Dr. Leo Sharashkin’s

Natural Beekeeping Workshop

RegistrationEarly Bird Online Sales open December 1, 2018 and close March 25, 2019 Members $20 Nonmembers $30 Lunch $8

At the Door Members $30 Nonmembers $40 Lunch $10

BUY TICKETS: shenvalleybeekeepers.org/upcoming-eventsDr. Sharashkin - horizontalhive.com/index.shtml

Keeping bees can be simple, healthful, and rewarding. Dr. Leo shares time-honored methods that take the sting out of beekeeping and make it fun and accessible to all. Experienced beekeepers – from backyard hobbyists to commercial – who seek ways to keep their bees treatment-free with minimal intervention and expense will glean a swath of ideas that can be applied to their existing operations.

Dr. Leo Sharashkin is the founder of horizontalhive.com and editor of Keeping Bees With a Smile, a compre-hensive resource on keeping bees naturally in horizontal hives. He is contributor to American Bee Journal, The Beekeepers Quarterly (UK), and Acres USA, and speaks internationally on sustainable beekeeping, organic growing, and earth-friendly living.

Seminar TopicsBees: The Beginning of Natural BeekeepingSwarm Trapping, Local Bees & GeneticsHive DesignColony Management – Spring & SummerColony Management – Fall & Winter, Pests & Diseases

April 6, 20198:00 am – 6:00 pm

Blue Ridge Community College • Plecker Workforce CenterWeyers Cave, VA • I-81 / Exit 235

shenvalleybeekeepers.org

8:00 - Registration Opens

9:00 - Welcome & Mutual Introduction

9:10 - Session 1BEES: THE BEGINNING OF NATURAL BEEKEEPING Truths & Myths About Natural Beekeeping • How Honeybees Live in Nature • How We Can Mimic Bees’ Natural Ways • Backyard & Commercial Natural Beekeeping • Bee Biology & Ecology & How it Affects Beekeeping Choices • Colony Structure: Queen, Workers, Drones • Comb Building & Nest Architecture • Communication & Collective Intelligence. • Foraging & Other Tasks • Local Honey Flows • Propagation & Swarming • Colony Development Cycles

10:25 - Break

10:40 - Session 2SWARM TRAPPING, LOCAL BEES & GENETICS Natural Swarms • Swarm Traps/Bait Hives – Best Designs & Keys to Successful Use • Catching Swarms Using Swarm Traps: How, Where, When • Honeybee Races • Local Bees • Improving Bee Genetics • Collecting Swarms • Removing Bees from Structures • Queens

1:00 - Lunch Break

2:00 - Session 3HIVE DESIGN What is an Ideal Hive? • History & Evolution of Hive Models • Hive Choices Depending on Your Climate & Priorities • Hot/Moderate/Cold Climates • Honey Production/Pollination/Bee Welfare • Stationary/Migratory • Small Scale/Medium Scale/Large Commercial • How to Build Low-Maintenance Hives that Respect Bees’ Needs • Choice of Materials • Insulation • Ventilation • Design Options, Sizes & Layouts • Frames • Foundation vs. Foundationless • Top-Bar vs. Frames • Frame Designs & Construction

3:00 - Break

3:15 - Session 4COLONY MANAGEMENT - SPRING & SUMMER Spring Inspection – When, What to Look For, What to (Not) Do • Spring Buildup – Nest Expansion vs. Bee Health • Swarming • Collecting & Hiving Swarms • Artificial Increase Options • Queen Rearing Overview • Main Honeyflow • Late Swarms • Uniting Swarms • Adding Swarms to Existing Hives

4:30 - Break

4:45 - Session 5COLONY MANAGEMENT - FALL & WINTER, PESTS & DISEASES Fall Honey Harvest • Extraction • Extractor Models • Packing & Storage • Winter Preparations & Wintering • Diseases • Pests • Varroa Mites • Small Hive Beetles • Mice, Possums & Bears • Treatment-Free Beekeeping – Keys To Success; Short-Term vs. Long-Term

6:00 Adjourn

Dr. Leo Sharashkin’s

Natural Beekeeping WorkshopShenandoah Valley Beekeepers Association

April 6, 20198:00 am – 6:00 pm

shenvalleybeekeepers.org