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Organic Beekeeping Society - Classes |
It is our goal to develop the most successful
beekeeping systems and classes available. Your participation is
appreciated! We look forward to a mutually enriching adventure
in Organic Beekeeping.
Organic Beekeeping classes are available
to all Organic Beekeeping Society members. This class is an
internet course and will include the following materials:
- Printed material sent to students via snail
mail which will include much "how-to"
explanation and diagrams explaining beekeeping
practices.
- Supplemental material is posted to a
private Organic Beekeeping Class website.
- Video
and photo teaching aids for "spotting your queen",
clipping your queen's wings, knowing the inside of your
hive (brood and bees) and much more.(There
will be a small charge for this video. Cost will depend
upon your choice of cd-rom or vhs tape.)
- Email contact for questions and answers. Other
sessions will be set up for "Messenger"
meetings and/or "Chat" meetings throughout the
course of one year.
- One year bee cycle calendar
which we will assist you in customizing for your area
and climate.
These classes will run continuously and may be started
at any time of the year. The course will run the span of one
year, that is, one entire cycle of the honeybee year for
each student. The material will be sent out (in hardcopy,
snail mail) at the start of each season (i.e. March 21, June
21, September 21, December 21). Supplements and important
reminders will be sent at the appropriate times (in hardcopy
or email). A one year cycle, seasonal calendar will be sent
for you to record important dates and notes pertinent to
your area. We will guide you in making these notes and this
record will be useful in future years. |
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Organic Beekeeping Class: Brief Overview
Introduction Includes:The Basic Hive starts with
an overview of the conventional hive structure. Modified versions
will be explained later as the honeybee cycles are better understood
by the students.
The Honeybee Colony covers the cycles
and functions of worker bees, drones and queen bees. Includes
commentary on how varroa mites feed on the honeybee colony.
The
Year of the Honeybee is an overview of the natural cycle of a
honeybee colony in a temperate (four-season) climate. This section
will continue into the Organic Beekeeping cycle |
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The Organic Beekeeping Cycle
begins the explanation of how the natural cycle of the honeybee
colony is coordinated with Organic Beekeeping practices and why.
We will show the contrast with conventional systems and how the
improvements manifest stronger honeybee colonies. This section is
covered during the course of the year. It is designed to allow
a practical application of what is being taught. Some
important sections covered will include the following:
| 1. Springtime swarm management techniques
and utilizing this natural mechanism to improve the wellness of
your colonies. |
| 2. Organic Beekeeping treatments for
mites in the springtime. Includes mixtures with various options
for formulas and ways of delivering these natural substances to
the bees. |
| 3. Techniques for successful
wintering, what happens inside the hive during winter . What can
be done to improve the colonies’ strength throughout this
process. This section also covers how these improvements
increase the strength of the colonies above that of conventional
practices. |
| 4. Preventing late season swarms to
protect the strength of your colonies. Methods to prevent this
swarming while still working with the impulses of the honeybee
colony. |
| 5. Fall nucleus hives: How to form a
nucleus hive, build it up in the spring. The advantages of
forming a nucleus in the fall and how to bring the fall nucleus
through the winter. |
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For our first students, we offer
these classes at a very reasonable cost of $150/year (usd). This
cost is a total of $1250-$15 per month for the course of
one year per student. The Organic Beekeeping Society is not a
commercial entity and our cost for this class represents printing
costs, mailing costs and a fraction of the time needed to present
the information and conduct question and answer sessions.
Additional
cost may apply for mailing to locations outside North America and
the cost of the video will be separate. |
How to Get Started
To begin, please fill out the following form.
Then click on
the form link for printing the mail-in hardcopy of the complete
application.
Organic Beekeeping Society member application for: Organic
Beekeeping Classes
We invite you to become a member of the Organic
Beekeeping Society. There is no fee for membership through 2002.
Submitting this form completes your membership application and your
Organic Beekeeping Class application.
Organic Beekeeping Society Membership Application
There
is no fee for Organic Beekeeping Society Membership
Simply complete
the membership application below. Thank you.
This
information will not be shared with anyone and will be used only to send
newsletters etc. to you from the Organic Beekeeping Society.
Membership
is free |
