Are you thinking of starting beekeeping? Don’t know “Where to learn beekeeping as a beginner?“. Then you are absolutely in the right place.
You might find a lot of tutorials on YouTube, blogs, and forums about beekeeping for beginners. But most of those are not in an organized way to start beekeeping from scratch.
So, obviously, it is tough to find a suitable place to get all things organized. So, it becomes difficult to get an effective source to learn beekeeping. Don’t worry this article will help you to ease your learning about beekeeping.
I am going to share with you both free and paid methods to start learning beekeeping. You can go either way to start your first apiary.
I know it is impossible to provide you complete beekeeping guide in one tutorial. But I can refer you to various ways by which you can kick off your beekeeping journey. You can start from any of the methods to get proper knowledge to start beekeeping.
Where To Learn Beekeeping For Free As A Beginner
There are plenty of resources to learn beekeeping as a beginner for free. But you might not get things organized.
So, you have to continue gathering information from free resources. Then combine them and make a step-by-step checklist to start beekeeping.
You can start learning beekeeping from our Start Here page. On that page, you will find all the relevant articles that are mostly written for beginners. Yes, still we haven’t covered all the topics that beginner beekeepers need to know.
But we are trying our best to continuously add all the related articles, so a beginner can get all the things organized and free of cost from beekeepingstudy. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to get all the latest articles on beekeeping.
However, let’s learn some of the other effective sources to start learning beekeeping for free. All the links and resources you will get at the end of the topic.
Youtube
Yes, YouTube is a great platform to learn whatever you want for free. There are plenty of beekeeper’s YouTube channels. You can get helpful information from those channels about beekeeping.
You can search on YouTube with the following query.
- Beekeeping guide for beginners.
- How to start beekeeping from scratch.
- Guide to start beekeeping.
- Complete guide on beekeeping, etc.
You can also search for relevant terms you currently need to know. Like how to set up a beehive, how to transfer nuc to a hive, etc. You can see videos of beekeepers to learn how they manage their colonies.
So, YouTube and other similar types of video platforms could be excellent sources of learning beekeeping for free.
Blogs
Besides YouTube, you can also explore various blogs on beekeeping. Like beekeepingstudy you will find so many blogs on the internet on beekeeping. You can explore those blog websites to learn about bees and beekeeping.
You can explore various blogs where beekeepers share their experience of beekeeping. But don’t ask and follow any blog or chatbot that is run by artificial intelligence. Because AI are robots they don’t have real-life experience as a human.
So, whenever you are thinking of starting a serious side hustle like beekeeping. You must take guidelines from a real human who is involved in that field. So, visit blogs run and operated by real beekeepers.
Our beekeepingstudy currently has 50 members of the beekeeping team. We have 400 beehives at the end of 2023. So, you can imagine how expert our team is. That’s why you always get quality and real guidelines from us.
You will find plenty of other blog websites like beekeepingstudy. So, you can read their articles too to learn beekeeping.
Online Communities
You can also learn beekeeping from various online beekeeping communities like Facebook groups, forums, quora, Reddit, etc.
You can also ask your queries on these communities. Expert beekeepers will help you with real guidelines free of cost. Online communities are very helpful in solving the problems you will face during your beekeeping journey.
Local Beekeepers
Local beekeepers or beekeeping organizations are the most effective sources to learn beekeeping for free. I always recommend you, meet local beekeepers first before starting your beekeeping. Because only beekeepers of your region know what is most suitable for your geographic region.
That’s how I started my beekeeping journey. There were beekeeping communities within 10 miles of my house. First, my father took me to them. I started to learn from those expert beekeeper’s experiences.
They didn’t take any money to teach me beekeeping basics. You can check our about us section to get more information, on how I got help from expert beekeepers to start my first hive.
Different locations are suitable for different types of honey bees for beekeeping. So, your local beekeepers know well which one is most suitable for you. Also, they will help you on when and how to take care of bees in different seasons.
If there are no beekeepers in your region then you can rely solely on online beekeeping resources. Beekeeping is not so much tough. But I always suggest you if possible meet a beekeeper first to get some live information about getting started with beekeeping.
