Immerse yourself for a day in the world of honey bees!

This fun and fact-filled day will cover the basics of everything you need to know about keeping bees in your backyard.

Topics include:

the lifecycle of a bee and the roles of the female workers, the male drones and the all-important Queen (and how to spot her!)
the jobs bees share and learning how hard they work
pollination and the symbiotic relationship between pollinators and flowering plants
bee anatomy - focusing on their honey stomach, their proboscis and their wax production glands
the incredible science behind the bees converting nectar into honey
hive and equipment management - how much work is involved in keeping honey bees in your backyard
pests & disease basics
honey harvesting from the Flow Hive and other types of hives; and
how to get started with beekeeping, including equipment lists, approximate costs and ongoing maintenance requirements

The highlight of the day is a genuine hands-on experience up close and personal with the bees in full protective gear. You will:

hold a frame of bees inside a live beehive onsite at Burnetts On Barney's Apiary
watch them at work with all their different jobs
observe the bees' life cycle by witnessing first-hand the tiny egg stage through to the larvae stage, and maybe even see a young worker bee emerging for the first time from her cell.
experience first-hand how beekeepers manage the space inside the hive
see pollen, nectar and honey and bees wax in the honeycomb cells, and
if we are really lucky, you might even spot the Queen Bee!

A delicious morning tea and gourmet lunch is provided by The Quarry Cafe at Burnetts on Barney, to give us a chance to de-buzz our brains. Finalists in the recent Local Business Awards for Outstanding Cafe, their healthy Brekkie Wraps and Frittatas, scrumptious Salads, mouthwatering Cakes (made with their own bees' honey) and the best coffee in town; is the icing on the cake for a terrific day of indulgence.

And of course, the day would not be complete without a honey tasting from Burnetts' home-grown honey!

In addition to top-shelf gourmet food, you will be provided with class notes to take home, which will include information on how to purchase a hive, bees and other equipment. Any attendees receive a 15% discount off bee Nucleus purchases and coaching.

Rachael has 7 year's experience as a beekeeper. She currently manages 15 Flow Hives in apiaries stretching from Berry to Kiama and Saddleback Mountain. Her passion is HoneyBee Education. She runs workshops for adults and children, does private coaching for clients onsite, presents in pre-schools and primary schools, sells her honey at local retail outlets and is a Flow Hive Ambassador for the Illawarra Region.

Rachael is the resident beekeeper at Burnetts on Barneys, managing Burnetts' 4 Flow Hives they have onsite. She uses these hives for the workshops and all the honey and honeycomb harvested from them is sold onsite at Burnetts' Quarry Cafe.

* All protective gear provided ... BYO boots ... recommended for 16+ years ... not recommended if anaphylactic *

If you have any questions about the workshop, you can phone or text Rachael any time prior to the workshop on 0409860044.

Contact the host of Beginners Beekeeping Workshop Thu 30Nov