Make a difference
Become a Beekeeper
Hands-on, tailored lessons
Beekeeping is as nuanced as it is rewarding, but starting out can be an overwhelming endeavor. The best way to learn to keep bees is from an experienced beekeeper.
Its pretty clear that we love bees and also love sharing the joy and knowledge of sustainable and natural beekeeping with others!
Are you intrigued by honey bees and interested in having your own backyard or rooftop hive? We will help you get started as a beekeeper, including discussions of city and state regulations, required time and financial commitment, installation of necessary equipment and hive inspection training.
We offer tailored, private lessons on sustainable beekeeping practices in and around the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. This training focuses on Beekeeping 101 from getting the hive set up through more advanced lessons of understanding bee biology and behavior.
These hands-on lessons will train you how to do a proper inspection, prepare for the changing seasons, determine how much honey can be responsibly harvested and much more.
Package Includes:
- Nucleus Colony: Includes 5 deep frames of healthy bees (approximately 10,000 bees), brood (baby bees), honey stores, and a young, mated queen installed by a professional beekeeper in your rooftop or backyard.
- Hive Equipment - Choice of 8 or 10 frame Hive Boxes Includes: 2 Deep boxes (“brood box”), 2 Medium boxes - (“honey supers”), 32-40 frames, Bottom board, Inner cover, Flat roof, Entrance reducer, Hive tool
- Full season of In-person, hands-on tailored private Training: Approximately 20-24 visits: Initial Visits: Identifying the right area in your garden for the beehive + Setting up equipment, Hives inspected every 7-21 days May - November
Hive Training:
- Do You See A Queen? The first sign of a colony's health is the queen.
- Do You See Eggs, Larvae And Brood?
- Do You See Supercedure or Queen Cells? Do You See Swarm Cells?
- What Does The Brood Pattern Look Like?
- What Is Your Mite Count?
- Are your bees storing enough honey?
- Recognizing when they need more room and it’s time to add another box.
- Prepping the bees for winter