COURSE DESCRIPTION
Pollinators, like Honeybees, are important to our ecology and balance of the environment. In addition to Honeybees, native bees, butterflies, birds and bats are also responsible for pollinating many types of plants. Supporting our pollinators through small scale urban beekeeping, native plant restoration, and butterfly habitats, ensures diversity and survival within our plant and insect communities.
In our Bee Guardian Apprenticeship you will gain a solid foundation in how to become a beekeeper. We’ll cover the equipment needed, methodologies, maintenance, and troubleshooting. In addition to leaving the course ready to start beekeeping, you’ll have an understanding of how pollinators are important to our environment and food system, and also learn how to support other species like native bees and butterflies. |
COURSE DETAILS
We call this the Bee Guardian Apprenticeship, because we want to create stewards and guardians of our environment and delicate insect communities. We hope you join us this spring session! We’ll meet once a month (March - May) for a weekend (Sat/Sun) and in between there will be suggested readings and online check ins. When weather permits, we’ll suit up and perform hive inspections on some of our established hives. Hands on learning is a great way to jump start your journey with the honeybees! The course will conclude with a graduation party where students will present their final project, something of interest and pollinators related, to share with our community.
Our graduates have gone on to start their own businesses in bee removal and rescue, education and as full time beekeepers.
Each session will include classroom learning, and time spent suited up inspecting hives. Each month you will be assigned readings to do on your own time to prepare for the next session. Classroom sessions will be held on an urban homestead in San Clemente and all apiary sites are located within 20 miles of classroom location. By attending these sessions over 3 months, you will see the vast seasonality involved in beekeeping, and receive hands-on instruction to learn what we can expect each season, what interventions may be required, and how to respond to various situations involving honeybees and other pollinators.
Topics Explored in this Course Include
We call this the Bee Guardian Apprenticeship, because we want to create stewards and guardians of our environment and delicate insect communities. We hope you join us this spring session! We’ll meet once a month (March - May) for a weekend (Sat/Sun) and in between there will be suggested readings and online check ins. When weather permits, we’ll suit up and perform hive inspections on some of our established hives. Hands on learning is a great way to jump start your journey with the honeybees! The course will conclude with a graduation party where students will present their final project, something of interest and pollinators related, to share with our community.
Our graduates have gone on to start their own businesses in bee removal and rescue, education and as full time beekeepers.
Each session will include classroom learning, and time spent suited up inspecting hives. Each month you will be assigned readings to do on your own time to prepare for the next session. Classroom sessions will be held on an urban homestead in San Clemente and all apiary sites are located within 20 miles of classroom location. By attending these sessions over 3 months, you will see the vast seasonality involved in beekeeping, and receive hands-on instruction to learn what we can expect each season, what interventions may be required, and how to respond to various situations involving honeybees and other pollinators.
Topics Explored in this Course Include
- Basics: Bee history, biology, terminology, swarm captures/lures, equipment and tools, different hive designs
- Starting a Hive: Selecting and preparing your apiary site, installing a new hive, honeybee roles, duties, internal hive life cycle
- Hive Maintenance: Performing inspections with care, healthy hive indicators, record keeping, seasonal tasks and duties
- Honey: When to responsibly harvest honey, how to harvest/package, plants that feed bees, rendering wax, creating value added products
- Rescues and Removals: Opportunities to shadow the instructor during rescues and removals, capturing swarms, and removal techniques
- Activism: Researching local city restrictions, beekeepers clubs, guerrilla pollinator planting, habitat restoration, native bee hotels, tree hives
- Advanced techniques: Splitting hives, identifying disease, to feed or not?, varroa treatment options
COURSE SCHEDULE
5 online live sessions of approximately 1 hour each (5-7 hours)
6 in-person sessions of 8 hours each (3 weekends) (48 hours) (last session, graduation, may be between 6 & 8 hours)
55 hours total (extra opportunities for hands-on activities and further learning will be available throughout the course)
Sat, Mar 21, 2020 - Sun, Mar 22, 2020 - Sat, Apr 18, 2020 - Sun, Apr 19, 2020 - Sat, May 16, 2020 - Sun, May 17, 2020 (graduation)
Access to reading materials and educational media for each subject will be provided on the 1st day of the course. For best learning experience, this course may require approximately 5 hours of independent study between each in-person session. There will be a final project assignment (given the first day) that will be presented on the last session’s graduation party. We recommend additional independent study between the sessions also!
Students are kindly requested to not miss more than 1 in person session and purchase their own suit for hive inspections. (Instructor has a handful of suits that can be borrowed/used initially). The apprenticeship will be limited to 10 participants. In addition to instruction, teas and snacks will be provided for breaks. Please bring a pack lunch.
