Getting a mentor
We attended a beginning beekeeping class with the Colonial Beekeepers around 2012. But we were not in a position to start keeping bees and were not ready to do so.
We are in different circumstances now, and I felt like it would be best if I had a mentor to help me when I have questions. I heard about an organization named Hives for Heros which provides such mentorship opportunities and I signed up with them.
It took some time, but I was assigned to a mentor in my area and last summer I started an internship. During the last 6 months we conducted hive inspections. Prior to each meeting I was assigned some study, which included identifying types of bees, mites, types of comb. Essentially, everything you might see in a hive. We also discussed lifecycles of bees and their role in the hive.
As it happens, the Nansemond Beekeepers are hosting a Beekeeping 101 class this January. Julie as well as another friend of mine are members of the Nansemond Beekeepers and they meet close by. So it is a win/win and can help to be a refresher for us.
It takes a lot of equipment to host bees and I am still in the process of gathering materials and equipment.