Courses
Beekeeping 101
I have kept bees since 2006 and I absolutely love teaching this stuff!
This class is designed for people with no beekeeping experience but has also been beneficial for people who have had a year or two of experience and still struggle with the concepts of beekeeping.
Our Beekeeping 101 class is now available online! I am thrilled to be able to provide this class in a format that participants can use at their leisure from anywhere in the world.
Take the virtual Beekeeping 101 Course today!
The in-person Beekeeping 101 Course is a fun filled 6 hour day packed with education and entertainment. I tell what to buy, where to buy it and how much it all costs. I teach the biology of honey bees and tell how best to care for bees through-out the seasons. Going through our class will give you the confidence you need to begin an exciting new hobby that will bless you with enjoyment and hopefully some sweet golden honey for many years to come. Thank you for your consideration. Contact us.
“This class was exactly what I needed to overcome my ignorance and fears and to get started in beekeeping.”
Class Member
“Don has a knack for teaching. He explained concepts simply and thoroughly. The class was hands on. He didn't just tell us but he showed us.”
Class Member
“I talked to a two year beekeeper this weekend [who] was overwhelmed by the information that I knew about caring for bees. Thanks, I'd be pretty lost right now if it wasn't for the class.”
Class Member
Beekeeping 201
Our 201 class is for folks who have taken our Beekeeping 101 Course or who have at least one year of beekeeping experience. I review parts of the 101 Course and focus on varroa mites and honey bee diseases. I teach how to raise a few queen bees for your use without grafting and how to manage an overwintered colony to prevent swarming and produce honey. I discuss rendering beeswax for candle making and producing lip balm and skin care products and much more.
Our Online Beekeeping 201 Course is now available! You can take this class from the convenience of home and watch it again and again, so you can truly internalize the concepts discussed.
Sign up today for Beekeeping 201! I would love to hear any questions or comments you have after taking the class. Visit our Contact Us portion of the website for a direct line to me. Thank you.
Maple Syrup Making
I have been making maple syrup in the yard or on the driveway since about 2002. I was just about to get into it on a grander scale when my friend introduced me to beekeeping. That sidetracked me from maple syrup a little, but I still marvel at how one can harvest clear, watery sap from a tree and simply boil it down to concentrate the sugars into golden, tasty, pure maple syrup. It truly is amazing!
Our new online Maple Syrup Making Course is now available for your education and enjoyment.
May I help you identify your sugar maple tree? Email me a picture of the outline (crown) of the tree from a distance, plus another picture showing the bark of the tree from about five feet away at about five feet off the ground, then one more picture from beneath the tree looking upward showing the tip of a branch so I can see the buds. If leaves are on the tree please send me a close-up pic of a whole leaf. I will do my best to be of assistance.
In a Maple Syrup Making Course I teach how to identify a sugar maple tree with its leaves on or without them. I inform participants what other types of trees can be tapped for syrup and teach when and how to tap a tree as well as how large in diameter a tree's trunk must be before it may be tapped. I discuss various ways to boil sap to evaporate the water and tell how to know when the sap has become syrup and what to use to filter and finish it. I teach how trees produce sugary sap and what makes it "run". I give participants an appreciation for the many ways sap has been boiled over the years from the native Americans to the present day and much more. This class helps folks know what to buy and where to buy it so they can begin a new hobby with confidence. Contact us for course information and location. In person class length is about 2 hours. The online course is around 80 minutes.
