Getting your hive operation off the ground
Whether you are currently keeping honey bees, or are considering adding them to your farm, a basic knowledge of bee biology, diseases, pests, and setting up your colony are essential for success.
Understanding the difference between a drone, queen and nurse bee, knowing how to site your apiary properly, having a plan for Varroa mites, and knowing effective winterizing techniques will help ensure your hive(s) make it through the winter so you can harvest honey the following season.
This course, taught by experienced beekeepers and NYS Honey Bee Extension educators will give you real-world experiences paired with academic concepts.
Target Audience
Aspiring/Beginner – This course is geared for those who have plans to start keeping bees within the next 1-3 years, or who just got started with bees. Disease and pest issues will focus on the Northeast region of the US, though others will find much of the content useful to their locale.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, you will:
- Know basic bee biology
- Have management skills to support responsible decision making
- Know what needs to happen with your hives each month of the season
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from outside presenters and ask questions to address your farm issues in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
Live instruction for the 2021-2022 season has ended, and the next live session will be in January 2023. While we encourage live attendance so you have the opportunity to engage with the presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in our online classroom for students to watch anytime. Once you have enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in the live webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish.
Your Instructor
Laura Biasillo is an Agricultural Economic Development Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension-Broome County, in Binghamton NY. Laura focuses on increasing marketing channels for producers, creating education programs to help farmers develop new skills and technologies, and facilitating farmland protection within the county. She and her husband own ~5 acres, have 3 kids , and raise chickens and a garden.
Course Curriculum
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PreviewWeek 2 Webinar Join Link and Recording
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Preview5-min Video: Siting Your Apiary
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PreviewFORUM and ACTIVITY: Siting Your Apiary
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PreviewACTIVITY: Create Your "Year in the Apiary" Calendar
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PreviewBeekeeping Calendar for the Northeast
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Preview4 minute VIDEO - installing a NUC (Michigan State University))
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PreviewQuiz - Siting Your Apiary & Yearly Calendar
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PreviewPollination Resources