Practical Homesteading for the Ethical Beekeeper: CANCELLED

A practical introduction to Homesteading and sustainable living based on permaculture principles and ethical beekeeping.

This 5 week program will cover off on a number of homesteading elements from growing your own organic fruits and vegetables to raising your own Queen Bees for a home apiary. The course will include planting your own seeds for spring blooms and harvest, building your own Hive to take home at the end of the course, ready and full of bees for the 2021/22 Honey season, and all the knowledge you need to start your own backyard homesteading journey.

There will be a significant combination of classroom and field activities. Although a high level of fitness is not necessary, you will need to be self mobile, and lift a 5kg honey frame. If this will be an issue, please let us know so that we can adjust any course material to suit.

All meals will be included in your course costs including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Some after hours work will be required, and may be scheduled during the course program. These times and dates can however be flexible to meet the needs of course participants.

Some of the elements covered in the program include, but are not limited to:

Introduction to Permaculture Design
• Permaculture Principles & Ethics
• Soils & Composting
• Organic Fruit and Vegetable Growing
• Poultry Keeping (For Food, Fertiliser and Pest Control)
• Basic Animal Husbandry
• Permaculture Design
• Preparing for Bushfire
Beekeeping for Beginners
• Pollinators and Attracting Bees
• Honey Bee keeping
o Hive Options
o Lifecycle
o Life in the Hive
o Pest and Disease Management
• Legislative requirements
• Basic Beekeeping Equipment
• Inspecting the hive
Ethical Beekeeping
• Building a Hive
• Choosing the best location for your Hives
• Hive Maintenance & Advanced Inspections
• Moving Hives
• Extracting Honey
• Collecting and Cleaning Wax
• Collecting Propolis
• Collecting Pollen
• Storing, Packaging and Selling Honey
Advanced Beekeeping
• Splitting Hives
• Collecting Swarms
• Transfering Colonies from Nuc to Hive
• Introduction to Queen Rearing
• Uses for wax and Propolis
o Including how to make wax based salves and cosmetics, propolis toothpaste etc

Early Bird Registrations (paid in full prior to 31 May) - $2500
Full Registration Price - $2850
Purchase 2 tickets in one transaction for $4250