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Beekeeper Training:
- 101: In the Classroom
- 102: In the Apiary
Community Apiary
Apiary Visits
Beekeeper Meetups
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Beekeeper Training

In the classroom:

Burgh Bees is proud to announce the second offering of its 2010 beekeeper training class. Burgh Bees will be offering Burgh Bees Beekeeping in the Classroom 101, at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve. It is a two day class to be held on Saturday, April 10th and Saturday, April 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This classroom-based course offers beginning beekeepers an introduction to honey bee biology and basic approaches to beekeeping. In addition to the life cycle of the honey bee, the course will include an overview of honey bee types and races, use bee biology to understand the challenges facing honey bees, and discuss the basic equipment necessary for successful beekeeping. For more info, click here.

Seating is limited, so if you are interested in the 2010 training, please email Joe Zgurzynski (Joe@CountryBarnFarm.Com). Depending on demand, we may offer this same class again later in the season.

Burgh Bees Introduction to Beekeeping in the Apiary 102:

Prerequisites:  (1) Burgh Bees Introduction to Beekeeping in the Classroom 101, (2) students must have their own veil, smoker, and hive tool for each session.

Textbook: ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture ; Publisher: A.I. Root Co.; 41 edition (May 2007); ISBN-10: 093602822X.

Description: Students receive hands on training in the apiary with a mentor beekeeper. Each student will experience 3 sessions in an apiary with their mentor beekeeper, each session will last approximately 3 hours.  The sessions should be no more than three weeks apart and not less than one week apart so the training is completed in a timely manner, but not rushed so the training can take full advantage of the weather and the season.  No more than five students per mentor, per session.  The mentor beekeeper will provide each student with a tool kit of knowledge and confidence to ensure that they are capable of succeeding as beekeepers.

Schedule: As determined by students and the mentor beekeeper.

Exam: At the end of the third session each student gives the mentor a tour of a beehive, describing the hive condition as a teacher would instruct a student.

Course Fee:  $300, no refunds for missed classes.

Note: The fee will be used by Burgh Bees to administer the training, compensate the mentor beekeeper, and promote beekeeping in the Pittsburgh region.

Payment: To reserve your place in a class please send your contact information and a check payable to Burgh Bees to:

Burgh Bees c/o
Robert Steffes
Steffes Wood Apiary
711 Hall St.
Aliquippa, PA 15001
robertsteffes@hotmail.com

Community Apiary

Want to be a Part of the City’s First Community Apiary?
As you know, Burgh Bees is developing a community apiary in Homewood. With the Mayor’s Green Team, we will be turning the vacant lot across from the East End Brewery into an apiary and demonstration pollinator garden that will serve as a hands-on classroom for beekeepers in training.

Please Donate!
We will be installing the basic infrastructure and first round of plantings in April and are looking for monetary donations to help fill out the pollinator garden.  This project is fueled entirely by volunteers, whose joys are bees, plants, and the Burgh. 100% of your donation will buy…

$15 | A heaping mound of Goldenrod, Sunflower, or Black-eyed Susans to stand tall in vivid hues at the rear of the site

$20 | A clump of Basil Balm, Penstemon, Milkweed, Coreopsis, Wood Poppy, or Aster to fill the meadow with diverse, low-maintenance food for the bees

$25 | A Winterberry Holly or Viburnum shrub to beautify and green the perimeter fencing around the hives

$30 | A mound of Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, Borage, Hyssop, or Valerian to fill raised beds with cultivated herbs that are reliant on pollinators

$50+ | Signage, Bike Racks, Seating Benches, or Lumber To make the site as welcoming and as educational as possible

Please make checks out to “Burgh Bees” and mail to Burgh Bees, 1025 Murray Hill Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.

Committee Members: Meredith Grelli (Chair), Joan Guerin, Jeff Irwin, Roberta Jones, Anna Kim, Michael Madonia, Christina Neumann, Linda Rathburn, Vivienne Schaffer, Robert Steffes, Mary Ann Watson.

Apiary Visits

For those interested in learning about bees and beekeeping but not ready to commit to the Intensive Training, we offer apiary visits to our urban demonstration apiaries in Hazelwood, Braddock, Mt. Washington and at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Email us at burghbees@gmail.com to be put on our bulletin list and we'll let you know about opportunities to visit the hives with us.*

 

Beekeeper Meetups

Monthly meetups offer local beekeepers the chance to figure out what the heck is going on with their hives. We name the time and place and the beekeepers provide the dialogue! Again, email burghbees@gmail.com to begin receiving our bulletin with upcoming dates.

*If you're coming out to the hives: