Classes and Events

 

Beekeeping Through Three Seasons - Saturday mornings throughout the year

This course presents Beginning Beekeeping in a seasonally-appropriate setting.  Classes may be taken individually for $20 apiece or as a course for $50 for all three sessions.  The class will feature a 2 hour lecture class in the Kitchen Classroom, followed by a hive inspection at the store hive if weather permits.  Reading will be recommended but no textbook is required.  Instructor:  Phil Gaven, Master Beekeeper
  • Session 1 - Saturday April 13th, 10:30-12:30 - Spring Management
    • Neighbor management, Installing a package or nucleus colony, Spring feeding, Assessing the brood pattern and queen health
  • Session 2 - Saturday May 11th, 10:30-12:30 - Summer Management and Integrated Pest Management
    • Principles of hive inspection, Swarm management, Disease control, Queen issues, and Assessing Varroa mites
  • Session 3 - Saturday August 24th, 10:30-12:30 - Autumn is Approaching
    • Treating for Varroa mites, Assessing honey stores and honey harvest, Combining hives, and Readying hives for winter

 Classroom attendance is limited to 12 students.  Please visit the store or call us at 207-773-9333.

 

 

Honeybee Classes at Portland Adult Education

This course presents three different perspectives on beehives and beekeeping.  The classes can be taken individually or as a series of three.  Classes are held at Deering High School on Stevens Avenue, Portland  Instructor:  Phil Gaven, Master Beekeeper
  • Session 1 - Wednesday May 22nd 6:30-8:00 - Beekeeping 101
    • This class will give an overview of keeping bees. We will discuss the equipment and investment in dollars, time, and education required for the hobby. We will take you through the beekeeper's year and the requirements as the seasons progress to ensure a healthy colony.
  • Session 2 - Wednesday May 29th 6:30-8:00 - The Honeybee Hive - A Superorganism and its place in the Ecosystem
    • This class looks at the colony of insects working together as a unified whole. Success keeping bees lies in understanding the functioning of the hive superorganism: a living unit with specialized functions, cycles of growth and reduction and overall health. We'll look at changes of the superorganism through the seasons and its interactions with flora and fauna.
  • Session 3 - Wednesday June 5th 6:30-8:00 - Beekeeping - an Ancient Art Facing Modern Problems
    • This class will cover the special relationship between mankind and honeybees. We will discuss the history of honey and beekeeping, the bees' role in traditional agriculture and the way modern agriculture has changed that role. We will look at Colony Collapse Disorder, a complicated problem with no simple solution.

 Sign up through Portland Adult Education - click this link for further details and contact information.



Making Nucleus Colonies - the Future of Northern Beekeeping, 

Saturday May 25th 10:30-12:00

This class will discuss different equipment and purposes for producing nucleus colonies.  We will cover nucs for swarm prevention, for increase, for winter backup, and for rescuing a late-season weak hive.  The class features a 2 hour lecture in the Kitchen Classroom, followed by manipulations at the store hive if weather permits.  Class fee is $25.  Instructor:  Phil Gaven, Master Beekeeper

Classroom attendance is limited to 12 students.  Please visit the store or call us at 207-773-9333.

 

Watch for these classes coming up in 2013!:

And watch the Facebook page for Open Hive sessions on Stevens Avenue . . .