ABC Bees is training a new generation of hobby beekeepers, honey producers and queen rearers in small-scale, high intensity apiary management
Go for an authentic experience! For true beginners, bee enthusiasts, and bucket list holders, we run, find, and share fun, safe, and interactive opportunities to learn all about bees.
Escape your normal and connect with nature in a whole new way. Go on an excursion to the bee yard, to the meadow, and see what diversity is held in the tiny world of bees.
Eager to get out there and see what beekeeping is all about? To see beautiful pollinator gardens? Take native bee house building workshops? You’ll find all kinds of activities offered here. We want to support your learning and connection with nature. It is up to you to get out there!
“I loved learning from Eliese. Her knowledge is immense and I felt like I was being guided, especially when she would teach multiple options and then make recommendations based on her expertise. I appreciate that, despite her expertise, she was able to present information in a way that even us beginners could absorb it. She used simple terms and explained as she went. The building block & style of moving through the content made me feel really confident in her knowledge and presentation of it.”
– Former Student
LEARN FROM ABC BEES
Since 2010, we have trained thousands of aspiring and established beekeepers and honey producers on small-scale beekeeping and sustainable apiary management techniques. Widely acclaimed in the press and wildly popular among participants, our in-apiary workshops attracted interest from around the world and always sold out fast.
Unable to keep up with the demand for in-person events, we converted our beekeeping training into a convenient video-based format. Information we previously shared at our in-person workshops is now available via our Mini Courses and our comprehensive five-week ABC Bees Level One Beekeeping Certificate Online, so you can learn from ABC Bees no matter where you live.
Seasonal Management Mini Courses
ABC Bees Mini Courses feature 3-4 video tutorials that demonstrate some of the techniques we use to start, manage and raise healthy honey bees on a small scale. In our upcoming Winter Mini Course, you’ll learn how to select equipment for your apiary, decide how and what way you will purchase your first bees, plus how to select an apiary site for optimal honey production. ABC Bees Mini Courses are offered a few times each year and videos are available for a limited time only. Registration is free.
Level One Beekeeping Certificate
ABC Bees Level One Beekeeping Certificate is a five-week intensive online learning program focused on managing honey bees on a small scale. This course is offered only a few times per year and covers everything we’ve learned about raising honey bees and building a successful honey business with less than 100 colonies. The Level One Beekeeping Certificate includes 49+ video tutorials with all of our best management advice, time-saving tools, money-saving tips and detailed instructions on all the essential techniques for managing honey bees on a small scale.
A FEW KIND WORDS
We know these workshops make a difference because we stay in touch with past attendees, watching them quit their day jobs, go on to start their apiaries, make side-income through their honey sales and transform their struggling apiaries into thriving ones.
Mike Wrinch
“I knew bees were important but now I actually care about bees and understand how they work. They are astonishing and I am now totally on team bee. Eliese is such a talented teacher as she is genuinely interested in you learning what is important and making a connection with bees. She’ll explain to you how these little creatures have such a big impact on the world, and remind you that you can have a big impact too. If you get the opportunity to eat some honey out of a hive with her, you should definitely take it.”
Jeananne Liang
“In 2014 I was fortunate to participate in an internship with Eliese, gaining hands-on beekeeping skills while helping to manage hives located throughout Calgary. Eliese is a compassionate and patient teacher and always professional in her dealings with others, Eliese has lead the urban beekeeping movement in Alberta while raising awareness of the importance of honey bees and other pollinators. Most importantly, Eliese is so much fun to hang out with! Thank you Eliese for introducing me to the bees. I can’t imagine life without them.”
Suzanne Ebelher
“I met Eliese at a conference a few years back and finally took her intro class in March 2020. I had no idea there was so much to know about bees! I loved the passion and care Eliese exuded and found myself taking the plunge and purchasing my first hive this year (Covid Project ‘Bee’). Looking back, taking the Intro to Bees course offered by ABC Bees was critical in setting me up for success, helping me be the best ‘bee mom’ I could be. Special thanks to Eliese to this day for coaching me through those uncertain bee moments, she’s seen it all!”
Mary Lynn Hogg
“I first met Eliese when I took her beginning beekeeping class 9 years ago. I was impressed with her knowledge and how she made this very in-depth class interesting and fun. I have taken other classes from her over the years that have been very valuable to our urban beekeeping operation. Her enthusiasm for bee keeping is infections. She is kind, caring, hard working, plays a major roll in our bee keeping community and a strong supporter of local businesses.”
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Registration for the Level One Beekeeping Certificate Online is now open through Friday, October 19, 2020 accredited through Red Deer College