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USF Botanical Gardens Beekeeping Workshops

23K views 46 replies 5 participants last post by  AmericasBeekeeper 
#1 ·
Please join us at the USF Botanical Gardens in Tampa, Florida one Saturday every month. This is our second year of workshops that include hands-on training.
February 13 Beekeeping tools and equipment, painless beekeeping, USF Botanical Gardens, 10 to 2, $10 $8 USF BG Members, 813-910-3274

March 27 Beehive building and smoker practice USF Botanical Gardens, 10 to 2, $10 $8 USF BG Members, 813-910-3274

Apr 17 Swarms, splits and package bees, propagating the hive USF Botanical Gardens, 10 to 2, $10 $8 USF BG Members, 813-910-3274

May 22 Inspecting the beehive USF Botanical Gardens, 10 to 2, $10 $8 USF BG Members, 813-910-3274

Jun 19 What should and should not be in the hive USF Botanical Gardens, 10 to 2, $10 $8 USF BG Members, 813-910-3274

TBD Extracting and products of the hive

TBD Epinephrine auto-injection administration and insect stings

TBD Review for Florida Master Beekeeper exams

Thank you

Gary VanCleef
Americasbeekeeper.com
Americasbeekeeper.org
813-480-1200
 
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#27 ·
It is a good year for the USFBG hives. To update there are two hives from last year. Each of the old hives has two deep honey supers, one fully capped and the seconds nearly capped. There are also two hives made from splits last month. These are for new beekeepers. Each of the new hives is ready for a honey super also. The two old hives are Cordovan and the two new hives are Buckfast from Canada. Those girls chase down small hive beetles like you can't imagine.
 
#30 ·
Thank you. Bees and people who want to learn the truth about bees need to hear the message. The workshops certainly do not need the publicity. The classes grow every month. We built over 100 hives this year and populated over half in class. Extracting all the supers already on those new hives is the next challenge. New beekeepers from last year are taking an active part helping teach new beekeepers this year. Hopefully they will take on a greater role next year. We are currently looking for a large trailer or building to build a honey room onsite. Most of the beeks become members of the local Tampa Bay Beekeepers Association. Except for depleting the suppliers stocks - everyone wins!
 
#31 ·
The next USF workshop is honey extraction. If you wish to extract your personal honey, bring it from supers to single frames. Bring clean containers for your liquid treasure too. The class is broken into two groups this year due to overwhelming attendance. Reservations are first come-first serve and the morning is nearly full already. The teaching hives have several supers so there will be plenty to experience if you just come to learn and enjoy.
 
#32 ·
The americasbeekeeper.com website is wrong again. Honey extraction and products of the hive is next Saturday. I bought a dozen queens from Miksa. This is the last batch of the season. We experienced insecticide poisoning from the local mosquito control. All the teaching hive queens will be replaced on Saturday and three hives split for next year.
 
#33 ·
The hive products and honey extraction workshop went well. Several new beekeepers brought in supers from their hives started at the April workshop. One teaching hive brought in 5 gallons. We made a real mess of the science lab. There was honey everywhere by the time everyone cut or scraped cappings and took a turn at the extractor.
The USF apiary was hit hard with mosquito spraying. One hive died and the queens were noticeably injured in the others. All the hives were requeened Saturday morning and two were strong enough to split. Thank you to Miksa Honey Farms once again.
There were a few first time attendees that are hooked now. If you do not remember your first extraction experience, why are you keeping bees? The director had to chase people out at the end of the day. As for me, I will answer questions and mentor beekeepers until the sun goes down.
 
#34 ·
My wife and I were first-timers at this workshop and found it to be immensely helpful to us. We are newcomers to beekeeping and we are pursuing it as an enriching hobby with one hive so far in a residential subdivision environment. I was able to ask many questions that have been "buzzing" around in my head for some time and found the answers to be straightforward, to-the-point and useful. I hadn't expected the "hands-on" part of the instruction which was, of course, particularly helpful. Thanks for a valuable, interesting experience.
 
#35 ·
This Saturday we will be discovering Integrated Pest Management and Best Management Practices - how to keep the hive alive! BMP IPM takes knowledge of diseases, pests and parasites learned this Summer and determining thresholds, and best methods of bee management. We will be checking the hives split or requeened last workshop that were impacted by the mosquito spraying.
 
