A Community for the Hobbyist Beekeeper
We have introduced thousands of beekeepers to the joy of bees (since 2015!). Join our community of new and experienced beekeepers and prepare to confidently install your first beehives!
- 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!
How do the webinars help?
Our webinars are intended to augment the content in Academy, for those who enjoy watching videos as a way to learn. Averaging around an hour, each webinar covers key concepts in a specofic Academy section. Grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy!
What do I need to access a webinar recording?
Just head to your Colony dashboard, navigate to the webinar you’d like to watch and press Play. It’s as simple as that and you can view from most devices, including mobile devices.
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.