So you have bought your first bee hive and completed an introduction course and now want to have a bit more practice so you are really confident doing the general day to day beehive inspections.

This hands on day will be working with hives in the Apiary, and is limited to 6 people.

This class is designed for beekeepers who have already done the introduction course, we will start the day with a small amount of practical discussion followed by a hands on day opening and inspecting the hives.

Hands on activities will include;

disease inspection for biosecurity code of practice
swarm control techniques
splitting hives
preparing nucleus hives
robbing honey
preparing hives for winter

What should I wear/bring ? Our classes take place outdoors so you’ll need clothing suitable for the weather on the day. Even if it is very hot you will need long pants, long sleeves and closed shoes for the practical part of the day.

Please do not bring any of your beekeeping gear as we supply everything - for biosecurity risk it is better to use our gear.

You’ll also need sunscreen and your lunch and a bottle of water.

Is there parking available? Yes there is plenty of parking available at Edendale

Do I need to bring lunch? Yes please bring lunch and a drink - a water bottle and sunscreen is a good idea

How old do you need to be to do the course? We usually suggest an age of 16 and above for the adult courses but feel free to contact me if you have a special request

About Us: Benedict is a well-known registered Beekeeper; as The Practical Beekeeper he manages hives, extracts honey, teaches and loves bees.

Benedict is a member of the Beekeeper State Quarantine Response Team with the Victorian Government (emergency beekeeper), is the resident Beekeeper at Ceres in Brunswick and is approved by the City of Darebin to keep bees in Darebin Parklands and Bundoora Park.

Benedict also delivers adult educational courses at Edendale Communtity Environment Farm and CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies), Melbourne’s award-winning, not for profit sustainability centre.

You can find him on Facebook and Instagram as The Practical Beekeeper