Adult Beekeeping Course
Introductory Adult Beekeeping Program
April 23, 2023 to November 19, 2023
Location: The Bee Shop 1340 Bloor St West, Toronto, ON M6H 1P2 416, 533-2337
1beeshop@gmail.com
$450 + HST - Book nowLearn How to be a Beekeeper
This introductory adult 8 classes course offers hands on practical experience working with honeybees and their hives. The course unfolds over the beekeeping season with one class per month with the first class in April as the season starts, leading up to doing a honey harvest in September with the last class in November to wrap and prepare the hives for the winter. Cost is $450 +HST
Introduction - April 23, 2023 from 11AM to 2PM
A basic overview of the course focusing on what the honeybees are doing in spring. How to identify the various components and parts that make up a beehive. Various modes and models of existing beehives and their pros and cons. Building some parts of a beehive. Beekeeping gear. Mention of Apitherapy the ancient branch of beekeeping to do with the health benefits of the honeybee products. Formal regulations governing beekeeping in Ontario.
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2 hours in classroom and 1 hour in the bee yard
Spring Hive check - May 21, 2023 from 11AM to 2PM
Looking to identify the 3 different castes of honeybees. If the queen is healthy and laying properly. How to spot evidence of the queen bee. Her eggs and other signs to be able to spot and identify her. Classroom lesson is honeybee pollinator gardens and how honeybees see their special vision or way of seeing.
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1 hour in classroom and 2 hours in the bee yard
Basic Honeybee Biology - June 18, 2023 from 11AM to 2PM
Introduction to pest management for the honeybees, varroa mites, small hive beetle, other predators such as skunks bears etc. Treatment and prevention of the various pests, best practices etc. How to acquire honeybees and woodenware.
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1 hour in classroom and 2 hours in the bee yard
Summer Hive Check - July 23, 2023 from 11AM to 2PM
How to increase honey production. How to safely and organically treat for mites and predators during nectar flow. Tips for urban and rural beekeeping. Where to located beehives. Site selection criterion, for hive facing, direction, predator and pest concerns, weather concerns, pedestrian traffic concerns etc.
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1 hour in classroom and 2 hours in the bee yard
Late Summer Hive Check - August 20, 2023 from 10AM to 2PM
Arrive at 10AM if you would like to see screening of The Sacred Bee Part 1
Checking for honeybee health. Preparing the hives for honey harvesting. Using drone brood traps for mite control and other organic methods for pest control. For those interested in the spiritual dimension of honeybees an optional screening of The Sacred Bee Part 1 can be done. Duration one hour
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2 hours in classroom and 2 hours in the bee yard
Honey Harvest - September 17, 2023 from 8:30AM to 1:30PM
Selecting frames for harvest. Pulling honey supers for harvest. Uncapping and extracting honey.
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30 mins in classroom and 30 mins in the bee yard 4 hours harvesting honey.
Honey Jarring - October 22, 2023 from 11AM to 2PM
How to bottle and jar honey. Sterilization of containers and jars, labelling Federal, Provincial and hobby beekeeper requirements. Preparation of honey and jars for entering honey into competitions.
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1 hour in classroom and 2 hours jarring and labelling honey.
Preparing the Honeybees for Winter - November 19 2023 from 11AM to 2PM
How to treat with oxalic acid. How to feed honeybees if necessary. How to medicate honeybees if necessary. How to wick a beehive to draw out moisture from an overwintering hive. How to wrap hives and use entrance reduces. What do the honeybees do during the winter?
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2 hours in classroom and 1 hour in the bee yard

Instructor Oliver Couto is one of the longstanding members of the Toronto Beekeepers Collective, member of the Ontario Beekeepers Association and instructor of the Beekeeping Courses at the Toronto Botanical Garden and the Kortright Center. He is the producer of The Sacred Bee Film Series and is versed in Apitherapy, the ancient branch of beekeeping to do with the health benefits of honeybee products.
Adult Beekeeping Course
Introductory Adult Beekeeping Program
April 23, 2023 to November 19, 2023
Location: The Bee Shop 1340 Bloor St West, Toronto, ON M6H 1P2 416, 533-2337
1beeshop@gmail.com
$450 + HST - Book now