5 online live sessions of approximately 1 hour each (5-7 hours)
6 in-person sessions of 8 hours each (3 weekends) (48 hours) (last session, graduation, may be between 6 & 8 hours)
55 hours total (extra opportunities for hands-on activities and further learning will be available throughout the course)
Sat, Mar 21, 2020 - Sun, Mar 22, 2020 - Sat, Apr 18, 2020 - Sun, Apr 19, 2020 - Sat, May 16, 2020 - Sun, May 17, 2020 (graduation)
Access to reading materials and educational media for each subject will be provided on the 1st day of the course. For best learning experience, this course may require approximately 5 hours of independent study between each in-person session. There will be a final project assignment (given the first day) that will be presented on the last session’s graduation party. We recommend additional independent study between the sessions also!
Students are kindly requested to not miss more than 1 in person session and purchase their own suit for hive inspections. (Instructor has a handful of suits that can be borrowed/used initially). The apprenticeship will be limited to 10 participants. In addition to instruction, teas and snacks will be provided for breaks. Please bring a pack lunch.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
Anna Maria Desipris (lead instructor)
Anna Maria is a regenerative beekeeper, herbalist, farmer, consultant and educator with close to 10 years of professional experience in the realm of sustainability, beekeeping, urban farming and community building around the farm to table movement. She has been rescuing and relocating to safe locations close to 50 honey bee swarms, approximately 100,000 bees, every year since 2011, while also gathering over 1000 individuals around community tables, supporting local regenerative farmers and chefs. As an educator she has led over 100 workshops, lectures and courses on topics from the realms of beekeeping, urban farming and regenerative food systems. As a farmer she has been a key designer, planner and manager of multiple neighborhood farms and farming based educational spaces in Reno, Nevada and Orange County, California. Anna Maria is also a college professor, the founder of The Honey Bee Hub, Bee Botanicals and Desert Bloom - Permaculture Research & Education Farm. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Reno and an array of certifications in Permaculture, Master Beekeeping and Herbalism.
Anna Maria Desipris (lead instructor)
Anna Maria is a regenerative beekeeper, herbalist, farmer, consultant and educator with close to 10 years of professional experience in the realm of sustainability, beekeeping, urban farming and community building around the farm to table movement. She has been rescuing and relocating to safe locations close to 50 honey bee swarms, approximately 100,000 bees, every year since 2011, while also gathering over 1000 individuals around community tables, supporting local regenerative farmers and chefs. As an educator she has led over 100 workshops, lectures and courses on topics from the realms of beekeeping, urban farming and regenerative food systems. As a farmer she has been a key designer, planner and manager of multiple neighborhood farms and farming based educational spaces in Reno, Nevada and Orange County, California. Anna Maria is also a college professor, the founder of The Honey Bee Hub, Bee Botanicals and Desert Bloom - Permaculture Research & Education Farm. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Reno and an array of certifications in Permaculture, Master Beekeeping and Herbalism.
COURSE GUEST SPEAKERS (more soon to be announced)
Lucian Toma
Lucian Toma
- permaculture designer & educator (all his gardens and farms are designed to protect and sustain pollinators)
- founder and CEO of Golden Coast Mead (all mead is made with honey that supports the health of pollinators)
- founder of Honey Girl Grows (expert beekeeper and pollinator guardian)
COURSE COSTS & REGISTRATION
Program Fee: $850
A $100 deposit must be paid to be registered in the course. Once accepted, you are kindly requested to pay the full amount before our first class. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the end of February.
We provide payment plans, work trade opportunities and scholarships for those that need them!
Program Fee: $850
A $100 deposit must be paid to be registered in the course. Once accepted, you are kindly requested to pay the full amount before our first class. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the end of February.
We provide payment plans, work trade opportunities and scholarships for those that need them!
- Payment plans - we offer monthly and bimonthly payments plans (Email us for arrangements / Deposit must be paid)
- Work Trade - we offer one full course cost work trade opportunity (cannot be combined with scholarship)
- Scholarships - we offer one full course cost scholarship (cannot be combined with work trade)
CHECK OUT A SHORT FILM ABOUT YOUR LEAD INSTRUCTOR!
OTHER INFORMATION
What to bring at each in person session:
What to bring at each in person session:
- (optional) Paper, pen or pencil for notes
- Reusable water bottle
- Lunch and snacks
- Please wear closed toed shoes and farming appropriate clothing every weekend session
- A portion of your payment will be used to sponsor scholarships for individuals, who would otherwise not afford it, and who will positively impact our shared environment and community with the knowledge and skills gained in this course.
- A portion of your payment will support the work of our instructors and the development of the San Clemente permaculture homestead, the Desert Bloom Permaculture Research & Education Farm, and other eco-educational hubs around the world.
- We will be using tools, and on occasion we will be working on slopes and uneven terrains. Safety will be priority number 1 and we ask that you follow the course and sessions leaders directions at all times. You can choose not to participate in some of the activities and observe only.
- A $50 admin fee is non-refundable if you decide to cancel your registration prior to the course.
- No Refunds will be made after the second session of the course on March 22nd 2020 started.