Queen Rearing 2 day Workshop

15th & 16th September 2018

This workshop includes 2 days of instruction from expert beekeepers featuring Bruce White. Attendees will have the opportunity to handle live bees, and undertake a practical application of Queen Bee grafting. The 2 days will allow participants to graft a queen larva on day 1 and follow up on day 2 to see how well their grafts have taken, prepare a starter hive for cell rearing, graft a queen larva, raise the cells and make up a mating nucleus hive. This workshop is limited to 15 places, so book fast.

Details of What’s Included:

Day 1

• Introductions
• Biology
• Life Cycles
• Cell bars
• Types of Queen cells
• Preparing Queen right and Queenless cell
• Starting and finishing colonies
• preparing Swarthmore cell starting colonies
• Grafting using different tools
• Importance of Nutrition
• Disease of honeybees and Engagement, including irradiated combs of American Foul Brood
• Calendar of Operation

Day 2

• Check grafting from day one
• Breeding programs
• Stock selection
• Video on artificial insemination of Queens
• Drone mother hive management
• Prepare Nucleus colonies different designs
• Package Bees
• Mating apiaries
• Banking Queens
• Queen Candy
• Introducing Queens, various methods
• Catching, marking, clipping, caging Queens
• Transporting queens and queen cells

Catering

Lunch, morning and afternoon tea/coffee for each day is included.

Your Safety is Our Priority

Specialised bee protective clothing is available for loan at the event. However, for your own safety you will need to wear a long sleeve shirt (lightweight if a hot day), long pants tucked into socks and covered shoes. Do not wear perfumes, scented lotions, shampoos etc. on the day as these annoy bees. Beehives in the apiary will be opened during the event if weather permits. If the weather is poor, beehives will be opened in a  covered area available on site. You must read, understand and agree with our Working with Bees (Acknowledgement of Risk) document here.

When & Where

Start 8.30am  Finish 4.30pm
15th and 16th September 2018
Our Sutherland Apiary @ Illawarra Beekeepers Apiary, 98 Eton St Sutherland NSW 2232 (see directions here)

Workshop Fee

$399. Early Bird / ABA member Special. (you must be a current member of the NSW ABA and book your place no later than 15th August 2018, early bird pricing subject to your NSW ABA membership verification)

$459. Non-ABA members and/or booking after 15th August 2018

A little more about Bruce White

Listen to the interview with Bruce White by Chris Smith from Sydney Radio 2GB here (Audio copyright & courtesy of the Alan Jones Breakfast Show on 2gb radio).

Remember spots are very limited and they sell out fast so book ASAP to avoid disappointment!