Beekeeping mentorship in Atlanta · March through August
Go From Bee Haver, to Beekeeper
A UGA Journeyman beekeeper walks you through hands-on inspections of your own apiary for an entire beekeeping season, so you stop guessing what’s happening inside your hives and start planning ahead.
Start Your Season With a Mentor
March through August · Your apiary, every two weeks
Why mentorship
Books Can’t Show You a Frame
It’s difficult to know what’s going on with your hives without exposure or knowledge. Reading about a queen cell and recognizing one in your hands, on a frame, in the middle of an inspection, are two different skills.
We walk your apiary with you through the peak months of spring and summer, so that by the time the season slows down you can open a hive, read what you’re seeing, and plan ahead before your next inspection.
It’s hard for a novice beekeeper to overwinter their hives. That’s exactly why we spend the busy season with you and what you do March through August determines whether your colonies make it through fall and winter.
How it works
A Full Season Alongside a Certified Beekeeper
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Your Hives, Your Apiary
We inspect the colonies you actually keep, on your property, not a demonstration hive in a classroom.
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Every Two Weeks
We highly recommend inspecting with your mentor every two weeks. That cadence is what keeps small problems from turning into dead colonies.
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March Through August
A full season of guidance through the peak months, ending with a clear plan for the fall and winter you’ll be inspecting far less often.
In every inspection
What We’ll Look At Together
- Reading brood pattern and spotting a failing queen
- Finding the queen and knowing when you don’t need to
- Varroa mite monitoring and treatment timing
- Judging honey and pollen stores against the season
- Swarm signs and how to avoid losing half your bees
- Hive beetles, wax moths, and other pest pressure
- When to add boxes and when to hold off
- Building toward a colony strong enough to overwinter
FAQ
Common Questions on Beekeeping
Yes, mentorship is hands-on in your apiary. If you're still setting up, start with a nucleus colony from us and we'll build the mentorship around your first season.
We recommend every two weeks through the season. That's frequent enough to catch a queen problem or swarm prep while you can still do something about it.
March through August, the peak beekeeping months in Georgia. The goal is to have you ready before fall and winter, when you won't be opening hives nearly as often.
I am currently a Journeyman through the University of Georgia Master Beekeeper Program and currently working towards the Master Beekeeper level. This means that I demonstrate advanced knowledge and hands-on competency in hive management, colony health, pest and disease diagnosis, Integrated Pest Management, and practical beekeeping decision making.
That's the most common reason people call. Losing colonies over winter is the classic second-year experience, and it almost always traces back to something that happened in summer.