All classes are 7:00 - 9:00 PM EST. Arrive by 6:45 for refreshments and networking!

Week 1 - Mon 21 NOV: Introduction to Bees - Jamie Ellis

o Types of honey bees

o Caste system

o Life stages in the hive

o Communication within the hive

Week 2 - Mon 28 NOV: Introduction to Beekeeping and Beekeeping Equipment - Elmore Herman and Mark Dykes

o Overview of the standard hive

1. Brood boxes, supers, frames, foundation, queen excluders, hive covers, bottom boards

o Tools used in and around the hive

1. Hive tools

2. Smokers

3. Bee suits

o Where to buy bees and getting started

Week 3 - Mon 5 Dec: Bee Management - Jamie Ellis and Lawrence Cutts

o Handling bees

o Seasonal management

o Marking queens

o Requeening

BEEKEEPING TRADE SHOW (admission cost included in Beekeeping course fee)

Saturday 10 DEC, Registration 9:00 AM CST, Program 10:00 AM CST

Washington Co Extension, 1424 Jackson Ave, Chipley FL 32428

Week 4 - Mon 12 DEC: Pests and Diseases - Jerry Hayes

o Small hive beetles

o Varroa mites

o Wax moths

o Nosema

o Foulbroods

Week 5 - Mon 9 JAN: Honey Plants and Pollination Ecology - Jenette Klopchin

o Honey plants of NW Florida

Week 6 - Mon 16 JAN: Products of the Hive - Lawrence Cutts

o Honey

1. Types of honey

o Wax

1. Candles

2. Cosmetic products

o Pollen collection

o Propolis

Week 7 - Mon 23 JAN: Splitting Hives, Increasing Hive Numbers, and Pollination - Elmore Herman and Jeff Pippin

o How to split hives using nucs

o Pollination as a business

Week 8 - Mon 30 JAN: Other Topics in Beekeeping - Jamie Ellis and Jerry Hayes

o Africanized bees