Thinking of becoming a beekeeper? This is the place to start! We’ll cover all of the basics you need to know before deciding to get your first hive, plus everything you’ll want to know before you bring your bees home. 

This lecture is designed to help beginners filter through all of the beekeeping information that is available out there. We remember being new to beekeeping and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of advice that we had access to. Now, after doing this for a while, we've found what seems to work well here and we can offer locally relevant advice. 

We'll begin by talking about the practical questions to consider before starting up your apiary, including costs, time commitment, necessary equipment, and space requirements. We'll spend lots of time getting to know the bees themselves, as we believe it's really important to understand who we're trying to care for. From there, we'll talk about the things you can expect to see and do throughout your first year as a beekeeper, and finish the class in the spring with an in-person visit to the hives in our bee yard. Our hope is that you'll finish the program and be really excited to start your new apiary. And also that you'll know what the word apiary means! Admission to the Botanical Gardens is included.