or phone. 0428629099 / 02 6021 8838. About the teacher.
Natural Beekeeping Course Wonga Wetlands, Albury, 26th - 27th of March 2011 Join Tim Malfroy of Malfroy's Gold as he leads you through the basics of bee-friendly, natural, organic, small-scale beekeeping. You will leave this course with a competent knowledge of the fundamentals of natural beekeeping, and be ready to take the plunge and keep your own bees, Warré style! The course will focus on a style of apiculture that is exclusively designed for the small-scale beekeeper. This bee-friendly method aims to care for the bees, allow them to control their own environment, and is a gentler approach than conventional beekeeping, resulting in healthy contented bees, and superb raw honey. The beekeeper enters into a partnership with the bee colony, and from that responsibility reaps great insights and benefits. The course will be a series of presentations that draw a wide perspective on the evolution of flowering plants and honeybees, and the long and rich tradition of apiculture. There will be open discussion, and loads of practical advice!
About the teacher Tim Malfroy is the founder of the awardwinning Malfroy¹s Gold honey label with his wife Emma, and has been practicing organic and biodynamic beekeeping since he started keeping his own bees in 2006. In 2008 he was the first beekeeper in Australia to build and trial a Warré hive, and traveled to Apimondia in France 2009 to take part in the first conference session on Warré and top-bar beekeeping.
Where: When:
Wonga Wetlands, Albury
Cost:
$195 per person
9am to 5pm, Sat 26 & Sun 27 March
More info & bookings: Contact Karen Retra - email
[email protected] or phone 0428629099 / 02 6021 8838
Course content Topics include, but are not limited to: Delete text and insert image here.
Although this session may involve inspecting a hive or harvesting honey (weather permitting), the hallmark of this style of beekeeping is low-intervention; this is not a heavily ‘hands on’ course, although all discussion will be focused on the practicalities of keeping bees. Rather than limit the discussion to merely the role of the beekeeper and how to keep bees, Tim will talk extensively about the amazing social behaviour and biology of the honeybee, giving you a solid grounding in the intricate world of the honeybee and how to approach keeping them in an ethical, sustainable manner. You will learn the ins and outs of sustainable beekeeping in general, and leave this course all ready to take the plunge of keeping your own bees!
* Inspecting the hive * Evolution of the Honeybee and flowering plants * History of Honey Hunting & Beekeeping * The Sacred Bee in Ancient Civilizations * Beehives throughout History * Beekeeping in Australia * Honeybees: Understanding the Super Organism * Biology of the Honeybee * The Importance of Natural Comb * The People¹s Hive of Émile Warré * Getting Set-Up for Beekeeping: Buying bees, hives & equipment * Site and Forage Assessment * Forms required for keeping bees * Situating beehives in urban areas - backyards + rooftops * Handling bees gently and confidently * Introducing your bees to the hive * Ensuring the ongoing health of your colony * Pests & Diseases * Swarming * Raw honey & comb harvesting techniques * Honey appreciation * Strategies for safe and successful beekeeping within a neighborhood * Planting a bee-friendly garden * Native Bees
Location & bookings The course will be held at Wonga Wetlands, five minutes out of Albury on the Riverina Highway. We require 20 participants to cover costs. Payment needs to be made in advance. If we do not get sufficient numbers by February 25th, all money will be fully refunded. Catering arrangements during the course will be BYO food (fridge and bbq available for use). Tea & coffee making facilities provided. The course fee includes course notes and extensive further reading and resource list. For payment options or any additional information, please contact Karen Retra (details on front of this flyer).
The course will focus on the The People¹s Hive of Émile Warré, of which Tim is a pioneer in Australia. However, Tim also has plenty of tips for those with other hive types, to help you be a bee-friendly beekeeper or bee-observer!
“The knowledge of bees is the basis of the beekeeper’s success; and for all other people who, amidst the whirl of present-day technology, still prove to have a clear feeling for lively Nature, they are a source of joyful edification.”- Karl Von Frisch, The Dancing Bees 1927 .
