Art & Science of Beekeeping

The Art & Science of Beekeeping is a unique one-day course covering everything you need to know to begin your beekeeping experience. The only thing that might not be covered completely is hive construction. We’ve separated this part of the course, so that we could spend more time focused on hive making. If you’re interested in making your own hive, we encourage you to also enroll in the BYO Hive Workshop which is on the Sunday following each of the A&S courses.

The Art & Science course goes from 10 am to 4 pm. It’s a fully immersive one-day course combining practical instruction and hands-on beekeeping. The course instructor, Michael, has been keeping bees for more than 20 years. He is a commercial honey producer and business owner of Bindaree Bee Supplies and Win’s Creek Meadery.

In the morning, we’ll cover the Science part of the course including the biology and behaviour of these fascinating creatures. We’ll look at the different life stages and forms of bees, swarming behaviour, hive structure and organisation, and pests and diseases. We’ll spend a considerable amount of time on Varroa, the most serious pest you’ll need to deal with.

After lunch, which is provided at Win’s Creek Meadery, we will go up to the apiary for the most important part of the course. The Art of Beekeeping includes four different hive systems: Langstroth, Flow Hive, Top Bar and Warre Hives. Course numbers are kept small, usually less than five, so that no one gets left out, and everyone has a chance to take apart and inspect a hive. We’ll show you how to do this and what to look for in regards to pests and diseases. Experiencing bees first hand gives you a chance to gain confidence and get use to handling them.  We’ll discuss hive maintenance and honey harvesting from the different types of hives, and you can take home a jar of Win’s Creek Honey. The apiary is located in Murrumbateman about 1 km from the Meadery.

Morning tea, lunch, and mead tasting are included at Win’s Creek Meadery. Please advise us of any dietary preferences.

Murrumbateman is an ideal tourist destination. It’s surrounded by Cool Climate Wine Country and on the doorstep of the Nation’s Capital. Win’s Creek Meadery and Bindaree Bee Supplies are located in the historic Traveller’s Rest Inn, built in 1879.

Course outline is as follows:

Morning: Science

Evolution of honey bees and flowering plants

Life stages and forms of honeybees

Queenbees and Drones

Swarming behaviour – How to reduce the risk of swarming and catch them if you find a swarm

The Natural Hive

The Domesticated Hive – What type of hive should I get? We’ll cover Langstroth, Flow, Warre and Top Bar Hives.

Morning Tea at Win’s Creek Meadery

Pests & Diseases – Includes Varroa, American Foul Brood, Small Hive Beetle, Wax Moth

Bee stings and allergies

Lunch at Win’s Creek Meadery, 

Afternoon: Art

Hands-on Beekeeping Experience

Pest and Disease Inspection. Inspect Langstroth, Flow, Warre and Top Bar hives, in situ.

Honey extraction, feeding, and hive maintenance