About this Event
Dates: July 25 & August 1
August 8 reserved as an alternate date for weather or honey readiness
Time: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (both days)
Location: 1400 Quincy Street NE
Level: Intermediate
Credit Hours: 9
Prerequisite: Completion of a short course (or equivalent) and one year of beekeeping experience Format: Hands-on & Classroom
Course Description This immersive two-day course provides a comprehensive, start-to-finish exploration of ethical, efficient honey harvesting and processing, with a strong emphasis on colony health and decision-making.
Participants will learn how to evaluate colonies for harvest suitability, prepare equipment, and select appropriate harvesting methods based on hive conditions and seasonal context. The course balances classroom instruction with extensive hands-on practice, culminating in a full live harvest, extraction, bottling, and labeling process.
Students will leave with a deeper understanding of how to harvest honey responsibly while preserving colony integrity—and will take home two bottles of honey they helped produce.
Topics include:
Day 1
- Colony evaluation and decision-making
- Honey equipment setup and workflow planning
- Harvesting methods and considerations
- Honey preparation, quality evaluation, tasting
Day 2
- Surveying colonies for harvest readiness
- Common honey super and single-frame removal techniques
- Honey extraction
- Bottling and labeling
Before the Workshop
Safety & Participation Requirements This course involves extended hands-on apiary work and requires a higher level of personal responsibility:
- Participants must provide and properly use their own protective beekeeping equipment
- Participants are required to watch a pre-class safety video prior to Day 1.
- All participants must agree to and adhere to Bee CARE Institute apiary rules, safety protocols, and instructor direction throughout the course.
- A signed liability release is required before engaging in any apiary activities.
Failure to follow safety protocols may result in removal from apiary activities without refund.
Harvest Day
Required Protective Clothing
All participants must arrive dressed appropriately for hands-on apiary work. At a minimum, the following clothing is required:
- Full-length sleeves
- Protective gloves (beekeeping gloves recommended)
- Loose-fitting, full-length trousers made of thick fabric
- Sensible, close-toed shoes (boots or sturdy shoes recommended)
Participants without appropriate clothing may be excluded from apiary activities for their safety and the safety of others. No refunds will be issued for failure to meet minimum safety requirements.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Bee CARE Institute at the Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild, 1400 Quincy Street NE, Washington, United States
USD 97.88 to USD 199.26
