In-Person Core Bee Course

Betterbee's Core Bee Course is the foundation of our beekeeping curriculum, offering an affordable, useful, and interesting class for new beekeepers. This is meant for beginner beekeepers and prospective beekeepers who want to learn about keeping bees. After taking the Core Bee Course, you should be prepared to order bees and hive equipment, and to keep your bees healthy, happy, and productive throughout the year.

Dates and times: Our in-person Core Bee Course is offered right here at Betterbee Headquarters on select Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. We will begin the first lecture promptly at 10am, with short breaks and a longer lunch break built intot he schedule. We'll end with a Q&A period and a chance for you to collect any supplies you may need before you head home, full of beekeeping knowledge and confidence!

Note: We also offer online classes following our same Core curriculum, if you are unable to join us here in Greenwich, NY Online Core Bee Course.

The Core Course begins with an assigned recorded lecture on honey bee biology, which you should watch at home before our class meets. The first lecture covers the biology and life cycle (development) of honey bees. Understanding the normal functions of a colony is key to recognizing what is normal or abnormal when we examine a hive. We will learn about the different castes of bees (the queen, workers, and drones) and their roles in the life of the colony, and how to tell them apart. There will be photographs of combs with pollen, brood, eggs, and honey, and the differences will be explained so you'll know what to look for when examining a hive. We will also spend a few minutes on the history of beekeeping and what innovations made modern beekeeping possible.

The live-instruction portion of the class is divided into two sections, with time after each section for students to ask questions and discuss the best tools and equipment for their needs:

Section 1: Focuses on setting up an apiary in the right location, with the right hive equipment, tools, and personal protective gear. We will present the various options available in beehives and the advantages and disadvantages of each design. We will also cover the different options for obtaining the most important equipment for your first colony: the bees!

Section 2: Covers hive inspections, pests, and seasonal management. Emphasis will be on determining the status of a colony and what it needs from you. We will talk about what a "good brood pattern" looks like, and how to decide whether colonies need supplemental food or need to be given extra space for storing surplus honey. We will also go through "a year in the life" of the colony and will talk about what to expect and what needs to be done during each season of the beekeeping year. Finally we will emphasize how important it is to understand, recognize, and control honey bee pests and diseases. Many beginning beekeepers watch their colonies die from disease, and our hope is to prevent that in all of our students.

Preparation:

Required: Watch the approximately 1 hour long recorded introductory lecture, which will be emailed to you prior to the first course meeting.

Optional: We encourage students to review a beginner beekeeping book (or a few!) before they come to class. One excellent text we like is Diana Samataro's The Beekeeper's Handbook.