Hands-On Beekeeping Classes May 25, 2013 Topics Covered: Specific information about keeping bees on the California coast Techniques for approaching the apiary and opening hives Handling techniques for frames of honeycomb covered with bees Examining the sustenance of the hive: honey, pollen, and brood How to find the queen bee Visual identification of the Varroa mite, and identification of hive problems and diseases Preparing bee hives for fall and winter Complete open forum for any and all questions Presented by the California Bee Company We are very excited to offer a completely hands-on beekeeping class! The host and teacher will be Jeremy Rose, commercial beekeeper and author of Beekeeping in Coastal California. We will sell the book for a discounted price at the class. Jeremy has spent the last ten years learning how to keep bees successfully (and naturally) despite today’s challenges to the health of honeybees. The goal for this class is to give hobby beekeepers the knowledge and confidence you need to successfully care for your own hives. The class will be relatively unstructured and presented as an open forum, and we will cover whatever topics the attendees are most interested in. It is a fun event for kids and adults, and you will be amazed at the gentleness and complexity of the hives. We will talk about and observe the beekeeping basics, including handling frames of bees and finding the queen. We will delve into more advanced topics in an effort to answer questions. When: Saturday, May 11 (THIS CLASS IS FULL AS OF 4/1/2013) Saturday, May 25 2013 9:00AM - 1:00PM (Currently accepting reservations) Where: Apiary located at Sedgwick Reserve near Santa Ynez. For driving directions, see http://sedgwick.nrs.ucsb.edu/directions Coming south on 101 from the Santa Maria direction, exit at 154 and go to Los Olivos. Go left on Roblar. Go left on Brinkerhoff. Drive all the way to the end of Brinkerhoff and enter through the gate that says "Sedgewick". There will be someone near the apiary to direct parking. Cost: $40 per person and as many good questions as you can bring with you! We request that you reserve your place in the class by mailing a $40.00 check. We will provide protective veils for all attendees. If you already have a veil then please bring it so that our veils can be provided to others. Attendees must not be allergic to honeybee stings (each attendee will also have to sign a liability waiver). We only keep gentle bee hives, but even gentle bees will still sting occasionally. A few stings are a part of beekeeping. Most beekeepers become immune to the inflamatory effects of bee venom after about a year of beekeeping. Attendees must wear suitable clothing, consisting of light or white colored long sleeve shirt, and blue jeans or other protective pants. Do not wear open-toed shoes! Bring water to drink as the weather can be hot at the apiary. Sign-up: There are only 20 openings per class. We will try to offer one class each month during the spring of 2013. Email: class@californiabeecompany.com After we receive your email and confirm that there is still space in the class, please reserve your space in the class by mailing a check for $40.00 to The California Bee Company, PO Box 14626, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406. The California Bee Company "Thinking Outside the Hive™" Email: class@californiabeecompany.com Phone: 805-540-4502 www.californiabeecompany.com Site and images © 2013 The California Bee Company, LLC