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• VAA MS - Winter Workshop 2 - Make your wax foundation embedder

  • When
    28 Jul 2024
  •  
    11:00 AM - 2:30 PM
  • Location
    Collingwood Children's Farm Apiary, Abbotsford, Vic

  Register

  Winter is time to get your equipment ready for Spring. The wax foundation embedder will help you get the frame wires sunk into the wax foundation.

  A frame and wire crimper with the wax foundation embedder

  

  The shed at Collingwood Children's Farm Apiary has workbenches and the tools needed to do the job.

  All materials are provided as well as lunch. Please advise any dietary requirements.

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• Introduction to Beekeeping Course

  • Start
    3 Oct 2024
  •  
  • End
    20 Oct 2024
  •  
  • Schedule
    4 sessions
  • Spaces left
    18

  Register

  This course is designed to provide new beekeepers with the practical skills and background knowledge to start beekeeping with confidence.

  The course consists of 3 online video conference sessions (Thursday nights) plus a practical session on the following Sunday at the club apiary (at Collingwood Children’s Farm). This will involve live hive opening and inspection as well as other hands-on skill building exercises and tutoring. 

  Additionally, participants will have access to a private discussion forum providing Q&A and mentoring throughout the course and for the following month.  For members, we will also include a single, virtual mentoring visit to your own home apiary via Zoom. 

  The course leader is a certified master beekeeper and our highly qualified tutors have experience with both conventional Langstroth hives and Flow hives as well as top bar hives.

  The hive session is weather dependent and in the event of completely unsuitable weather, we will schedule an alternative date or dates.

  A certificate of completion will be awarded once the online quiz has been successfully attempted.

  No previous experience is required. Loan protective equipment is provided for the hive session. 

  
  

  1: Introducing bees and beekeeping

  2: Equipment requirements

  3: Biology of the bee

  4: Inspecting and handling bees

  5: The Apiary and Biosecurity Codes of Practice

  6: Diseases and pests

  7: Looking ahead (harvesting honey/swarms/preparing for winter)

  Exercises: Lighting smoker, hive inspection and Varroa check

  Feedback from previous courses

  • This is one of the BEST courses I've attended.  It was an excellent mix of theory and practical and the presenter Andrew was excellent and very knowledgeable
  • Would I recommend this training to other beekeepers? Absolutely. The training, resources provided and learning experience was excellent

  Membership discount if you join VAA

  If you sign up as a member you will pay the member fee ($100) rather than the non-member fee ($150).  This means you pay ($100+$90) and get a year's membership of VAA for $40 - less than half price!

  You will need to join and pay your membership subscription first.  After that, log in to the website and the discounted rate will be available.

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• Queen Rearing Workshop

  • Start
    16 Nov 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    17 Nov 2024
  •  
    1:30 PM
  • Location
    Collingwood Children's Farm
  • Spaces left
    4

  Register

  

  Raising queens is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable beekeeping activities and will make you a better beekeeper through increasing your understanding of the biology of the hive.

  The workshop will provide hands-on activities including grafting and mating nuc set up.  Accompanying the practical work, a series of seminars on the biology and principals of queen raising will be provided.

  All participants will be invited to set up a mating nuc in their own apiary at the conclusion of the first day and will be provided with a 48 hour old grafted queen cell the next day to take away to start a new colony.  You are expected to have a strong hive which can donate a couple of frames of brood.   The option to purchase a nuc with frames is included in the registration form.  If you already have a nuc, you can choose not to purchase, but please don't change your mind close to the workshop as we need to organise supplies.  Guidance how to set up the nuc will be provided.  There will be an opportunity to reassemble on the following weekend to review the grafting results.

  The workshop will be led by EAS Master Beekeeper Andrew Wootton, together with a team of seasoned beekeeper tutors.

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