2024 Beekeeping Apprenticeship | Join the Waitlist!
Our apprenticeship is full, but you can join the waitlist here!
Learn everything you need to know to start a beehive of your own in your backyard! Partridge Creek Farm board member and urban bee keeper with 10 seasons of experience, May Tsupros, will lead this 6 month apprenticeship. Deadline to register is April 2 or until all available spots are filled. There are 10 spots available. A minimum of 6 participants is required to host this event. Refunds will be provided if the minimum is not met.
Tentative Schedule
Because beekeeping is dynamic and weather dependent, dates are all tentative but will take place on either a Tuesday evening or Saturday morning/ afternoon. Each session is roughly 2 hours in length unless otherwise noted or a field trip. Apprentices are welcome to visit the hives as needed on their own once proper education, confidence, and group commitment has been established. All non-field trip meetings are hosted at the Partridge Creek Farm Office in downtown Ishpeming, or at their surrounding community gardens.
April 6, 2024 (4-5 hours): Beekeeping Basics and Hive Building/Clean out
mid-April to mid-May: Hive Installation, feeding and inspection. These dates are very dependent on when bees arrive in Ishpeming. We will meet twice, likely one time in mid-to late April to install bees and one time early to mid- May to inspect the bees.
June: swarm prevention, re-queening, combining and splitting hives, two possible field trips planned: Sue and Dave Payant (near Ralph), Joel Lantz (Skandia).
July: West End Field Trips to see other hives at Charlie Yeager and Bob Campbell.
August: Mite inspection/ treatment talks, Field Trip to John Robinson.
September: Honey tasting and harvest, continue treatment based on need (after harvest time).
October (4-5 hours): Winterization
November/December (4-5 hours): honey spinning, potluck, program graduation.
Overview, Benefits + Responsibilities
We will work as a team to learn. Groups of two to four will be assigned their own hive to "oversee" in an Ishpeming Garden for the season (April through October). The curriculum is focused on hands-on, experiential learning. This learning will include possible field trips to local apiaries and collaborative discussion and problem solving. See the schedule below for a list of topics that we will cover. Because this program is taught as we go, presence and participation are all foundational for learning.
Who We’re Looking For
No experience is necessary, just a commitment and excitement to learning over the course of several months and the ability to work and problem solve in teams. West End Marquette County community prioritized. Ages 18+ are welcome. Youth under the age of 18 can participate with an adult.