Start beekeeping today!
Hi there my name is Tom Carroll and I have been a beekeeper since I was a teenager. I keep bees on two continents - Europe and Africa with bees in Ireland and Kenya. I completed my PhD on beekeeping and livelihoods in 2012. In this course I will guide you step by step on how to start beekeeping and get your first hive of lives bees.
Step by Step
In this course I set out to teach you beekeeping from the perspective of the beginner. It is not easy to start any new project and especially when you are thinking of getting a hive of 50,000 live bees to put in your back garden! Information is power and I am here to accompany and support you on your journey to start beekeeping
Set up your first beehive
I will show you where to set up your first hive and how to get that hive occupied with bees. I will also show you how to make a simple top bar hive of your own from scrap.
Work with bees
You will learn how to get the hive occupied with bees and how to manage the bees to produce honey. I will then show you how to harvest and bottle that delicious honey.
Candle making
In this course I will show you how to render beeswax, filter the wax and use the refined wax to make a beautiful beeswax candle. I will also show you how to make furniture polish from beeswax.
Example Curriculum
- Introduction to the course (11:25)
- Get the most from this Course
- Can you become a beekeeper? (3:46)
- Benefits of bees and beekeeping (6:34)
- Challenges in starting any new project
- Activity: Self-reflection on starting new projects
- Cost to start one hive (4:21)
- Activity - Draw up your own basic budget
- Summary section 1 (1:11)
- Introduction to section 2 (1:08)
- Different approaches to beekeeping (13:30)
- Activity - What approach interests you?
- The fixed comb hive (6:44)
- The top bar hive (10:36)
- The frame hive (7:27)
- Hive innovations (12:33)
- Activity - Research your local and national beekeeping associations
- Activity - Attend a meeting of your local beekeeping association
- Activity - What types of hives are most common in your country/locality?
- Summary section 2 (2:04)
- Introduction to section 4 (1:56)
- Components of typical frame hive (7:07)
- The nucleus hive (Nuc) (7:02)
- Activity - Choose your type of hive to start with
- Activity (Optional) - Make your own horizontal top bar hive (15:41)
- Caring for and maintaining your hive (5:12)
- Protective and other basic equipment needed (3:24)
- Activity - Research local bee equipment suppliers
- Summary of section 4
- Introduction to section 5
- Beekeeping and safety issues (24:59)
- Factors to consider when choosing an apiary site (16:13)
- Activity - Choose your own apiary site (14:00)
- How to set up your beehive in apiary (9:03)
- Activity (Optional) - Make a simple hive stand (7:19)
- Activity - Acquire basic beekeeping equipment (11:03)
- Activity - Assemble your hive (18:03)
- Activity - Paint your beehive (4:26)
- Activity - Make up frames with foundation (13:21)
- Activity - Set up your hive on your hive stand (4:09)
- Stocking your empty beehive with bees (20:05)
- Activity - Research local suppliers of bees
- Getting ready to work with bees (11:44)
- Activity - Transfer bees in a nucleus colony into your hive (26:58)
- Activity - Catching a swarm of bees and stocking a hive - Part 1 (18:38)
- Activity - Catching a swarm of bees and stocking a hive - Part 2 (11:49)
- Summary of section 5
- Introduction to section 6 (2:15)
- Principles of bee management (7:29)
- An overview of seasonal management (8:08)
- Record keeping
- How to inspect a beehive (20:03)
- Hive inspection and queen marking - demonstration (34:17)
- Inspecting the top bar hive (13:57)
- Activity - Inspect your own beehive
- Bee health, pests and disease - Part 1 (19:52)
- Bee health, pests and disease - Part 2 (19:36)
- Activity - Bee pests and diseases in your country
- Swarm prevention and control (29:17)
- Activity - Nucleus method of swarm control (23:17)
- Uniting two colonies of bees
- Feeding bees (23:13)
- Demonstration - Feeding bees with a rapid feeder (6:24)
- Activity - Make and use a simple home made bee feeder (6:36)
- Planting for bees (6:45)
- Activity - Establish a floral calendar for your area
- Some key challenges in beekeeping
- Summary section 6 (2:42)
- Introduction to section 7 (2:18)
- Honey, wax and other products from bees (14:21)
- Harvesting honey from your beehive (10:11)
- Extracting and processing honey (18:24)
- Storing your supers after extraction (6:59)
- Packing, labelling and marketing honey (11:19)
- Activity - Harvest, extract, process, package and label your own honey
- Processing beeswax from your hive (11:34)
- Demonstration - Processing beeswax (Kenya) (5:37)
- Demonstration - Filter beeswax (11:39)
- Activity - Add beeswax to the top bars for your top bar hive (Optional) (17:02)
- Activity - Make a beeswax candle (11:31)
- Activity - Make a beeswax polish (8:20)
- Summary of section 7
Beekeeping is a fun hobby
Beekeeping is a fun and rewarding hobby that will transform your life and open your eyes to the wonders of nature all around us. Start on your journey to becoming a beekeeper by joining me on this course.
Featured Products
Check out these other great beekeeping courses and coaching available from Apiconsult. See you on a course or in a coaching call! Best wishes, Tom
