Basic Beekeeping 2019

For a fourth year, Perry and Kevin will again be offering a Basic Beekeeping course. This is a two day course designed to provide an introduction to the basic aspects of beginning beekeeping. The course will be facilitated by two beekeepers with combined experience of almost 40 years. Perry Brandt of Brandt’s Bees and Kevin McKaigue of Nova Nectar Apiaries both run small commercial operations that include the selling of nucs, queen production, pollination and honey production.

Course Outline

Day 1

• Hive parts and equipment
• Choosing a bee yard
• Bee life cycle, pests, and diseases
• Field work and hands-on learning

Day 2

• A year with a hive
• Honey extracting and wax recovery
• Pest identification and treatment
• Field work and hands-on learning

Morning nutrition breaks are included on each day. You may take the two day course on
May 25 - 26 or June 8 - 9 at Acadia University campus, Wolfville. The cost will be $200.00 per person plus HST. While some veils will be available for use, if you have your own, please bring it. Please be advised that while the chance of being stung is low, it is a possibility. Each course will be limited to a maximum of 16 students (8/1 student/instructor ratio) and participants must be at least 18 years old.

Space on each weekend is limited. To reserve your place, a $50.00 non-refundable deposit per person is required. Please contact either:

Perry Brandt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (902) 300-4171

Kevin McKaigue at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (902) 584-2263

Since discovering the incredible world of Honey Bees, my fascination with them has not waned in the years, my interest and obsession having only grown. I now have a hive count of close to 100 colonies, a comfortable number that I can still manage on my own. Most of my apiaries are located within 15 minutes of Wolfville in the beautiful Annapolis Valley.


All of my apiaries are small, usually comprised of 8 to a maximum of 12 colonies. When seeking out new yards I try and maintain a distance (where possible) from any areas I know to have active agricultural spraying potential. A few of my outyards are located in long abandoned orchards.

Over the years, I have changed and adapted my approach to working with these amazing creatures. Aproximately 4 years ago I stopped moving my bees to pollination, finding the movement of my colonies stressful to both myself (I'm not getting any younger) and the bees. Since doing so I have found a remarkable difference in the over wintering success I have been fortunate enough to realize. Like the line from Ulee's Gold,"I take care of them, and they take care of me".

I am a small operation, I do most all the tasks, from tending the bees to collecting and harvesting the honey, to  bottling and labelling my jars and selling the finished product locally. I source as much of the material neccessary to do so locally where possible.

 

Honey bees are amazing creatures, and I am truly fortunate to have discovered this vocation. There are no days where I dread going to "work"! 

"If you love your job, you'll never work a day in your life"!
Thanks for visiting,
Perry