Advance your beekeeping skills with one-on-one training.
NOD Beekeeping Mentorship Program 2024
This mentorship program is a one-on-one learning opportunity to follow an experienced beekeeper through a full season of beekeeping. You will join the instructor in the bee yard monthly for an overview of seasonally appropriate tasks and intermediate management techniques.
This program is designed to be customizable to your skill-level and desires for your beekeeping practice and learning; we can focus on certain topics that are of interest to you. A nucleus colony (included, see cost section) must be purchased from NOD Apiary Products to participate in this Mentorship Program. It will be kept at our office for the 2024 season, then must be moved by Spring 2025.
Program Cost:
$1300 for 6 sessions held from May through October 2024. Each session is 3 hours of one-on-one training with our Beekeeping Instructor. Dates are flexible and will be scheduled after registration. The cost includes:
- 6 one-on-one sessions with Beekeeping Instructor throughout the season (3 hours each)
- A nucleus colony (valued at $300)
- Two course manuals: CAPA Honey Bee Diseases and Pests Manual, 3rd Edition and OBA Ontario Beekeeping Manual
Additional Costs:
- Purchase of beekeeping equipment (approximately $650, available at student discount from Dancing Bee Equipment)
- NOTE: Please do not begin purchasing equipment until after your application has been approved and you have consulted with our Instructor.
Program Outcomes:
Hoping to take your beekeeping knowledge to the next level? This program offers:
- A unique one-on-one opportunity to take advantage of an experienced beekeeper’s time and wisdom.
- A mentor to work with you throughout the season and plan for the future.
- The ideal learning environment. Learning is cool. Applied learning is great. One-on-one applied learning is amazing!
- Experience working alongside professional beekeepers in the field to participate in managing hives on a larger scale than the backyard. You will have the chance to visit the NOD apiaries, assist with beekeeping activities, commercial-scale honey extraction, and observe some of our research activities.
There is a strong history of mentorship in the beekeeping community. Although there are many courses and workshops available (like our Beginner Beekeeping Program!) for fledgling beekeepers, there aren’t as many opportunities out there to move beyond the beginner realm. Individualized learning helps ensure you get the most out of the experience, giving us the opportunity to customize a program to your unique needs, goals, and learning style. Working with a mentor also gives you the flexibility to coordinate with your schedule instead of being beholden to set course dates
Beekeeping Mentorship Program
2024 Dates & Time
This course is run monthly from May – October (6 sessions, each 3 hours). The course dates/time are flexible and will be scheduled with each student upon registration.
Session Outline
May
- Making expansions, splits, nucs, and more
- Basic queen rearing
June
- Diagnosing deadouts
- Spring mite treatments & Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
July
- Advanced mite detection
- Liebfeld colony assessments
August
- Harvest strategies
- Commercial honey extraction
September
- Fall mite treatments
- Preparing for winter
October
- Fall mite cleanup treatments
- Value-added products
Course Location
This course is held at NOD Apiary Products:
374 Sidney Street
Quinte West, ON
About Our Beekeeping Instructors
Hannah Neil
Beekeeping Education & Technical Coordinator
Hannah has over 10 seasons of beekeeping experience in commercial and applied research settings in Saskatchewan, New Zealand, and Ontario. She has taught over 10 beekeeping courses – mostly beginner, but also IPM and queen rearing. Hannah is currently managing 75 honey bee colonies for research and education. Oh, and she is a real, genuine bee nerd!
If you have any questions about our Beekeeping Courses, please contact Hannah:
Email: hannahn@nodglobal.com
Tel: (306) 314-2885
Dr. Heather Broccard-Bell
Honey Bee Health Researcher
Dr. Heather Broccard-Bell is the Honey Bee Health Researcher at NOD Apiary Products. She is a scientist and educator with over 15 years research and teaching experience. Heather has been focused on investigating issues surrounding honey bee health and communication since 2014 when she first began to work with bees in observation colonies.
In 2021, she graduated to commercial-style beekeeping with the NOD research colonies. If you’d like to ask Dr. Heather Broccard-Bell more about her work or this course, you can email her at heatherb@nodglobal.com.
About NOD Apiary Products:
NOD Apiary Products Ltd. is a Canadian-based company with global reach. Our family of companies strives to bring the most sustainable, convenient, and effective honey bee health products to the global marketplace. We pride ourselves in being an innovative leader in the apiculture industry with a team that is passionate about our vision: Healthy Bees. Healthy Planet. Read more About Us
Requirements & Policies
Required Materials
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Each participant is required to bring their own PPE consisting of, at minimum:
- A beekeeper’s veil
- Appropriate beekeeping footwear
- Full bee suit or a Jacket with light-coloured, loose-fitting long pants
- Gloves (optional)
- Beekeeping Equipment: Purchase of beekeeping equipment (approximately $650, available at student discount from Dancing Bee Equipment). NOTE: Please do not begin purchasing equipment until after your application has been approved and you have consulted with our Instructor.
Provided Materials
- Nucleus colony
- Bee smokers
- Hive tools
- Course manuals: CAPA Honey Bee Diseases and Pests Manual, 3rd Edition and OBA Ontario Beekeeping Manual
Eligibility
Students must be over the age of 18 (at time of course), have no known allergy to bee stings, and a minimum of one season of beekeeping experience.
Policies
- This program fosters an inclusive environment where adults of all races, genders, sexual orientations, beliefs, and backgrounds are welcomed without question.
- Respect for classmates, instructor, and the bees are all mandatory.
- No participant with a known allergy to bee stings may participate in this program.
- No refunds for missed sessions.
Expectations & Responsibilities
- Participants are expected to demonstrate:
- Curiosity and engagement
- Punctuality and preparedness
- Respect for the facility and grounds
- Instructor is responsible for:
- Fostering an inclusive and open environment
- Answering questions to the best of my ability and dig deeper when answers are not immediate
HOW TO APPLY
Application Form for 2024 Beekeeping Mentorship Program
Please complete our online form to apply for this course. In order to maintain our one-on-one style of this program, course spots are limited and application will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be notified by email if they have been selected for the 2024 program.
Questions before you apply?
Contact our Instructor: Email Hannah
What our students are saying…
"I loved the small group setting."
 |
As a more introverted person it made me a lot more comfortable participating and asking questions etc. Hannah also helped us feel at ease and was very open to any topic we brought up! Also, seeing the bees every week after the classroom lessons and getting hands on experience was amazing! It really helped to make all the learning stick!
—Lucy Raistrick |
"The hands on experience was invaluable for my learning."
 |
Hannah put together an extremely informative and engaging program. It was practical while touching on fun, thought-provoking topics within the beekeeping and agricultural landscape. The structure of her program was intuitive and her teaching style made her easy to listen to. I couldn’t recommend her and the program enough!”
—Alexandra McKinney |
OUR WORKER BEES
Meet the people behind NOD Apiary Products.
we love bees.
NOD Apiary Products Ltd. is a manufacturer of sustainable honey bee health products.
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