Rescuing a Wild Beehive With Father Branko

Probably everyone has seen a hive in the wild at one time, hanging from a branch or in a tree trunk, whether you knew it was one or not! This one-off workshop is for experienced beekeepers, building on your skills and passion for honey bees. In this 3-hr workshop, Father Branko will give you the practical knowledge and experience necessary to spot and confidently manage a wild hive in order to ‘rescue’ the bees. Why do the bees need rescuing? Because these are the bees with the best genes, surviving in the wild and defending against invaders and diseases! Please note this workshop will be postponed to March 7th if it’s raining heavily.

If you are already a beekeeper, then you know that this is an essential skill to add to your repertoire! This one-off workshop is a unique opportunity for anyone experienced in working with or keeping their own bees.

You will learn how to:

- Spot a wild hive
- Read the behaviors of the hive
- Clear the site by cutting back branches
- Use smoke and other methods to calm the bees
- Understand swarm management
- Work with Father Branko on the hive cut-out, splitting hand-cut section of the wild hive into bee boxes
- If we’re lucky we may even see the queen!