2026 Weekend Beekeeping Bootcamp - Hands-on Learning!

We’re excited to once again offer our popular beekeeping weekend bootcamp—designed to help you get started in this fascinating and rewarding endeavour.

This immersive course combines engaging classroom instruction with hands-on experience in the bee yard, giving you both the essential theoretical knowledge and the practical skills needed to confidently observe and handle your bees.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to build a solid foundation, we’re confident this weekend bootcamp will set you up for success on your beekeeping journey.

Course Date

• Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 9am-5pm
• Sunday, June 7, 2026 from 9am-12pm

COURSE CONTENT

The classroom component of the course will encompass the following topics:

Honey bee biology

• Queen, workers, drones
• Communication methods
• The bee lifecycle
• Seasonal cycles

Beekeeping equipment

• Parts of a hive
• Management options - Single or double, top-bar

Working in the bee colony

• Components of a hive inspection
• Adding honey supers
• Notetaking

Bee pests and their treatment

• Varroa mite lifecycle and management
• American Foul Brood, European Foul Brood, Nosema, Chalkbrood
• Wax moth, Small hive beetle

Troubleshooting queen issues

• Swarming and supercedure
• Introducing a new queen
• Laying workers
• Drone layers

Beekeeping responsibilities through the year

The beeyard component will be encompass the following topics, to reinforce good beekeeping practices and to build confidence with working a hive:

Hands-on guided hive inspection, including:

• Smoker use
• Handling of frames
• Identification of types of bees
• Stages of brood development
• Working through the frames
• Recognition of “signs” of a queen-right colony
• Recognizing other colony irregularities

Assessing varroa levels

• Alcohol wash
• Sugar roll

Handling and introducing a queen (practicing with drones!)

Feeding options and demonstration

Winter wrap types and demonstration