Importance of Beekeeper Education and Training

Thursday, 30 January 2025

Both education and training are vitally important to beekeepers throughout the entirety of their career. New beekeepers must undergo training to learn the best practices of keeping bees, and they must continue to learn as practices are continually adapting. No beekeeper is ever done learning, and it is import for them to engage in various courses available, hands-on workshops, and to read credible, regionally appropriate, literature. Both training and education are important to advance a beekeeping operation as well, where this knowledge will help beekeepers branch into other avenues of revenue and increase the size of their operation. In this week’s blog the various education and training opportunities available to Atlantic Canadian beekeepers will be discussed.

Importance of Beekeeper Education and Training

Any new beekeeper needs to start learning about the industry, and generally what beekeeping entails, prior to purchasing bees. Having a good understanding of what types of activities beekeeping involves, knowledge of the industry, awareness of the rules and regulations, an understanding of the associated costs of starting beekeeping, and a general overview of a beekeeper's annual responsibilities, allows aspiring beekeepers to make informed decisions about taking the next step in their beekeeping journey. This spring the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA), with support of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture (NSDA), will be offering an introductory session for new beekeepers, which will cover the very basics of what new beekeepers should know (industry overview, rules and regulations, required training and next steps). Those who register as a new beekeeper in 2025 will receive details on this session.

Once a new beekeeper is committed to their decision on purchasing their first bees, there is a need for regionally specific beekeeping education and training. Here in Atlantic Canada, ATTTA, in partnership with Dalhousie Extended Learning, offers the Fundamentals of Beekeeping each year, which provides production skills and beekeeping knowledge timed specifically to the annual beekeeping cycle for both new and experienced beekeepers alike. The program provides the skills and knowledge to expand an operation and to become a successful commercial beekeeper. The program is offered virtually, with 4 in-person training sessions that occur across Atlantic Canada. There are 4 courses within the program, each one week long, with the first one starting on March 17th, 2025. Registration is now open: https://registeratcontinuingeducation.dal.ca/public/category/courseCategoryCertificateProfile.do?method=load&certificateId=2329209.

The Fundamentals of Beekeeping 2025.

Industry involvement is another important component to committing to beekeeper education and training. Joining the provincial beekeeping association, and attending annual general meetings, is another great opportunity to learn about the industry, including new practices and research. Each of the four Atlantic provinces have annual general meetings happening in 2025:

Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association – January 28th and 29th

Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association – February 22nd

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeSa-GSfUxOqkagICUz8rAwUakl3CjakC9n4sws77OxwWc0g/viewform

Prince Edward Island Beekeepers’ Association – March 1st

New Brunswick Beekeepers’ Association – March 28th and 29th

Visit the various provincial associations websites to learn more about these upcoming events.

Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association banquet and annual general meeting.

Beekeepers and wild blueberry growers work closely together, and there is a benefit for these two commodities to attend each other’s annual general meetings. In fact there are many farmers that are both blueberry growers and beekeepers. In the past few months ATTTA attended both the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Growers’ Association information days. To learn more about these events, and to gain a better understanding of the various industry updates and research that is presented during these meetings, see ATTTA’s past blogs: “Report on Meetings with PEI Beekeepers and PEI Wild Blueberry Growers’ Association Information Day – January 23, 2025” and “Review of WBPANS AGM 2024 – November 28, 2024”. There will be a joint wild blueberry meeting between NS, NB and PE, happening this April.

There is also an upcoming national beekeeping convention, in partnership between the Canadian Honey Council and the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists. The convention will take place in Ottawa on February 7th and 8th. Registration is now open: https://honeycouncil.ca/convention-2025/registration/.

The Canadian National Beekeeping Convention 2025.

Another event that may be of interest to Nova Scotia beekeepers is the Minister’s Conference: Innovations in Agriculture, which will be held on February 6th at the Halifax Convention Centre, hosted in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Perennia. Registration is now open: https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/ministers-conference-innovations-in-agriculture-2025/.

Minister’s Conference: Innovations in Agriculture.

Other events happening in Nova Scotia may be of interest to the entire Atlantic industry, such as the succession planning forum, which is supported by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, the NSDA, and the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board. It is vitally important that the beekeeping industry is frequently discussing farm succession, and that individual beekeepers are planning for the future of their farms. The event will take place on February 25th (Truro, NS), February 26th (Kentville, NS) and March 3rd (Port Hawkesbury, NS).

Farm Succession Forum.

The ATTTA team offers a variety of workshops throughout the year that teach on a range of topics. When planning for workshops, the team discusses with industry representatives, beekeepers and growers, to determine what topics the industry feels are needed to provide education on. Each winter the team organizes and runs three workshops on topics the industry has selected. These workshops are offered virtually, and are free to members of the Atlantic provincial beekeeper and wild blueberry producer associations, as well as the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq beekeepers. For 2024/2025, topics include winter preparation, pollination for new commercial beekeepers, and pest and disease management. These workshops are well attended and not only do they provide the opportunity for ATTTA to share new research, but also allows beekeepers to highlight their own experience and knowledge.

The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture winter workshop series.

Last Saturday, the ATTTA team held a business workshop for beekeepers, in partnership with Dalhousie Extended Learning, which provided one-day in-depth training for new or aspiring beekeeping entrepreneurs. The workshop was comprised of three sessions, each led by experts in their respective areas of beekeeping, business, and the industry. Depending on the industry needs, there will be an opportunity for this workshop to run again in the future.

Buzzing Budgets: Unpacking Beekeeping Costs in the Maritimes.

On February 11th, ATTTA is offering a Protecting Pollinator session in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture Extension Services and Nova Scotia Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program. This session will educate growers and beekeepers on the importance of protecting pollinators from environmental stressors and providing suitable habitat to support pollinators. The session will include two guest speakers - Dr. Nancy Maclean and Dr. Nigel Raine. Registration for the session is now open: https://forms.office.com/r/yTCrDKtevJ. This session is also supported by the best management practice guide developed by ATTTA, which can be accessed at: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/P2C_WildBlueberry_Guide_ENG-FINAL.pdf.

Protecting pollinators information session.

The ATTTA team is currently planning for several other important workshops this upcoming season. We have a workshop planned in Prince Edward Island this coming spring, and details will be provided at a later date. As mentioned, ATTTA works with the industry to address training needs. For the upcoming season this is likely to include training on splitting colonies and queen rearing. ATTTA will communicate with the industry when details are finalized.

Beekeeping is a commitment to life-long learning. Beekeepers are encouraged to participate in as many courses, events and workshops as possible in order to be educated and trained on current best practices, and to advance as a beekeepers. Please reach out to the ATTTA team with any questions regarding upcoming education and training events.

Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/

Email attta@perennia.ca