#38 ·
Well it may not be the best time of year, but October's workshop is requeening. We will talk about when to, why should you, and how do you re-queen. How do you select queens. For the adventurous and steady of hand we will attempt grafting. Everyone can look at the stages of egg and larvae for future reference. The grafts will be maintained at USF by one of our most experienced second-year beekeepers. This is his first time so please a little encouragement. If he can get them out of the finishing hive before there is only one left, he will make mating nucs. If they survive the Winter, they will be available for next years workshops.
 
#39 ·
Saturday, November 20th is Keeping the hive alive through Winter at USF
In addition to talking about the steps to keep your hives alive overwinter, and hands-on inspections, we will be moving a feral colony from an owl box to the top bar hive. I know many have been waiting and asking about the process of moving feral colonies. They will have plenty of drawn comb from the other teaching hives to start their new life. We put top bars in the teaching hives last month. They are already drawn with stores and brood.
 
#40 ·
Thank you to all who attended and helped at today's Bee Workshop. The bees are happily moved from their old bird house to the Kenyan top bar hive. I will get pictures posted as soon as I receive them.
The next workshop will include a thank you pot luck dinner hosted by the USFBG Director. Please bring a side dish to share next class. There were so many questions today. I hope everyone caught the major points to keep the hive alive through the Winter - feed, reduce entrance, ventilation, disease/pest/parasite control, stay out of the hive below 50 degrees, limit space/supers to actual need, etc.
 
#42 ·
We are already well into planning next year’s schedule. There are stacks of hives cut, bees and queens ordered and other supplies coming in or ready to order.
If you are able to help in any way next year or have suggestions for the classes, please get them in quickly. We can always use help checking people in, passing out handouts and hive kits, etc. This year we will split into groups for inspections (practicals) with experience in each group.
If you would like to present a topic, the first few should be no longer than a few minutes, ten minutes at the most. If you are not comfortable with questions, we can hold questions to the end. If you really want to learn, research a topic, take questions at the end of your topic. As you see and probably remember, the first of the year is hectic with so much just to get a hive so there is limited time per topic.
The format will be nearly identical with an in depth instruction in the afternoon following the practical. We are expanding the instruction to someday support a regular college course of study. Next year will be the prelude to develop the curriculum to the appropriate level and still entertain people just interested in learning the fundamentals.
For those desiring in depth study, after the practical hive work, there will be advanced topics, quizzes starting the second class and requirements typical of freshman science. The new format should increase your understanding and depth of knowledge as well as sharing your new adventure with others. Thank you for all your interest and help this past year, now it is time to share bees with others!
Draft schedule - - - -
January
What do bees bring to the table? (pollination)
Bee Friendly Garden (flowers, seasonal, diversity, native, be nice!)
Bee stings (difference, treatment, reactions)
Beekeeper mentoring program (What we offer)
What is a beehive? (where, size, comb, castes)
February
Beekeeping equipment and tools (hive, supers, frames, smoker, hive tools, veil)
Dress for success (veil, perfumes, swatting, do not trap bees in clothing)
Florida registration and inspection (how, who, when, why)
Beekeeper’s options (What can they get)
Honeybee biology (queen, drone, worker, egg, larvae, pupa, EHB, AHB)
Beehive inspection ( how, why, how often)
March
Building beehives (hammers, wood glue, hive kits)
April
Swarms, splits and package bees (bring hive ready to fill with bees)
May
Diseases (AFB, EFB, chalkbrood, sacbrood, Nosema)
Pests (wax moth, small hive beetles, bears, skunks)
Parasites (Varroa mites, tracheal mites)
June
Florida Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Best Management Practices (BMP) (determining DPP thresholds and level of treatment)
July
Queens and requeening
August
Products of the hive (beeswax, comb, propolis, pollen, honey)
Honey extraction
September
October
Fall management (feeding, splits, IPM)
November
Winter management ( feeding, entrance reducer, ventilation, crowd supers)
December
Spring management (requeen, room for nectar flow, swarm control)
 
#44 ·
USF Bee Workshops in 2011 will be on the third Saturday of every month, except March. March is a hive building class. The class will be two identical sessions on the first and last Saturday of March. The Bee College and Master Beekeeper programs are in St. Augustine the second week of March and a queen rearing course the third week of March in Monticello. There are less than nine seats left for queen rearing. I am teaching a couple blocks in St. Augustine on AHB. USF Bee Workshops are filling fast so let the USFBG staff know as soon as possible. Thank you.
 
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