Assemble and Take Home an Urban Bee Hive    Sun Apr 13, 2014, Toronto, ON
10 AM-1 PM at Bento Miso Collaborative Workspace, 862 Richmond St. W.
Toronto (almost due south of the Trinity-Bellwoods Park gates)

Smoking the city Hives on The Fairmont Royal York Rooftop

Fran Freeman, a fellow urban beekeeper has been offering some hands on opportunities for those who want more time with bees. These two upcoming workshops are for taking the next step toward bee-ing a keeper. You’ve taken an introductory urban beekeeping workshop–now take home the hive…

You’ll knock together an 8-frame Langstroth starter hive including a brood box and frames, an inner and outer cover, and reversible bottom board. And we’ll build a second, screened, bottom board as part of our pest control strategy.

More compact than a conventional hive, the 8-frame is perfect for urban environments where space is at a premium. Because it’s lighter, it’s a better choice for rooftop apiaries where weight restrictions can be a consideration. And lifting is easier on the back.

$125 PRE-REGISTRATION is ESSENTIAL and closes Fri April 11 at 5 PM. Pre-register athttps://bentomiso.com/events/assemble-and-take-home-an-urban-bee-hive-ap…

Hive components will have been pre-cut from good quality wood and no special skills are needed to participate in this workshop. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN HAMMER.

An Ontario bee breeder contact list will be provided with suggestions for ordering honeybees. And there will be a demonstration of how to install a nucleus of bees into your new hive (no live bees used).

You’ll take home a starter hive to which you can add supers over the season, accommodating its expanding population and any surplus honey it may produce.

Expanding Your Urban Beehive    Sun Apr 13, 2014, Toronto, ON

2-5 PM at Bento Miso Collaborative Workspace,862 Richmond Street W,#300, Toronto (almost directly due south of Trinity-Bellwoods Park gates)

Did you know honeybees are more likely to die from moisture inside the hive than from the winter cold?

In this follow-up buildAhive workshop, we will build a humidity box for our urban beehives. Sometimes called a ventilation box or a quilt, this addition will wick away moisture from inside the hive. It also acts as an excellent insulator during very cold or very hot weather, and holes drilled in the sides facilitate good ventilation, an important feature of a healthy hive.

$20 Pre-Register at https://bentomiso.com/events/build-beehive-humidity-box-and-honey-supers Pre-registration closes Fri April 11 at 5 PM.

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN HAMMER

There will also be lots of time to knock together additional Deep (brood) and Medium (honey) boxes. Be ready to add these to your hive as your bee population grows over the summer. Deeps and Mediums MUST be pre-ordered, and arrangements for payment be made, by contacting fran atcarbonbasedprimitive (at) hotmail.com Quantities may be limited,so get your order in early.

hive consciousness urban beekeeping
A monthly workshop series on city bees, sustainable urban beekeeping, hive products, and/or wild pollinators

Questions? Contact fran at carbonbasedprimitive (at) hotmail.com