Hands-in-the-Hives Beekeeping & Mentorship Series - Beginner Beekeepers

Note 1: Would you like to register for multiple sessions? We offer discounts for buying multiple sessions. You can view these options and register here:

Note 2: If you have a bit more experience with beekeeping, such as having kept bees for a year or more, we would recommend registering for the Intermediate sessions:

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If you are just starting your beekeeping journey this year, this series is for you. No previous experience is required, and this is the session to choose if you haven't taken a beginner class and/or you are just in your first year and feel you need help with the very basics of beekeeping. This is also a great option if you are considering getting into beekeeping and see what it is like before getting your own hives. The workshop is in an "open apiary" format, which allows for exploration of the hives, helping to build familiarity with being around and handling bees.

This series has sessions taking place almost every 2 weeks throughout the season with beekeeping mentor Julia Common, to help keep you on track and practicing throughout the whole beekeeping season. The group sizes are at a maximum of 9 attendees, a size that will help ensure you get your hands in the hives and get a chance to ask questions.

Every session is focused on the practical basics of beekeeping. Weather permitting you will be out in the hives learning some of the very basics of handling colonies and making management decisions, such as use of tools like the smoker, how to handle bees frames, tricks to spot the queen, how to assess critical diseases/pests such as varroa mite levels, judging when to add a new box to a hive to provide the bees more room to grow, and similar skillsets. The progression of the beekeeping season will help guide the activities from each day, as long as it helps you get a better sense for being in the apiary and understanding honey bees.

However, these sessions will take place RAIN OR SHINE - if the weather just doesn't permit beekeeping, the session will become an informal Q&A seminar where attendees sit down in the comfortable heritage house on site with some tea/coffee overlooking our educational apiary, and talk about important beginner topics for beekeeping especially those most relevant for what is happening at this time of year. It is also a great opportunity to meet, discuss and network with other new beekeepers.

The format will be casual and relaxed, with the instructor leading inspections while giving opportunities to ask lots of questions. We have chosen this format and the class size to ensure everyone can receive individual attention, and because while theory is very important, often it is the practical hands-on beekeeping experience with a mentor which is hard to come by and which helps all the theory fall into place. Our apiary's purpose is to enable beekeeper learning, and we hope it helps provide a great start to your beekeeping journey.

Above: Julia leading a past Urban Bee workshop.

About the Instructor:

Julia is a Vancouver, BC-area beekeeper with over 40 years of experience. She is a BCHPA certified instructor, BC Regional Director for the Western Apicultural Society, and member of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturalists. Formerly the co-founder and chief beekeeper of Hives for Humanity, Julia’s current focus lies in her research, pollination work, and livestock production through her new operation ‘Bees Actually’. Julia is also a frequent speaker at local bee clubs, providing knowledge and insight in her unique voice to hundreds of local beekeepers year after year.

Julia has many years of experience helping new and hobby beekeepers. Through her work with Hives for Humanity she came to understand very well the unique challenges and considerations of urban beekeeping. However, the bulk of her hives have remained in rural Ladner, and with experience in crop pollination she also understands the unique challenges of countryside beekeeping.

Regardless of your setting, Julia knows what is most helpful for “newbees” making their management decisions and is inspired to help them become thoughtful and successful beekeepers. You will love her enthusiastic teaching style, and she is very well known for her fun & insightful presentations.

A bove: (1) Our educational apiary the early Spring, still wrapped, flanked by the early 1900s heritage house we often get to use for education sessions; (2) Our apiary from another angle in the Summer; (3) The cozy interior of the heritage house, where you will learn if weather doesn't permit in-the-hive inspections.

Where is this event?

This series will take place at Urban Bee located at 5300 34b Avenue in Delta, BC. We are located in the same location as West Coast Seeds, of which Urban Bee is a division, and we share their beautiful grounds which include trial gardens, orchards, and a beautiful heritage house.

It also includes our educational apiary which is set-up and is maintained specifically for the purpose of facilitating beekeeper education, with the goal of being able to offer hands-on learning and mentorship throughout the year to local beekeepers. We hope this will help new beekeepers take up their new passion with greater ease and help support hobby apiarists in their pursuit of joyful and sustainable beekeeping.

If weather does not permit in-the-hive beekeeping, the informal Q&A seminar will typically take place in the cozy heritage house on site complete with conference room overlooking our apiary. It is a great relaxed environment for asking all of your questions while the instructor talks about what is going on in the season and what they are doing in their apiaries.

There will be access to washrooms, a kitchen with fridge, water/coffee/tea, some snacks and other amenities.

Refund Policy

Please note that if you register and must later cancel your registration for the class due to personal circumstances a full refund can be provided minus the Eventbrite fee. Cancellations must be received 48 hours prior to the start of the workshop to provide adequate time to find a new attendee. If the cancellation was requested less than 48 hours prior to the event and we are unable to fill the vacant attendee spot Urban Bee Supplies reserves the right to retain the workshop payment. Please note that the above does not apply in the case of a cancellation due to re-scheduling (such as if the instructor is ill), and a full refund WILL be applied if you must cancel due Urban Bee Supplies rescheduling the event.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A RAIN-OR-SHINE EVENT AND NO REFUND WILL BE ISSUED IF YOU CANCEL DUE TO THE WEATHER. These sessions will be in-the-hive if possible, but if weather is too adverse the indoor informal seminar format will be used. We will not issue refunds for last-minute cancellations because a reservee would have preferred one format or the other.

Below: Some more photos from our classes and our educational apiary and surrounding area.

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Thank you to Rusty Beekeeper for most of the photos above! Check them out here: https://www.instagram.com/rustybeekeeper/

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Urban Bee Educational Apiary, 5300 34b Avenue, Delta, Canada