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| Beginning Beekeeping Course - 2010 Objective: To create an interest in beekeeping and provide information needed for a person to become a keeper of honey bees, a beekeeper.
Session | Date¹ | Subject | Instructor | | | | | 1 | Jan 12 | Introduction to Beekeeping | Don Moore | | | Review Course Outline Benefits of Beekeeping Pollination (honey bees contribute $14.6 billion/yr. to US Agric.) Products of the hive (honey, wax, propolis, pollen, royal jelly and bees) History of Beekeeping References, books, publications Organizations - ACB, NCSBA, EAS | | | | | | 2 | Jan 19 | Equipment of Beekeeping | Mike Ross, Don Moore | | | Protective gear, veil, coveralls and gloves Smoker Hive tool and frame grips (if desired) Hive moving frame Hive straps or staples Basic hive components Bee space and critical dimensions Woodenware Bottom board, hive body, queen excluder, honey super, inner cover and lid Assembly | | | | | | 3 | Jan 26 | Equipment of Beekeeping (continued) | Mike Ross, Don Moore | | | Frames (different designs of bottom and top bars) Assembly Foundation Purpose Various sizes and designs Installation methods | | | | | | 4 | Feb 2 | Starting a Honey Bee Hive | Ken Pipes | | | Locating the hive Considerations - Location of water, direction to face the hive, sunlight, windbreak, away from sidewalks and playgrounds Ways to start a hive Package bees, nucs, splits (dividing a colony), swarms and removals from a tree or house or buy existing colony from another beekeeper Feeding the new colony using several different type feeders Checking hives after installing bees Expanding your bees by dividing a colony or by starting a few nucs Moving a hive (necessary when buying an existing colony) | | | | | | 5 | Feb 9 | Introducing New Queen | Ken Pipes |
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| Finding old queen Different methods of introducing new queen Advantages of young queen - less likely to swarm, builds up faster in spring and raises brood later in the fall |
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| 6 | Feb 16 | Bees as Social Insects | Will Hicks | | | Other insects, bumble bees, hornets, wasps, etc. Anatomy of the honey bee Development of various caste (charts) Relationships - which ones do what Pheromones Progression of duties Different races of honey bees Means of communicating (performing a dance on the combs) | | | | | | 7 | Feb 23 | Medicating Bees | Don Hopkins | | | Diseases European foulbrood, American foulbrood, chalkbrood, sacbrood & nosema Mites Varroa Tracheal Small Hive Beetles | | | | | | 8 | Mar 2 | Nectar Sources of North Carolina | Bill Sheppard | | | Flowering Nectar Plants Plant Features Period of nectar flow in different areas |
| | | | | 9 | Mar 9 | Primary Management Phases | Ken Pipes | | | Fall Management in preparation for winter After all surplus honey has been removed Treat for diseases and mites Check for honey stores (feeding may be required) Make sure colony has a good queen Use entrance reducer to keep mice out, provide both top ventilation and a windbreak for each hive Second Spring Management Preparations for honey flow Check brood to verify that colony is healthy and expanding If you treat, treat early for diseases and mites Try and control swarming during spring buildup Remove entrance reducers, install queen excluders and supers After the honey flow Removing honey Removing bees from supers by brushing, using one-way bee escape, chemical repellents and a bee blower Processing the honey - liquid, comb, chunk and section Rendering the wax (from the cappings) | | | | | | 10 | Mar 16 | Course Review | Don Moore | | | Ten Commandments of Beekeeping 1. Use only standard beekeeping equipment 2. Be considerate of non-beekeeping neighbors 3. Requeen 4. Control disease and parasites 5. Maximize colony population before the main nectar flow 6. Super colonies according to their need 7. Take pride in honey and other hive products 8. Protect your beekeeping equipment 9. Help your bees through winter 10. Join and participate in a beekeeping association | |
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| 11 | Mar 20² | Field Day (4 hours at an apiary in the local area) | Don Hopkins, Don Moore, Ken Pipes, Mike Ross | | | Light smoker and inspect a hive (first by an instructor and then by one or more of the students) Check for disease, check brood pattern and find the queen Identify a drone Identify eggs, young larvae, sealed worker brood, sealed drone brood, pollen and honey Show how to: Check for Varroa mites Install a package of bees (students will help shake the bees) Start a nuc Show steps necessary in preparation for honey flow - add a queen excluder, add two or more supers, remove entrance reducer Demonstrate getting a hive ready for winter - include checking a hive for honey stores, feeding by several different methods, removing the queen excluder, providing upward ventilation and adding an entrance reducer |
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¹All evening class sessions will be held in the school cafeteria at Hillcrest Elementary School, 1714 W. Davis Street in Burlington. The classes will run from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the dates shown above. Directions: If you live in the Burlington area, you most likely won’t need directions to the Hillcrest Elementary School; however, if you are coming from out of town one simple way to get to Hillcrest is to get off I-85/I-40 at exit 145 and head toward downtown Burlington. This street is Maple Avenue. Stay on Maple Avenue through the center of Burlington and then you will cross over Church Street then Fisher Street and the next street is Davis. Maple Avenue dead-ends into Davis Street. Turn left on Davis Street and continue on this street until you come to the entrance of Hillcrest Elementary School on the left at 1714 West Davis Street. There is a stoplight at this location. ²Each student should bring a veil and any other protective equipment they feel comfortable with while working bees. The smoker, hive tool and frame grips will be provided. The location and starting time will be given during the class. Please note the Field will be on a Saturday. Rain date for the Field Day will be March 27 (also a Saturday). The telephone numbers of your local instructors are as follows: | | Don Hopkins – 336-376-8250 | Don Moore – 336-584-3195 | Mike Ross – 336-584-8652 | Ken Pipes – 336-229-5622 |
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