Learn beekeeping with us through the winter - and install your first hives next spring!
6th Annual Through-the-Winter Event
Now running, until Jan 31st 2024
Join hundreds of new beekeepers who have learned with us. A detailed online beekeeping syllabus, our 9 Through-the-Winter webinars, the Colony community and more. Get ready to confidently install your first beehives next spring.
Join PerfectBee, through the winter, and prepare to confidently install your first beehives next spring!
Join us for our winter of learning and get exclusive access to three invaluable beekeeping resources.
Confidently install your first beehives in the spring
- Enjoy and learn from the amazing honeybee
- Help the environment with your own army of pollinators
- Share in the joy of beautiful, local honey
Course 1 : Learn About Bees
A core principle of Academy is that the successful beekeeper has a never-ending curiosity and fascination with the incredible honeybee. Our first course is all about the bee, from the eye-opening science, their role in nature, their behaviors as individual bees, the extraordinary power of the colony and so much more.
The Science of Bees
The Life of Bees
About Beekeeping
Course 2 : Your Beehive
In this heavily practical course, we introduce you to the types of beehives in common use today and how they might best suit your specific needs. We cover tools, accessories, clothing and much more. Then we discover that great moment when you obtain and install your first bees!
Hives and Accessories
Equipment and Clothing
Starting Your Beehive
Course 3 : A Healthy Beehive
Installing your first hives is so much fun…but now the learning begins! Our bees are wonderful at maintaining a healthy hive. But they face a wide range of threats.
In our final course, we look at these threats and how we, as beekeepers, can help our bees. We then look at the important topic of the hive inspection, offering very practical advice on what to consider. And finally, we take stock of the magical rewards we receive – well beyond “just” the honey – from our beekeeping passion!
Threats to Bees
Inspecting Your Hive
Reaping The Rewards
Can I really learn beekeeping online?
Absolutely! Much – though not all – of beekeeping is about understanding the world of the bee. We provide you with a solid and detailed education in the science and life of the incredible honeybee, in our first course Learn About Bees.
We also cover the highly practical aspects of beekeeping, in our courses Your Beehive and A Healthy Beehive.
Together, the three courses in Academy provide a fantastic foundation on which to start and continue as a beekeeper.
So, does Colony replace local beekeeping clubs?
We don’t see it that way! We strongly recommend and support joining members joining a local beekeeping club. PerfectBee Colony/Academy is in no way contrary and, in fact, many of our members are also members of a local club.
Colony is entirely complimentary, with the added benefits of our structured Academy syllabus (available 24×7, of course) and with tests and certificates, our super-friendly Colony Forum, access to PerfectBee Ambassadors, our Colony Cluster online Q&A webinars (Feb – Oct) and much more.
How long does it take to complete Academy?
That’s absolutely for you to decide! You will have full access to all three courses in Academy – that’s over 100 lessons across 9 detailed sections. And you can go at your own pace.
When and how do I receive the Certificates of Completion?
When you have successfully passed the three sectional tests in each course, we’ll send you a beautiful, personalized certificate (as a .pdf file). That means if you pass the tests across all three courses we’ll send you a total of three certificates.
Our members like to print and frame our certificates!
How can I use the certificates?
While Academy is not a formally accredited syllabus, it provides a wonderful and proven way to learn beekeeping. Through the structure and depth of Academy, you will learn all you need to confidently install your first beehives – and then our Colony community is here to help you keep learning and engage with other beekeepers.
In some situations (the occasional homeowner association, for example), proof of beekeeping knowledge is sometimes requested to gain approval to install beehives. In these cases our certificates are a great way to illustrate what you have learned!
Join us live (see schedule below) and you can ask your questions in real-time during these highly informative webinars.
PS: Don't worry - if you miss a webinar you will have access to the recording.
How do the webinars help?
Our scheduled webinars are intended to augment the content in Academy, for those who enjoy that videos as a way to learn. Averaging around an hour, each webinar cover key concepts in an Academy section. Grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy!
What are the benefits of attending the webinars live?
If you attend the scheduled webinar you will have the chance to ask your questions in real-time, via chat.
What if I can't attend a scheduled webinar?
No problem at all. The recordings of all webinars are made available to members soon after they take place.
Additi0nally, we have the recordings of our monthly Colony Cluster event, with our PerfectBee Ambassadors. Our Cluster webinars are jam-packed with fascinating and super useful beekeeping discussion.
Sign Up Now to Start Learning
Is there a contract?
Absolutely not. No contracts, cancel any time. Simple!
Do I have to go through hoops to cancel?
No to that too! We respect our members and understand sometimes circumstances change. So we make it easy to cancel your membership at any time. Just head to your Colony dashboard and cancel – no need to even reach out to us.
If I cancel, do I lose access immediately?
No. If you cancel your membership you will retain access till the end of your current billing period, whether you have the monthly or annual plan.