Beekeeping for Beginning and Small-Scale Farmers
Beekeeping for Beginning and Small-Scale Farmers provides a hands-on, practical learning experience for small farmers, entrepreneurs and others interested in honey production and pollination.
Through a combination of lectures, hands-on workshops and field days, participants will learn fundamental and practical beekeeping and business skills.
Who Should Take This Course?
This program is designed for current and aspiring:
- Urban farmers
- Community garden organizers
- Small and beginning farmers
- Master gardeners
- Market gardeners
- Homesteaders
- Entrepreneurs interested in honey production and pollination
No prior beekeeping experience is necessary. Beginning and experienced beekeepers who wish to expand their knowledge and skills are welcome.
Upcoming Classes
Dates and schedule: January 17-April 6, 2024. Class meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 p.m. There will also be several "Field Days" on Fridays or Saturdays from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Classes meet at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office of Maricopa County and the People's Demo Farm. Some Field Days will meet at other locations.
Please visit the Beekeeping course registration page for full schedule and location details.
Maricopa County Cooperative Extension & People's Demo Farm
4341 East Broadway Road
Phoenix, AZ 85040
What You Will Learn
The goal of this program is to help small-scale and beginner farmers diversify and sustain their operation by gaining knowledge in beekeeping, honey production, pollination and core business skills, including:
- Equipment and protective gear
- Bee species, anatomy, life stages, colony activities and more
- Setting your colony up for success: Arizona state laws, locations, buying/acquiring and installing your honeybees
- Feeding and managing your honeybees
- Hive inspection
- Diseases and pests
- Acquiring queens, rearing queens, re-queening
- Products of the hive: bees, honey, honeycomb, wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and value-added products made with honey
- Honey extraction, straining and storing
- Preparing products for market
- The business of beekeeping: brand development, business planning, pricing, marketing and promoting your business
What is Included?
- Eleven two-hour live, instructor-led classes and workshop sessions
- Five hands-on Field Days, which include opportunities to directly participate in activities such as hive inspection, extracting honey, and installing a nucleus colony
- All course materials
- A Certificate of Completion, upon successful completion of the course
Instructors
The course is part of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Urban Agriculture Production, Small-scale, and Beginner Farmer Program, and it is taught by beekeeping experts, including Ayman Mostafa, Sharrona Moore, Duane Combs, and Joc Rawls.