Sign up for our Spring 2010Beekeeping Classes below. Visit our new store here.
Spring Beekeeping Classes from Half Acre Farm
BEGINNERS BEEKEEPING CLASS
Classes are February 20th or April 10th.
This class will teach you everything you need to know to get started in beekeeping. From purchasing equipment and bees, learning what beekeepers actually “do”, the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and finally the honey harvest, this class will cover all these issues. The ‘Introduction to Beekeeping’ class will teach only sustainable methods of beekeeping. When you leave the class, you will have the skills necessary to keep a hive. $60 per Person
9am – 5pm, Saturday, February 20, 2010
9am – 5pm, Saturday, April 10, 2010
To reserve your space, please contact Liam at (814) 574-2273 or
half-acrefarm@hotmail.com. (Hyphen between ‘half’ and ‘acre’) . Or register and pay securely by credit card by clicking the "buy now" link below (note: this link will take you to the PayPal site--you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay by credit card--after clicking the "buy now" button, just click the "continue" link next to the credit card logos on the page that comes up):
Beekeeping Equipment
Half Acre Farm has a few different styles of hives available for purchase. The Langstroth hive is the ‘typical’ hive which may come to mind when you first think of keeping bees. The Langstroth hive has been used in the US for most of the past 100 years. The Langstroth hive is probably the easiest hive to start keeping bees with because of the availability of parts and ease of manipulation. A Langstroth hive from Half Acre Farm is
Top Bar Hives (TBHs) have advantages and disadvantages when compared to the Langstroth hive. TBHs allow the bees to draw more ‘natural’ comb, when compared to the cell size on the foundation used for the Langstroth hive. Bees tend to be slightly more docile in TBHs. Problems with TBHs include issues related to extracting the honey, brood chamber location, and accurately determining the amount of honey to leave the bees for the winter. The TBHs manufactured by Half Acre Farm allow for the use of Langstroth honey supers while keeping the queen on ‘natural’ comb.
A third type of hive is a hybrid of the TBH and Langstroth hive is the Warré Hive. The Warré hive has some of the same benefits of the Langstroth hive, as well as allowing the bees to draw ‘natural’ comb. The Warré hive looks similar to the Langstroth, but contains no frames like the Langstroth. Instead, the Warré hive has starter strips of wood which act as guides for the formation of comb. Like the TBH, there are issues with harvesting the honey. These issues can be overcome by the use of certain extraction aids.
All three types of hives are available for purchase from Half Acre Farm; please refer to our website or e-mail for pricing.
Half Acre Farm will also be placing an order for bees. Please let me know if you plan to purchase bees in addition to the hive. The cost for the bees is: $120 per nuc (nucleus hive; Northern Raised bees) or $100 for a 3 lb package of bees (Italians from GA). Bees will be available for pick up from Half Acre Farm during the month of May, weather dependent. Orders placed before February 15 will be guaranteed. Availability after that date is uncertain.
General Information About All Classes:
Class sizes are limited and your spot will be held once payment is received. Discounts are available for couples, families, and individuals who have taken “Introduction to Bees, Their Value, and Way of Life”. Please call or e-mail for discounts.
Cancellations 1 week or less prior to class incur a $20 fee.
Questions? Please
contact Liam Goble at 814-574-2273 or half-acrefarm@hotmail.com