Courses

Event

Title:: Natural Beekeeping: Nov 2012: Milkwood Farm, Mudgee
When:: Nov 3 2012 - Nov 4 2012 9:00am - 5:00pm
Where:: Milkwood Farm (2) - Mudgee
Category:: Natural Beekeeping

Description

Join Tim Malfroy of Malfroy's Gold as he leads you through the basics of bee-friendly, natural, organic, small-scale beekeeping. You will leave this course with a competent knowledge of the fundamentals of natural beekeeping, and be ready to take the plunge and keep your own bees, Warré style! The course will focus on a style of apiculture that is exclusively designed for the small-scale beekeeper.
This bee-friendly method aims to care for the bees, allow them to control their own environment, and is a gentler approach than conventional beekeeping, resulting in healthy contented bees, and superb raw honey. This course is a series of presentations that draw a wide perspective on the evolution of flowering plants and honeybees, and the long and rich tradition of apiculture. There will be open discussion, and loads of practical advice!
‘The knowledge of bees is the basis of the beekeeper’s success; and for all other people who, amidst the whirl of present-day technology, still prove to have a clear feeling for lively Nature, they are a source of joyful edification.’ Karl Von Frisch The Dancing Bees 1927
Rather than limit the discussion to merely the role of the beekeeper and how to keep bees, Tim will talk extensively about the amazing social behavior and biology of the honeybee, giving you a solid grounding in the intricate world of the honeybee and how to approach keeping them in an ethical, sustainable manner. Depending on weather conditions, we usually also visit a small urban Warré apiary site to be closer to the bees. Although this session may involve inspecting a hive or harvesting honey, the hallmark of this style of beekeeping is low-intervention; this is not a heavily ‘hands on’ course, although all discussion will be focused on the practicalities of keeping bees.
You will learn the ins and outs of sustainable beekeeping in general, and leave this course all ready to take the plunge of keeping your own bees! The course will focus on the The People’s Hive of Émile Warré, of which Tim is a pioneer in Australia. Tim is a second-generation beekeeper, growing up on a large apiary in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Milkwood's Warré beekeeping resources Tim Malfroy's Warré beekeeping resources

Topics include, but are not limited to:

Evolution of the Honeybee and flowering plants
History of Honey Hunting & Beekeeping
Beehives throughout History
Beekeeping in Australia
Honeybees: Understanding the Super Organism
Biology of the Honeybee
The Importance of Natural Comb
The People’s Hive of Émile Warré
Getting Set-Up for Beekeeping: Buying bees, hives & equipment
Site and Forage Assessment
Forms required for keeping bees
Situating beehives in urban areas - backyards + rooftops
Handling bees gently and confidently
Introducing your bees to the hive
Ensuring the ongoing health of your colony
Pests & Diseases
Swarming
Raw honey & comb harvesting techniques
Honey appreciation
Strategies for safe and successful beekeeping within a neighborhood
Planting a Bee-friendly garden
Native Bees

About the teacher

Tim Malfroy is the founder of the award-winning Malfroy’s Gold honey label with his wife Emma, and has been practicing organic and biodynamic beekeeping since he started keeping his own bees in 2006.

In 2008 he was the first beekeeper in Australia to build and trial a Warré hive, and traveled to the Apimondia in France 2009 to take part in the first conference session on Warré and top-bar beekeeping. Tim is a second-generation beekeeper, growing up on a large apiary in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

Included in your course

honeycomb Your course fee includes extensive course notes, copies of the necessary forms needed to become a beekeeper in NSW as well as organic farm-cooked lunches and refreshements throughout the course.

Course participants also have the option of ordering their bees and Warré hives direct from Tim Malfroy. This service is only available to course graduates, as Tim is committed to responsible beekeeping.

Booking into the course

You can pay for your course below with your credit card, or get in contact with us to arrange payment by credit card over the phone, or cheque or direct deposit.

Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

As part of our Fair Share policy, we provide pensioner, couples and unwaged discounts where needed. Please get in touch for more information.

Can't make these course dates? Have a look at our other upcoming natural beekeeping courses, held in Sydney and at Milkwood Farm near Mudgee.

Venue

Venue:: Milkwood Farm (2)
City:: Mudgee
State:: NSW

Description

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Milkwood is a small organic family farm near Mudgee in Central Western NSW. A Permaculture Demonstration Farm currently under development, Milkwood features extensive permaculture earthworks and water-harvesting features, our amazing passive-solar cottage, food-forests in the making, seedball production and many other examples of sustainable and regenerative best-practice for farming and living.

Our courses are held in our family's woolshed with beautiful views of Campbells Creek Valley and our organic farm cooking is such that students often joke about moving in permanently.

For this course, we offer the choice of BYO camping at Milkwood Farm for $40 per person per night. This fee includes a scrumptious organic farm-cooked dinner around the campfire, use of our student facilities, and breakfast the next morning.

Other accommodation

- Stay at Bushlands Holiday Park in Windeyer, 15 minutes up the road. Bushlands has a range of cabin and camping options, and the Windeyer Pub, located right next door, does counter meals some nights of the week.

- BaMack Homestead B&B is 20 minutes up the road from Milkwood Farm. They have special rates for Milkwood students, so mention us when you book: 02 6373 8312.

- Stay further afield in Mudgee, which has a range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. Mudgee Tourism Website.

Getting here

Mudgee is an easy 4 hours by car or 40 minutes by air from Sydney, and is serviced by Countrylink Rail and Mudgee Airport. See our Getting to Milkwood page for a map and full details on getting here by plane, train or automobile.

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Reading List

Prior to attending your course, you might like to take a look at our ever-expanding reading list,a bunch of recommended and practical texts on Permaculture, sustainable agriculture and community resilience.

None of these texts are pre-requisite for our courses, we just like to be able to provide suggestions on background reading, in case you're champing at the bit to get going.

Permaculture Reading List »