Honey Bee Inspection & Queen Management Class – April 25
Join us on April 25 for a hands-on honey bee inspection class designed to help beekeepers build confidence working inside active colonies. This practical session will cover essential apiary skills and provide the opportunity to observe and participate in real hive management tasks.
 
What we’ll cover:
Apiary setup, regulations, and equipment needed for maintaining healthy colonies
Smoker use, including proper lighting techniques, safety practices, and how to keep it lit during inspections
Hive inspections of four Italian honey bee colonies, including two planned colony splits
Finding and removing queens in preparation for requeening the following day
Proper queen storage, including how to safely maintain queens with drops of water until placement
Queen introduction techniques, including how to place a queen cage and why attendants are left in the cage
 
Participants will gain real-world experience identifying queens, understanding colony condition, and learning best practices for requeening.
 
Optional Follow-Up:
Class members will have the option to return the next day to observe or assist with queen introductions, which will occur approximately 24 hours after queen removal.
This class is ideal for beginner to intermediate beekeepers who want hands-on experience inspecting colonies and managing queens in a working apiary. 🐝