Hands-On Beekeeping Class Painless

File photo.

By Sonia Isotov

This weekend Maui Aloha Aina Association is sponsoring “Hands-On Beekeeping”; a 2-day workshop on how to set up and keep a hive of bees in your own backyards. 

Attendees will learn how to identify the inner workings of the hive and how to manage and provide for their optimum well being.  Students will be able to open and observe a hive of bees during each class. Small and manageable hives will be used in the class.

The two-day workshop agenda is as follows:

Saturday, July 9, 9:00 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Basics of bee equipment, hive management techniques 
How to open a hive and what to look for, including checking for Queen and eggs
Learn how to identify egg, larvae, pupae and pollen in the comb
Bee genetics; are they gentle or are they defensive? 
Each participant will look in a hive, assisted together with the class

Sunday, July 10, 9:00 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Building and assembling frames and hive bodies
Langstroth hive or Top bar hive; which is best for you? 
Learn to identify healthy brood pattern
Discussion about ideal locations for bees on Maui 
Boxes, frames, and foundations
Solutions to problems in the hive
Demo and discussions about bee disease and solutions 

Other topics covered in the class include: extracting honey; bottling and marketing honey; re-Queening and grafting; therapeutic stings; transferring the bees from a nucleus hive box to a deep hive box; knowing when to give the bees more space; and when and how to move bees.

The two-day workshop fee is $95 per participant. Classes are limited to 10 persons. Veils and smokers are required and available at a discounted rate at the class. To get more information and make a reservation, please call Mark and Leah Damon at 808-280-6652 (Mark) or (808) 276-56324 (Leah).