Melbourne, Victoria

Learn Natural BeekeepingA Weekend Workshop for Beginners

3rd & 4th September

Read More

3rd & 4th September

Saturday & Sunday
9:30am to 4.00pm each day
$470
One time payment
Bookings Closed.
See upcoming classes & courses
Limited to 20 people
Beekeeper, Adrian Iodice, is holding up a Kenyan top bar hive frame of honeycomb, showing five class participants a piece of honeycomb covered in bees.
Natural Beekeeper, Adrian Iodice, with open hands towards a Kenyan Top Bar Hive. He is explaining the positioning of the hive.
A close-up shot shows numerous bees crawling on a section of golden honeycomb.
A close-up shot shows numerous bees crawling on a section of golden honeycomb.
Six adult course participants, standing behind two newly built Kenyan Top Bar Hives.
A close up view of several bees, clustered on a piece of honeycomb inside a Kenyan Top Bar Hive.
Beekeeper, Adrian Iodice, is carefully inspecting a frame of honeycomb covered with bees inside a wooden Kenyan Top Bar Hive.
Two fair-skinned hands are carefully lifting a frame of golden honeycomb densely covered with dark bees out of a light-colored wooden Kenyan Top Bar Hive. The hive is open, revealing multiple top bars and another frame of honeycomb with bees below. The setting is outdoors in a sunny environment with blurred green foliage in the background. The focus is on the delicate process of inspecting the bee colony and their honeycomb within this type of natural beehive. The bees appear to be Western honey bees (Apis mellifera).

Experience the benefits of organic beekeeping.

Understand the principles of natural and sustainable beekeeping.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of organic beekeeping. Adrian’s instruction covers essential techniques in hive management, swarm catching, and honey harvesting, helping you create a healthy environment for your bees while supporting broader ecological balance and sustainability.

enrol now
A selection of various Kenyan top bar Hive images framed inside honeycomb shapes. Some are close-ups and some are images of Adrian teaching beekeeping courses.

Experience the benefits of organic beekeeping.

Understand the principles of natural and sustainable beekeeping.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of organic beekeeping. Adrian’s instruction covers essential techniques in hive management, swarm catching, and honey harvesting, helping you create a healthy environment for your bees while supporting broader ecological balance and sustainability.

enrol now

This course is for you if:

  • You are a beginner wanting to learn how to start and maintain a hive.

  • You have prior beekeeping experience and aim to incorporate organic techniques.

  • You wish to deepen your appreciation and connection with bees.

  • You are focused on sustainable and environmentally friendly beekeeping practices.

  • If you live in Melbourne, Dandenong, Frankston, Melton, Sunbury, Craigieburn or the surrounding area

Adrian Iodice is holding up a top bar with honeycomb covered in bees. Students close by are leaning in to see.
Adrian Iodice is holding up a top bar with honeycomb covered in bees. Students close by are leaning in to see.

Discover

  • The lifecycle of honey bees and their developmental stages in the hive.

  • The significance of natural honeycomb for bee health and sustainability.

  • Effective techniques for swarm catching and the equipment needed.

  • Best locations for placing your beehive for optimal results.

  • The healing uses of honey bee products like honey, propolis, and beeswax.

  • Management practices for Kenyan top bar hives for natural beekeeping.

A detailed close-up shows a single Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) with a light brown and black striped abdomen, delicate translucent wings, and fuzzy thorax. It is positioned on a section of golden-brown honeycomb, with its head and front legs inside one of the hexagonal cells. The background is softly blurred.
A detailed close-up shows a single Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) with a light brown and black striped abdomen, delicate translucent wings, and fuzzy thorax. It is positioned on a section of golden-brown honeycomb, with its head and front legs inside one of the hexagonal cells. The background is softly blurred.

What’s included?

  • Full course notes and reference materials

  • A live Kenyan Top Bar beehive inspection in the Melbourne area.

  • DIY instructions for a Kenyan Top Bar Hive

  • List of essential beekeeping literature and digital content

  • Refreshments featuring homegrown bread, butter, and raw honey

Adrian Iodice is pictured, carefully opening a wooden Kenyan Top Bar Hive. Bees are visible inside the hive and flying around the entrance. Adrian is preparing to inspect the hive.
Adrian Iodice is pictured, carefully opening a wooden Kenyan Top Bar Hive. Bees are visible inside the hive and flying around the entrance. Adrian is preparing to inspect the hive.
Photo of Adrian Iodice smiling at camera.

Bees have such a beautiful nature; it doesn’t take much to fall in love with them.

~ Adrian Iodice

Adrian Iodice

Adrian Iodice has a deep passion for natural sustainable bee care. He started beekeeping with standard conventional Langstroth hives and since 2010, he began experimenting with and studying various hive designs.

Adrian is one of the pioneers of the ‘Natural beekeeping’ movement in Australia. In 2012 he studied biodynamic beekeeping at ‘Mellifera Centre for Organic Beekeeping’ in Rosenfeld, southern Germany. He has come to the conclusion that the ‘Kenyan top bar hive’ is the better hive suited to his needs and he feels that every ‘backyard beekeeper’ should truly consider the hive design they will eventually use for the wellbeing of their bees.

He teaches natural, sustainable beekeeping workshops all over Australia.

The venue

The Michael Centre Biodynamic Community Garden

37a Wellington Park Drive Warranwood Victoria 3134 Australia

The Michael Centre in Warranwood, established 25 years ago, offers anthroposophical courses, workshops, and community activities. It hosts the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Seminar, a biodynamic garden, an anthroposophical library, and seasonal festivals, all in a bush setting.

Course Outline

This course on backyard beekeeping starts with Adrian Iodice’s personal journey and the sacred nature of bees, helping you understand their spiritual connection and vital role in nature.

Emphasizing natural beekeeping practices, this course covers sustainability, harmony with the environment, and bee health. You’ll also learn about bee products like honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom, and wax, and their benefits.

The course then explores bee biology and behavior, focusing on worker bees, drones, and queens, as well as swarming. You’ll learn how to manage queens and swarms, catch a swarm, and install it into a hive, with a holistic beekeeping approach.

A highlight of the course is the Kenyan Topbar Hive, where you’ll learn its history, setup, components, and management. You’ll inspect a Kenyan Topbar Hive for hands-on experience and learn how to transfer bees from a Langstroth hive to a Kenyan Topbar Hive, promoting sustainable practices.

Practical beekeeping aspects are covered, focusing on tools, safety, and harvesting honeycomb and wax efficiently.

Finally, the course addresses managing pests and diseases like Varroa mites, American foulbrood, and small hive beetle. Understanding these challenges helps you maintain a healthy bee colony.

This outline ensures you gain a thorough understanding of natural beekeeping practices, fostering a deeper connection with your bees and promoting a sustainable environment.

FAQs

Melbourne, Victoria

Learn Natural BeekeepingA Weekend Workshop for Beginners

3rd & 4th September

Read More

3rd & 4th September

Saturday & Sunday
9:30am to 4.00pm each day
$470
One time payment
Bookings Closed.
See upcoming classes & courses
Limited to 20 people

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