Beekeeping Course for Beginners

What you'll learn

Learn the basics of beekeeping and visit our rooftop hives with our home, garden & cooking short courses in Sydney!

Bees from city bee yards are said to be healthier and more productive than their country cousins. Their presence also provides cities with enormous environmental benefits as they pollinate a wide variety of native plants that otherwise may struggle in urban environments. Keeping bees is also a great way to nurture your own garden and produce wonderful fruit and veggies as well as producing your own delicious honey.

However, bees are under constant threat from urbanisation and the over-use of insecticide. Here in Australia, we are lucky to be the only country in the world with a healthy bee population, not affected by the deadly Varroa mite, and beekeepers across the nation are working hard to keep it that way. Get involved and find out how to keep bees in your own backyard.

This Beekeeping for Beginners course looks at the principles of backyard and urban beekeeping and gives students a basic knowledge of European Honeybees as well as our own native Australian bees.

The day includes an opportunity to put on the protective gear and see inside a working hive (weather permitting).

Included is a copy of "Bee AgSkills" (published by NSW Primary Industries).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this beekeeping course, you should be able to:

• Know about safety around the bee yard and the protective equipment available
• Understand the different methods of beekeeping
• Identify the different types of honeybees
• Understand the benefits of different types of beehive
• Locate and manage a beehive successfully
• Know the beekeeping regulations and registration requirements
• Harvest honey from your hive
• Identify various bee pests and diseases.

Course content

What will be covered in this beekeeping course?

• Why the sudden interest in bees?
• World problems - disease, mites and hive deaths
• Native bees
• European honeybees
• Bee biology
• Building healthy colonies, natural beekeeping, commercial beekeeping and urban beekeeping
• What goes on inside a hive
• Hive types - Langstroth, Warre and Kenyan hives - relative productivity and ease of maintenance
• Becoming a "beek" - regulations and personal commitment
• Getting started and the costs involved
• Healthy bees and how to maintain them
• Bee diseases

Intended audience

Who is this beekeeping course for?

This course is for anyone interested in urban beekeeping.

Please note: the classroom is accessible, but rooftop access is via stairs only.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd on the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Course materials

What to bring to class

If the weather is right, we will visit and open the rooftop hives. A protective jacket, veil and gloves will be provided, but please:

• Wear long pants and closed shoes
• Bring a device or pen & notepad for taking notes

Please note: rooftop hives are accessed via a narrow staircase (22 steps)