Iron County 4-H Beekeeping Club Calendar & Syllabus

Name: ___________________________________________

October Date _______ Trainer __________  Flower anatomy

 Elect club officers  Good plants for honey production
 Calendar of club activities for the year  Races of bees
 Personal goals for the year (eg successfully  Careers related to beekeeping
keep or help keep one or more hives and
prepare one or more entries in the county fair March Date _______ Trainer __________
such as honey, wax, and candles)  Assembling woodware
 Member's workbook  Preparing for package arrival
 Recommended books: First Lessons in  Hive location
Beekeeping by Delaplane or The Backyard  Installing package bees - video
Beekeeper by Flottum or The Beekeeper's
Handbook by Sammataro or Beekeeping April Date _______ Trainer __________
Basics (free PDF download) by MAAREC  Use of protective clothing
 Recommended magazines: Bee Culture or  Lighting smokers – bring your smoker if you
American Bee Journal have one
 Online introduction: http://tinyurl.com/6dtsqk5  Smoker fuels
 When and how to use smoke
November Date _______ Trainer __________  Installing package bees – live
 Melting beeswax  Installing nucs - live
 Making dipped candles  Feeding packages (syrup and pollen)
 Making poured candles
 Making wax block May Date _______ Trainer __________
 Swarm prevention
December Date _______ Trainer __________  Catching swarms
 Why keep bees  Queen rearing
 Stings, allergies  Marking queens
 Hives, smoker, protective clothing, etc.  Inspect a member’s hive(s)
 Bee sources  Adding supers
o Package bees
o Nucs June Date _______ Trainer __________
o Swarms
 Inspect a member’s hive(s)
o Removals
 Splitting hives
o Established hives
 Equalizing colonies
 Ordering bees and equipment
 Planning and giving a presentation July Date _______ Trainer __________
 Inspect a member’s hive(s)
January Date _______ Trainer __________
 Process honey using crush and drain method
 Bee diseases
 Process honey using cut comb method
o Foulbroods
o Chalkbrood  Process honey using chunk honey method
o Sacbrood  Legalities of selling honey
o Nosema  Preparing for the county fair
 Bee pests
o Mites August Date _______ Trainer __________
o Small hive beetle  Honey harvest
o Wax moth  Process honey using extractor
 Medications and alternatives  Process wax using solar melter
 Protection from animals  Preparing for the county fair
 Apiary sanitation
 Insecticides September Date _______ Trainer __________
 Preparing hives for winter
February Date _______ Trainer __________  Overwintering bees
 Need and agricultural value of bees  Overwintering supers
 Colony social organization  Enter projects in Iron County Fair
 Bee anatomy
 Yearly colony cycle

All Iron County youth ages 8 to 18 as of January 1 are eligible to participate. Owning hives is not necessary. Interested youth who
cannot own their own hives have access to hives of club mentors.
Club meetings are generally held on the second Friday of each month from 6 PM to 9 PM.
Youth and parents who satisfy all above training subjects and complete the assigned workbook earn certification as an Iron
Beekeeper. Iron Beekeepers are qualified as club trainers and, as such, may help teach new beekeepers.
For more information visit the club FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/groups/IronBeekeeper/ or the club website at
www.IronBeekeeper.org or contact the 4-H office at (435) 586-8132 or Blaine Nay at (435) 590-7569.