Description

Join instructors from the Bee Squad in our teaching apiary on the University of MN St. Paul campus for in-person workshops that will take you from spring to fall. Each class will focus on a specific seasonal management skill, with time for participants to try inspection techniques and ask questions about their own colonies. We encourage beekeepers to sign up for multiple workshops over the season.

Depending on class size and topic, participants may be broken into groups based on experience. Beekeepers should come into the apiary with a basic understanding of honey bee biology and hive structure. We welcome first year beekeepers and those who have taken the Beekeeping in Northern Climates course and want to try hive management before purchasing their own bees!

Course contact

Brooke Nikkila
bsommerf@umn.edu

Registration help

Extension Learning Technologies (ELT)
ext-reg@umn.edu

Please note that participants:

• Must be 18 years or older.
• Bring their own bee veil OR bee jacket OR bee suit to wear in the apiary
• Are willing to work without gloves in the apiary
• Have taken the "Beekeeping in Northern Climates" course OR another basic beekeeping course OR have kept bees for at least one year
• Follow ongoing COVID-19 protocols and stay home if sick

Gloveless beekeeping

One of the core tenets of the Bee Squad’s beekeeping philosophy is to enter colonies without wearing gloves. This allows the beekeeper to have the dexterity and sensory feedback to handle frames and bee boxes in a way that minimizes harm and disruption to the bees. For the safety of all students and instructors, we require that all participants do not wear gloves in our teaching apiaries. We believe that the ability to manage a hive of honey bees calmly and confidently under a wide range of conditions is one of the most important skills gained from our program. However, we cannot guarantee that participants will not be stung during our classes. If you experience adverse reactions to bee stings, please consult with your doctor before attending a workshop. Feel free to contact us with questions prior to registration or attending class!

Course fees

$30 per class/workshop.

Class location, schedule, and workshop descriptions

All beekeeping workshops will be held at our Teaching Apiary on the UMN St. Paul campus from 2:00-3:30 PM Sunday afternoons. See receipt notes for instructions about where to meet.

April 21: Introduction to Beekeeping and Overwintered Hive Inspection

Participants will separate into two groups based on level of experience. Group 1 will learn to light a smoker and do brief hive inspections. Depending on package arrival schedule, we will either hive a package or look through recently hived packages. Group 2 will inspect overwintered hives and discuss reversals, spring feeding, and spring mite management.

May 5: Checking New Packages and Dividing Overwintered Colonies

Participants will separate into two groups based on level of experience. Group 1 will inspect new packages for signs of a healthy laying queen, comb build-up, and abundant food resources. Group 2 will inspect overwintered hives and prepare them for divides. We will discuss traditional divides and walk-away divides.

May 19: Hive Inspection Overview

Learn to inspect hives of all sizes and identify pollen, nectar, all stages of healthy brood, evidence of the queen, and evaluate overall colony health. We will check the packages and divides from the previous workshops to assess their health and development. Finally, we will discuss reasons and strategies for requeening a hive.

June 23: Managing Growing Colonies for Health, Honey Production and Swarm Prevention

June is a time of fast growth for many honey bee hives in Minnesota. Learn to prevent swarms and set your hive up to catch the nectar flow by doing reversals and adding space. We will monitor hives for Varroa mites and discuss mite management plans.

August 4: Managing Mites

August is a critical time in the season to manage Varroa mites. Practice using the powdered sugar shake to monitor for mites and make a treatment plan.

August 25: Pulling Honey Supers

Get tips on removing supers with different methods that minimize robbing and defensive behavior.

September 15: Feeding, Combining, and Treatment to Ensure Healthy Hives

For hives to successfully overwinter, they must have sufficient honey stores, a healthy and sizable population of bees, and be relatively free of mites and disease. We will evaluate hives of different sizes and decide on the appropriate interventions.

October 6: Preparing for Winter

Give your hives their best chance of winter survival with an oxalic acid treatment and proper winter wrapping. We will also discuss options for winter feeding and what to expect from your bees as the hive prepares for winter.

November 10: Colony Autopsy

Join us at the UMN Bee Lab to talk about why your bees died and what equipment you can plan to reuse next season.