BEEKEEPING ABOVE THE 45TH PARALLEL

This self-paced online beekeeping course is designed for individuals new to beekeeping or that have been keeping bees less than 5 years and live in Northern climates like Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The course is intended to serve as a science-based foundation using the most current research and understandings of Apis mellifera to improve your knowledge and management of honey bees using the Langstroth hive.

Note: All materials in this course are Copyrighted and redistribution of any materials without expressed written consent from Bee Wise Farms LLC is strictly prohibited.

Lectures: Lectures cover broad topics in depth and are generally 30 - 90 mins in length. Lectures should be viewed in order as topics build upon one another.

• Lecture 1: Honey Bees and Humans: Ancient Connections and North American Introductions (52 minutes)
• Lecture 2: Beekeeping Equipment: Tools of the Trade (61 minutes)
• Lecture 3: Honey Bee Biology: The Individual Bee (58 minutes)
• Lecture 4: Colony Biology: The Superorganism (65 minutes)
• Lecture 5: Feeding Bees (27 minutes)
• Lecture 6: Record Keeping (26 minutes)
• Lecture 7: What’s in a hive?: Preparing for Inspections (39 minutes)
• Lecture 8: Hive Handling and Inspections (75 minutes)
• Lecture 9: Managing Varroa Effectively (85 minutes)
• Lecture 10: Pests and Pathogens of Honey Bees (82 minutes)
• Lecture 11: Swarms and Laying Workers (64 minutes)
• Lecture 12: Mid-Season Management (54 minutes)
• Lecture 13: Late Season Management (47 minutes)
• Lecture 14: Overwintering in Northern Climates (63 minutes)
• Lecture 15: Splits (41 minutes)
• Lecture 16: Honey Plants and Forage Habitat (43 minutes)

Instructional Videos: Instructional Videos are short topic specific videos that are 1 - 20 mins in length and can be viewed in any order as they are stand alone topics.

• Instructional Video: Purchasing Bees (22 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Assembling Frames (15 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Assembling Hive Bodies (7 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Assembling Bottom Boards (5 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Assembling Migratory Covers (5 minutes)
  
• Instructional Video: Using a Hive Tool (8 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Lighting a Smoker (10 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Installing a Package (17 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Installing a Nuc Part 1 (11 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Installing a Nuc Part 2 (2 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Inspection and mite monitoring (powdered sugar role and alcohol wash) (12 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Mite Treatment Applications (Formic Pro) (5 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Oxalic Acid Application Methods (11 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Honey Harvesting and Processing (18 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Wax Processing and Rendering (17 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Last Steps to Prepare Hives for Winter (17 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Building Equipment for Overwintering Honey Bees (16 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Winter Storage of Beekeeping Equipment (12 minutes)
• Instructional Video: January Winter Hive Checks (19 minutes)
• Instructional Video: February Winter Hive Checks (9 minutes)
• Instructional Video: March Winter Hive Checks (5 minutes)
• Instructional Video: April Winter Hive Checks (2 minutes)
• Instructional Video: Apiary Site Selection to Make Winter Checks Easier (1 minute)
• Instructional Video: Behaviors of Honey Bees (4 minutes)

Handouts: These are support resources, some of which are mentioned in lectures.

• Handout: Bear Fencing
• Handout: Hive Data Sheet
• Handout: Varroa Mite Treatment Cheat Sheet
• Handout: Starting and Keeping Bees in Michigan Rules and Regulations
• Handout: UN FAO Value Added Products from Beekeeping Book
• Handout: Honey Bee Health Coalition Best Management Practices for Bee Health
• Handout: Honey Bee Health Coalition Tools for Varroa Management
• Handout: Beekeeper’s Guide to USDA-SARE
  
• Handout: USDA Programs for Beekeepers

Wellness Videos: These wellness videos are to help you create a closer relationship with your bees and the natural world.

• Instructional video: Yoga for Beekeepers (18 minutes)
• Instructional video: The Beekeeper’s Breath (13 minutes)
• Instructional video: Creating a Threshold in the Apiary (12 minutes)
• Instructional video: Bee Bathing (6 minutes)
• Instructional video: Active Meditation in a Bee Hive (12 minutes)
• Instructional video: Communing with Bees (5 minutes)
• Instructional video: Steps of Gratitude (9 minutes)

Recommended Reading: There are a multitude of beekeeping books available for new beekeepers. For those interested in books that nicely complement this course we would recommend the following:

• Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping (3rd Edition) by Caron and Connor. Dr. Adam’s favorite textbook for beginners.
• The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Sammataro and Avitabile. A classic book that has been a beekeeper’s resource for decades.
• Beekeeping in Northern Climates by Furgala, Spivak and Reuter. A great short book for Northern beekeepers.
• Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner by Kane and Faux. This is an advanced textbook written with veterinarians in mind but also serves professional beekeepers. Dr. Adam is one of the co-authors!
• The Beekeeper’s Bible by Jones and Sweeney-Lynch. A fun book with beekeeping history, some management, and lots of folk remedies, recipes and crafts with bee products.
• The Sacred Bee by Ransome. A classic book on the world history of beekeeping starting in ancient Egypt.
• The Hive and the Honey Bee Revisited. Langstroth’s classic book on beekeeping with commentary by world famous beekeeping expert Dr. Roger Hoopingarner of MSU.

About Your Instructors
Dr. Adam Ingrao holds a BS in Agriculture and Environmental Plant Science from California Polytechnic State University and a PhD in Entomology from Michigan State University. His expertise as an entomologist is rooted in the utilization of beneficial insects in agroecosystems to produce ecosystem services with a special focus on honey bees and natural enemies. He is the Co-Founder and National Director for the Heroes to Hives program (the largest beekeeping education program in the nation), an Instructor for the Great Plains Master Beekeeping course, and an Outreach Specialist at Michigan Food and Farming Systems. Dr. Ingrao has been working in sustainable agriculture for 30 years and with honey bees professionally for the last 18 years. He has published numerous scientific articles, policy papers, and articles in Bee Culture magazine. He is also a co-author of the beekeeping textbook Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner.

Lacey Ingrao is Co-Owner of Bee Wise Farms and is our resident Api-therapist, ordained minister, herbal farmer, somatic movement guide and eco-spiritual companion. With a Master's Degree in Transpersonal Psychology, her breadth of knowledge and expertise includes nature-based therapies, somatic & mindful movement, transitions, rites of passage, and connection to spirit. She has a great love for supporting internal healing by way of connecting to our bodies and has done this for almost two decades through various wellness modalities and energy work. While her educational & life path has been committed to nature-being relationships, she has over 18 years of experience in Project Management and Event Planning. This work allows her to stay connected with people in a different way by creating meaningful and memorable events.

You might also be interested in our Bee Camp or Reserving NUCS (Hive Nucleus) Information