Beginning Bee Class

This eight-session series is designed for individuals serious about starting a beekeeping hobby. The class will take the participant through the annual cycle of beekeeping from establishing a hive to harvesting and marketing the honey produced. Class members will be actively involved in learning activities by working with the hives at the Indian Creek Nature Center.

Textbook: Starting Right with Bees by R.I. Root Company. All classes are held at Indian Creek Nature Center.

Purpose: To show and explain the equipment and materials needed for beekeeping.
Items to Cover:

1. Essentials for a functioning beehive and total costs.
2. Demonstration of the assembly of the hive body and class participation in assembling frames.
3. What to wear when working with bees and options in ordering equipment and bees.
4. Pooling of equipment and bee orders.

Purpose: To learn about bee behavior, installing a package of bees, registration and inspection of bees.
Items to Cover:

1. Individual bee and colony behavior.
2. Assembling the bee hive.
3. Where to locate beehives.
4. View a video on installing a package of bees.
5. Registration and inspection of bees and other resources to help beekeepers.

Purpose: To show how to install a package of bees and discuss early care of bees. Your package of bees to be picked up at this session.

Purpose: To learn about and practice early spring management techniques.
Items to Cover:

1. Characteristics of different races of bees.
2. Mite detection and control.
3. Purpose and use of the smoker.
4. Locating the queen and evaluation of brood.
5. Bee diseases & detection/prevention.

Purpose: To cover important hive management techniques prior to honey flow.
Items to Cover:

1. The impact of swarming and supercedures.
2. Evaluation of colony build-up.
3. Identification of desirable plants and trees for bees.

Purpose: To consider midsummer hive management and processing and marketing of bee products.
Items to Cover:

1. Alternative methods of honey removal.
2. Late summer treatment for diseases and mites.
3. Items needed for extracting, processing and storing honey.
4. Marketing.

Purpose: To show how to process honey and prepare the bees for winter.
Items to Cover:

1. Extracting and processing ways.
2. Handling supers after harvest.
3. Winterizing the hive.

Purpose: To assist in developing plans for overwintered hives and to review management practices for early spring.

Iowa Honey Producers Association