Libraries
Visit available libraries in your area. Then look for books written on bees and beekeeping. Reading books is the most powerful way to enrich your knowledge about any specific thing.
So, reading more and more books on bees and beekeeping will help you to learn beekeeping fast. You can also purchase famous books on beekeeping guides.
Resources To Learn Beekeeping For Free
Following are the resources that I found useful to learn beekeeping for free.
Youtube Channels To Learn Beekeeping
Following are the recommended YouTube channels on beekeeping.
- David Burns – Expert American beekeeper.
- BeeFit Beekeeping – This YouTube channel is operated by Emily. She is an American expert beekeeper with 4+ years of experience.
- Black Mountain Honey – This channel is operated by Edison who is a United Kingdom Beekeeper.
You can also explore other beekeeping channels on YouTube. These I follow most.
Facebook Groups For Beginner Beekeepers
Following Facebook groups are recommended for every beekeeper.
- Worldwide beekeepers.
- Worldwide Beekeeping Community.
- Beekeeping Basics.
- Friendly Beekeeping for Beginners.
- Beekeeping for Beginners.
Forums And Other Resources To Learn Beekeeping For Free
You can learn beekeeping from the following online forums and PDFs found online.
- Beesource beekeeping forum.
- Uk Beekeeping Forum. Join here.
- Beemaster.
- Beekeeping for beginners. Get the pdf here.
- R. A. Nabors, “Beekeeping Tips for Beginners,” Extension Apiculture Specialist. Read here.
- Reddit beekeeping community.
Paid Methods To Learn Beekeeping
It is tough to get everything in the same place for free to start beekeeping. Also, it is tough to get continuous support about beekeeping from someone for free.
Purchasing courses and membership from beekeeping communities is the most effective way to learn beekeeping. Because from paid courses you will get everything organized. Also, you will get live support from expert beekeepers.
First look for beekeeping communities in your local region. If you found one join their group. If they offer lessons and classes for beginners it would be best.
If you don’t find a suitable community in your region you can purchase online beekeeping courses. Also, you can purchase books on the guide to start beekeeping as a beginner. Here are some references where you can learn beekeeping for some really affordable cost.
Beekeeping Paid Courses
Following are the affordable paid courses that will be helpful for beginners.
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Private Class Online: This course will guide you to learn beekeeping from scratch. You will get one-to-one support online. Get this course here.
- Beekeeping in Northern Climates: This course will be most effective for northern peoples to learn beekeeping. Get this course here.
- London Bee Company: They are expert beekeepers who reside in London. You can get their course online to get started in beekeeping as a beginner. Learn course details here.
Books To Purchase To Learn The Basics Of Beekeeping
You can purchase some books to learn beekeeping basics. Also, these books will guide you to start beekeeping from scratch. Following are my recommended books for beginners to get started with beekeeping.
- Beekeeping for Beginners: A Complete Guide to Building Your Own Beehive, Colony Management, Honey Harvesting, and Turning Your Passion into Profit. Purchase the book here.
- The Backyard Beekeeper, 4th Edition: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden. Purchase the book.
- The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses. Purchase the book here.
Final Thoughts
The most effective way to learn beekeeping as a beginner is from a real beekeeper. So, if possible meet the beekeepers in your region. Have a chat with them and ask them to assist you to start your first apiary.
If you find organizations and beekeeping communities in your region join them. Different geographic regions have different techniques to get success in beekeeping. So, try to learn beekeeping from your own region’s beekeepers first.
Then you can get help online via the free and paid courses discussed above. Don’t forget to provide suggestions about others. So, comment below on how you are actually learning beekeeping. Share your own experience and thoughts about mastering beekeeping for beginners.
Following are the posts that might be helpful for you.
- Guide to estimate your beekeeping cost.
- Guide to estimate beekeeping profit.
- How many hives per apiary for commercial beekeeping?
- Learn the benefits of beekeeping.
- Ultimate guide on where to purchase bees for beekeeping.