Description
Online Beekeeping Certificate Course
This Online Beekeeping Course comprises four smaller classes that will give you the knowledge needed to set up and manage a honeybee colony successfully. Each class is approached through an ecological lens and emphasizes techniques that work with honeybee colonies’ natural behaviour.
Students can register for all four classes at once or individually. Upon completion, students will receive a Beekeeping Certificate* and access to an Online Community of Practice for the beekeeping season.
Flexible Dates & Times
Each of the four classes has Monday (6-9 PM), Thursday (6-9 PM), and Saturday (1-4 PM) options, which gives you the flexibility to choose a date and time that works best for you. Classes are offered via Zoom. All times are Mountain Standard Time.
Includes:
- 12 hours of beekeeping theory split into 4 classes over four-months
- A Certificate of Completion
- Access to an Online Community of Practice for the entire 2021 beekeeping season
Community of Practice
As part of the course, registrants will have access to an online community of practice for the remainder of the beekeeping season. As a member, you will have ongoing access to class videos, links to beekeeping resources, and a community of new and experienced beekeepers to talk and troubleshoot questions with.
Class 1: All About Honeybees
Dates: January 11th, January 21, and January 30th Options
All About Honeybees focuses on honeybees’ natural history and is relevant to anyone interested in bees or thinking about beekeeping. While this course touches on the act of beekeeping, it is intended to provide a foundational understanding of honeybee evolution, biology, evolution, anatomy, society, casts, and seasonal changes within honeybee colonies. Topics include:
- Honeybee Evolution & Development
- Bee Anatomy & Biology
- Honeybee Colony Society & Behaviour
- Honeybee Casts
- Queenbee life cycle
- Queenlessness, Superseder, Swarming
- Worker bee life cycle
- Drone bee life cycle
- Honeybee Developmental Stages
- Seasonal Colony Behaviour
- Swarming
Class 2: Getting Started in Beekeeping
Dates: February 8th, February 18, and February 27th Options
Getting Started in Beekeeping covers the municipal and provincial requirements for managing honeybees, site selection, equipment choices, management techniques, and bee sources. This course will give you a good idea of the time commitment and costs associated with tending honeybees. Topic includes:
- Beekeeping Equipment Options
- Historical Beekeeping; Trees, Logs, and Skep Hives
- Top-Bar and Warre Hives
- Horizontal Beehives
- Flow Hives and Considerations
- Langstroth Hives
- Beecentric Hives
- Protective Tools and Equipment
- Management Tools
- Honey Extraction Tools
- Choosing A Hive Location
- City of Edmonton & Leduc Guidelines (Urban Beekeeping)
- (Useful for anyone keeping bees in urban environments)
- Alberta Provincial Beekeeping Guidelines
- Considerations for Bees
- Sourcing Honeybees
- Honeybee Packages
- Nucleus (Nuc) Hives
- Splitting a colony
Class 3: Beehive Management and Honeybee Diseases
Dates: Marth 8th, March 18th, and March 27th Options
Beehive Management and Honeybee Diseases, we will cover the essential tasks necessary to perform regular hive inspections. Learn how to assess the strength and health of a colony and its queen, check for various stages of honeybee development, prevent swarming, create splits, and identify, prevent and monitor for common honeybee diseases. Topic includes:
- What to expect when you’re inspecting a beehive
- Beehive Record Keeping
- Working with Natural Honeybee Behaviour
- Season Considerations
- Queenbee & Brood Health
- Managing Colony Growth
- Honeybee Swarm Prevention
- Splitting a Colony
- Catching Swarms
- Colony Disease Prevention
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- Varroa Mite – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Tracheal Mites – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Hive beetle – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Wax moth – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Foulbrood – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Chalkbrood – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Sacbrood – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Viruses – Prevention & Treatment Options
- Feeding and Bee Nutrition
- Queen Genetics
- Chemical Exposure
Class 4: Honey Harvesting and Beehive Winterization
Dates: March 29th, April 8th, and April 17th Options
Honey Harvesting and Beehive Winterization will prepare you for the honey harvest after a long season of beekeeping. Learn various honey extraction methods, processing, bottling and storage for small, medium, and hobby beekeepers. This course will cover how much honey to remove from the hive, condensing the colony down for winter, feeding, disease prevention and treatment options, and wrapping for winter. Topics include:
- Honey Harvesting
- How much Honey to take?
- Comb Honey
- Mechanical Honey Extraction
- Crush and Strain Honey Extraction
- Rendering Beeswax
- Honeybee Winterization
- Disease Load
- Food Stores and Feeding
- Wrapping Beehives
- Insulation Options
- Ventilation
*The Cities of Edmonton and Leduc‘s Beekeeping Guidelines states that “each approved beekeeper must complete a beekeeping course from an accepted organization” and that beekeepers “shall adhere to good management and husbandry practices.”
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