Standard Course for Beginner and Hobbyist Beekeepers with Promotion (10.5 hours/7 weeks)

FOR WHOM IS THIS COURSE?

People who want to start or have already started with beekeeping and want to learn how to manage their hives effectively during the whole year and have good knowledge of bee biology that can lead to making the right decisions when the beekeeper has a problem with the beehives.

Instructor: Dr. Karén Avetisyan. You can read about the instructor at https://www.beekeepingservices.com/about

Duration: 7 weeks, every Wednesday at 7 pm EST, from October 16th, 2024 to November 27th, 2024; at 1-1.5 hours for each class. The classes will be recorded and available for a later watch.

SYLLABUS:

GENERAL AND BIOLOGY

• History of beekeeping

• Honey bee products

• Honey bee anatomy and physiology

• Biology of a honey bee colony/superorganism, bees’ functional roles in a hive

• Honey bee subspecies

• Equipment & tools used in beekeeping; hives components; different types of hives

• Choosing an apiary site

• Ordering bees and installation of hives

• Colony annual life cycle; reproduction by swarming

• Communication

• Mating biology

• Genetics

• Nutrition

• How bees make honey

BEHAVIOR

• Foraging

• Robbing: How to understand if the robbing is happening and how to prevent or struggle for it.

DISEASES AND PESTS

• Varroa destructor

• Nosema

• Chalkbrood

• American Foulbrood

• European Foulbrood

• Tracheal mite

• Viruses

• Wax moths

• Small hive beetles

• About colony collapse disorder.

SEASONAL WORK WITH BEES

SPRING WORK:

• Early checking colonies

• Identifying problems in the hives after wintering

• How to enhance colonies and have healthy bees

• How to make effective splits

• Rearing queens and drones; queen installation

• How to treat Varroa destructor

• What to do if you have chalkbrood in your hive

• Feeding technology in springtime to avoid diarrhea

• How to make bees visit concrete flowers

• What to do when bees get poisoned by pesticides & what to do with the combs.

SUMMER WORK:

• Swarm control

• How to order the nest appropriately so that the bees can do their best in collecting nectar and pollen

• Taking care of the splits

• American and European foulbrood

• Struggling against small hive beetles

• Identifying, and extracting ripe honey in time and why it is important.

AUTUMN WORK:

• Struggling against robbing

• Treatment against Varroa and Nosema (if there is any Nosema)

• Feeding technology in autumn time (if needed) to avoid diarrhea because of feeding

• Preparing bees for the winter (which frames to remove from the colony and how to organize the nest)

• Identifying honeydew honey in the hives and if there is some, what to do with it (as this honey is bad for bees).

WINTERING:

• How to understand if the bees have enough feed in wintertime and how to feed if needed

• How to understand if the bees are wintering well.

HONEY:

• Honey harvest and extraction

• How to store honey to avoid fermentation.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Honey bee biology and behavior

How to manage your hives effectively

How to identify problems in your hives and how to solve them

Disease and pest control.

This course comes with a handbook.

Participants will receive a CERTIFICATE upon completion.