Beginner and advanced

Beekeeping courses

We run beekeeping courses that cater to every level of experience, from beginner to advanced. If you are just starting your bee journey, our Beginner course is structured to be easy to understand, and you will be in the capable hands of expert apiarists with many years' experience. If you've been tending to bees for over a year already, check out our Advanced course.

Sydney apiarist wearing protective clothing checking an Urban Beehive beehive

become a beekeeper 

Always thought about it? Now's your chance to shine 

Time to put on those beekeeping gloves and check out what's in the hive!

Beekeeper Doug Purdie teaches a group of apiary students on an Urban Beehive beekeeping course in Sydney

1. A backyard hobby with sweet rewards

It’s not all about the honey but who doesn’t love a jar or two?

2. Dont just dream, do!

Daydreaming is fun, but it’s much more exciting in real life!

3. Share a hobby with family and friends

You’ll need a hand at harvest time, so share your beekeeping journey.

Searching for the perfect present? 

Gift certificates available 

Are you the person who's taken notice when someone has mentioned they've always thought about keeping bees?  Book them a one-day Sydney beekeeping course so they can find out more.

on-site training at  

The Urban Beehive apiary

Courses are held at The Urban Beehive's Matraville location with practical sessions on-site in our apiary. 

Beginner Course

$308/pp

Full-day course
This one-day course covers the principles of backyard, urban and rooftop beekeeping. Divided into two parts, you’ll spend the morning learning the theory of beekeeping and the afternoon lighting smokers, handling bees and learning how to identify eggs, larvae, pollen and honey in the hive.

The Course is held  at The Urban Beehive in Matraville.

– Honeybee biology + behaviour

– Equipment for starting up a beehive

– Demonstration of different hives

– Regulations and location placement

– Handling bees with confidence + respect

– Native bees

– Includes protective gear to wear on the day

Advanced Course

$220/pp

Half-day course
Gain a better knowledge of European honeybees and the methods of keeping them in an urban environment while building on existing experience. This course is only open to participants who have completed our beginners course or already have a good knowledge of beekeeping.

– Queen locating techniques

– Marking Queens

– Dealing with cross-combed hives

– Swarm prevention

– Why re-Queen and how do you do it

– Splitting hives and joining hives

– Moving hives

– Dealing with grumpy bees

– Getting fresh wax into the brood box

– Dealing with small hive beetle + pests

HONOURED TO BE

Trusted by leading companies

Urban Beehive apiarist inspects bees in a hive in Sydney

ADVANCED beekeeping

Keeping your own hive?

Sign up for the Advanced Beekeeping course to learn more and take your skills to the next level. We cover many subjects but also encourage you to bring your own questions so we can workshop them together.

I'm afraid of bee stings!

We understand, bees stings hurt! 

During the practical hands-on stage of the course you'll be wearing full protective gear supplied for the day by us, gloves included! We are trained in first aid and always put safety first. During the course you'll learn how to handle bees calmly.
As the saying goes, the more gentle you are with bees the more gentle they are with you, but if you have any concerns, feel free to send us an email beforehand. 

Close up of a European Honeybee in Sydney

beekeeping courses near me

Three easy steps to becoming a beekeeper

Beekeeping students learn apiary skills at Urban Beehive beekeeping course in Sydney

1.Beekeeping
course 

The best way to learn is with hands-on practical experience. It’s fun too!
Urban Beehive apiarist holds a honey frame with bees on it in front of their face

2. Join your
local bee club

Meet other beekeepers in your local area, share gear and much more.
Bees hard at work making honey for The Urban Beehive in Sydney

3. Soak
it in

YouTube tutorials, books, podcasts. It’s all out there waiting for you to explore. 

it's seasonal

Warm weather is beekeeping weather

Book in for our warm weather courses. We give the bees and oursleves a rest in the winter months.

Best time to start? 

Now! Even if your not ready to start your own beehive, ‘bee prepared!’

New skills

Beekeeping is an activity perfectly suited to your own backyard.

Taste the season

Trust us, nothing tastes better than honey from your own beehive!

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Testimonials

the time is now

Take the next step!

Check out our booking site and sign up to become a beekeeper.

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What people ask

FAQs

Our beekeeping courses are held on Sundays at our Matraville location. Starting at 9am and finishing around 3pm,
a lunch break and opportunities to check out the shop mean you won’t be sitting down all day. 

Bring a notepad, pen and water bottle. We don’t have catering on-site so a packed lunch and snacks is recommended as the nearest shops are a five-minute drive away but not all are open on Sundays.

Minimum attendance age is 12 – as part of the course we study beekeeping theory and sitting down and studying can be tedious for younger kids. We suggest taking kids to a local bee club to learn more about bees or buy them a suit and get them involved at their own pace once you’ve established your hive at home.

It’s rare that we have to cancel a course due to bad weather, however, we won’t open the beehives if it is too cold/ wet as the hive can get chilled and the bees get grumpy if you take the lid off and they get wet. I would be grumpy too if someone took off the roof of my house in a storm! We’ll be in touch before the course if it looks like the weather is going to be bad.