new beekeepers in BC get their start for over a decade. Our instructor Julia Common, who has decades of experience in beekeeping both in the city and out of it, 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. Whether you are planning to be beekeeping in your backyard, on a small acreage, and/or as a part of a business - we look forward to welcoming you into the wonderful world of beekeeping!

Note: We currently have bees available for sale for April 12th. These may be a great option for a new beekeeper who wants to take a class, and then get their bees. You can view those here.

About this course:

Rooted in the love for bees and the culture of the hive, this 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, and will involve a mix of classroom and hands-on learning. The class will cover all the core topics needed to get started in beekeeping and keeping happy and healthy colonies. Weather permitting, time will be spent in our in-site Urban Bee Educational Apiary which is set-up and maintained specifically for helping teach new beekeepers. However, if weather is poor the class will still go ahead and make use of props, images and videos as appropriate.

The class is organized into 5 modules, each of which covers the fundamentals of honey bees and beekeeping, with the intention of providing what you need to get started on your beekeeping journey. More info on the modules below.

We have also made available an optional Hands-on Field Workshop which can be added while registering for this event. Although it is optional, we highly recommended it if it is at all possible for you to attend. When taking the beginner class there is a lot of information, and we find it is very helpful for new beekeepers to come back for a focused workshop to help remind them what they are looking for during inspections, and to spend more time on the practical techniques that will make their beekeeping process easier. Plus, in late April and May weather tends to be more reliably good for beekeeping, and may provide an opportunity for hands-on practice if weather is not good for the beginner class itself. This Field Workshop will take place at the Urban Bee Educational Apiary as well.

Class runs from 9am-5pm Saturday and Sunday, including a break for lunch each day.

The class comes with some additional options and perks, detailed below:

• Registrants will receive a 5% discount code that can be used online or in-store between the following dates: March 27th - April 30th. This applies to all products, including hive equipment, tool and cloth, with the following exceptions being excluded from discounts: education and services, live bees, books and posters, gift cards, medications, and items already on sale.
• As mentioned above you will also be able to register for an optional hands-on field workshop, to take place in late April or early May, to help you refresh and reinforce your practical knowledge a few weeks later and spend more time on technique, under the guidance of an experienced beekeeping mentor. Highly recommended!
• You can order our most highly recommended books while checking out for this class at a discounted rate. In the past we have typically included a book with a beginner class, but often our customers had already purchased one prior to registering, so we decided to make it optional here and keep the overall class price lower for those who already have these books. While the books are optional, we think these resources will serve you very well as an initial & long-term reference, and are highly recommended!

Above: Julia performing an inspection in one of her Ladner, BC apiaries.

About the Instructor:

Julia is a Vancouver, BC-area beekeeper with over 40 years of experience. She is a BCHPA certified instructor, BC Regional Director for 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 very well the unique challenges and considerations 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 challenges of countryside 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.

Format:

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

The five modules:

1. Introduction to Bees & Beekeeping
2. The Basics & Getting Started
3. Bee & 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:

You can register on this page by clicking "Get tickets", and adding the main course plus any optional add-ons you would like. Once you have signed up you will receive updates and reminders as we get closer to the date of the class, and you will receive the 5% discount code prior to March 27th.

We highly encourage you to consider adding on one of the optional hands-on field workshop dates. Both dates cover roughly the same material, so whatever date is most convenient for you is best. These field workshops will take place at the Urban Bee Educational Apiary, which is set-up specifically for new beekeeper education. You will get an opportunity to perform more hands-on practice to help drive home what you learned during the full course. Please note that these dates could be re-scheduled if weather does not permit safe and productive hive inspections on the initially planned date.

While registering you can also add our most recommended books for new beekeepers. You will be purchasing them at a discounted rate this way, and we can have the books ready for you for pick-up by the time of the course, or earlier upon request. More details on these book options below.

Where is this event?

This workshop 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.

It also includes our educational apiary which is set-up and is maintained specifically for the purpose of facilitating beekeeper education, with the goal of being able to offer hands-on learning and mentorship throughout the year to local beekeepers. We hope this will help new beekeepers take up their new passion with greater ease and help support hobby apiarists in their pursuit of joyful and sustainable beekeeping.

Our store is here as well and there will be access to the Urban Bee retail space if you want to visit or purchase anything before or after the class. If you order in advanced during the week before your class using your discount code we will have your order ready for convenient pick-up by the time you arrive.

Depending on class size the event may take place either inside the main building or inside the heritage house. In either case, there will be access to washrooms, a kitchen with fridge, water/coffee/tea, some snacks and other amenities. That said, we are only 5 minutes from Ladner village where you can quickly pick-up a bite to eat during the lunch break.

Photo Above: Urban Bee's retail store and warehouse is in the big red building. Larger classes may take place inside the upstairs or downstairs. Also in the photo is the yellow heritage house (behind the trees), which is where we often have smaller classes and workshops.

Photo Above: This heritage house from the early 1900s is a beautiful on-site fixture. This is how it appears when standing at our educational apiary. While larger classes will probably take place in the main building, the heritage house may be the staging ground for the optional field workshops. You are also welcome to walk the grounds, and may even decide you'd like to take your lunch on the heritage house porch during the beginner class lunch break.

Photo Above: Julia Common leading a workshop in one of our 2022 workshops at our Educational Apiary. If weather permits you may even visit the apiary during the beginner class, but if you really want to guarantee some hands-on practice with an instructor, make sure to add-on one of the optional workshop dates during registration!

Above: Photo of our on-site beekeeping retail store. We are a one-stop beekeeping shop and can set you up with all of your beginner beekeeping equipment and supplies! Please feel free to visit and talk with our friendly staff during before or after the class and we would be happy to help you with your supply needs and questions.

IMPORTANT NOTES (PLEASE READ PRIOR TO REGISTRATION):

• Please anticipate that a mandatory waiver of liability will need to be filled prior to beginning participation in this class in recognition of the inherent dangers associated with any potential field work and handling of honeybees and related equipment.

• Hive tools and any other direct bee/hive handling equipment will be provided by the instructor. This is required to prevent the spread of disease into the educational apiary. However, your freshly laundered protective clothing and a bee smoker are acceptable, if you already have your own!

Photo above: Image of one of our educational apiary hives during an in-person workshop.

Photo above: Honeybee Diseases & Pest by CAPA, Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum, The Beekeeper's Journal by Kim Flottum

Customers also have the option at check-out to add the following books at ~15-25% off, The Backyard Beekeeper and Honeybee Diseases & Pests are in particular strongly recommended:

o Copy of the Backyard Beekeeper, 4th Edition (Value of $32.99) -- Available at check-out for $28.00

o Copy of Honeybee Diseases & Pests (Value of $24) -- Available at check-out for $18.00

o Copy of The Beekeeper’s Journal (Value: $25.99) -- Available at check-out for $22.00

Regarding cancellations:

Please note that if you register and must later cancel your registration for the class due to personal circumstances a full refund can be provided minus the Eventbrite fee. Cancellations must be received 48 hours prior to the start of the workshop to provide adequate time to find a new attendee. If the cancellation was requested less than 48 hours prior to the event and we are unable to fill the vacant attendee spot Urban Bee Supplies reserves the right to retain the full payment.

Above: Photo of a beautiful day in the educational apiary last year during one of our workshops.

We look forward to being a part of your beekeeping adventure!