Learn Beekeeping With Us

Want to learn beekeeping?

Join hundreds of new beekeepers learning with us.

From our detailed Academy Beekeeping Syllabus (three rich courses with over 100 lessons), tests and certificates, our monthly Colony Cluster Q&A webinars, the Colony Beekeeping Forum and much more - Colony is a proven way to start beekeeping.

Add in our wonderful community of beekeepers and you can prepare to confidently install your first beehives!

PerfectBee Academy
Complete Beekeeping Syllabus
Edition: Elite, Delivered As: Unassembled
Winter Webinars
Live Q&A Webinars
Edition: Elite, Delivered As: Unassembled
Member Forum
Our Beekeeping Community

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.

Benefits
Lessons Included
Webinar Schedule
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Sign Up Now
Explore All The Benefits
EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF BEEKEEPING

Confidently install your first beehives

Bee yard
Start a life-long passion for beekeeping
  • Enjoy and learn from the amazing honeybee
  • Help the environment with your own army of pollinators
  • Share in the joy of beautiful, local honey
Sign Up Now
* * * * *
Awesome! Everything I needed to get started as a beekeeper. Very satisfied.
--- John
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Colony Cluster is fun but also so helpful. It's so cool having my beekeeping questions answered by such experienced beekeepers.
--- Sara
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I loved the Colony community, especially access to the very helpful PerfectBee Ambassadors
--- Dave
Discover PerfectBee Academy
PerfectBee Academy
Exclusive access to our proven syllabus, including over 100 detailed lessons on all aspects of beekeeping.
Learn about the bee, the beehive and a healthy colony.
Three structured courses, each with 3 sections
Challenging tests at the end of section
Earn a certificate at the end of each course
Backed up with super informative webinars
Beekeeper with smoker
The Academy Syllabus
(Click each course to review lessons included)
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.

Section 1.1
The Science of Bees
Why Bees Rock!
The Incredible Diversity of Bees
The Anatomy of Bees
A Deeper Look at Bee Anatomy
Honeybee Genetics
How Honeybees Reproduce
The Honeybee Life Cycle
The Process of Pollination
The Secrets of Honeycomb
How Bees Use Pheromones
Why Bees Can’t Fly?
Common Races of Honey Bees
Section 1.2
The Life of Bees
Inside and Out of the Beehive
The Role of the Drone Bee
The Role of the Queen Bee
The Role of the Worker Bee
How Bees Sense and React
Why and How Bees Forage
How Do Bees Make Honey?
Sticking with Propolis
Understanding The Honey Flow
Hive Temperature & Moisture
Fat Bees and the Winter Cluster
Why and How Bees Swarm
Section 1.3
About Beekeeping
Philosophy of Natural Beekeeping
Beekeeping with Kids
The Growth of Urban Beekeeping
Understanding Bee Stings
Beekeeping Clubs and Mentors
Beekeeping and the Neighbors
Beekeeping Books
Why Beekeeping Matters
Hidden Benefits of Beekeeping
Responsible 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!

Section 2.1
Hives and Accessories
A Practical Guide to Starting
What Bees Need
What Beekeepers Need
The Common Types of Beehives
The Langstroth Beehive
The Top Bar Beehive
The Warre Beehive
The Flow Hive
Foundationless Beekeeping
Practicalities of Setting Up a Hive
Section 2.2
Equipment and Clothing
Beekeeping with a Smoker
Using Feeders With Your Beehive
Tools for Beekeepers to Consider
Protective Clothing Overview
Beekeeping and Technology
Section 2.3
Starting Your Beehive
Questions for the New Beekeeper
Preparing & Installing Your Beehive
Obtaining Bees for a Beehive
Installing a Package of Bees
Installing a Nucleus Colony
Installing a Swarm Of Bees
Practical Guidance for Beekeepers
An Introduction to Feeding Bees
Contrarian Ideas for Beekeepers
Family and Friends in Beekeeping
An Introduction to the Brood Nest
Tracking Beehive Progress
The Beehive Inspection
Beekeeping Advocacy
Beekeeping Myths
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!

Section 3.1
Threats to Bees
Practical Guide to a Thriving Colony
Colony Collapse Disorder
The Main Threats to Bees
The Threat of Robbing
Small Hive Beetle and Bees
The Dangers of Wax Moths
From Tiny Mice to Big Bears
American and European Foulbrood
Nosema and Chalkbrood
An Introduction to Tracheal Mites
The Threat of Varroa Mites: Part 1
The Threat of Varroa Mites: Part 2
Section 3.2
Inspecting Your Hive
Learning from Deadout Inspections
Big Issues for the Hive Inspection
Queenlessness in Your Hive
When to Consider Requeening
Recognizing and Avoiding Swarms
What is Bearding?
Understanding the Brood Pattern
An Introduction to Cross Comb
Splitting a Hive
Queen Rearing: Part 1
Queen Rearing: Part 2
Overwintering Honey Bees
Preparing for Long Winters
Managing Moisture In The Hive
Managing Hive Capacity
Moving a Hive
FAQ for Committed Beekeepers
Section 3.3
Reaping The Rewards
Tangible Rewards of Beekeeping
Harvesting Honey: Part 1
Harvesting Honey: Part 2
Introduction to Extracting Beeswax
Making Money From Beekeeping
The PerfectBee Way To Learn
A Rich, Detailed Syllabus
Academy features 3 extensive courses, helping build your knowledge, step-by-step.
Your Own Pace
Complete each section in your own time. It's entirely your choice!
Learn With Others
You are not alone! Our Colony Ambassadors and fellow members are always here for you.
Test Yourself
At the end of each of the 9 sections we present a challenging test!
Earn your Certificates
Pass all the tests in a course and we'll send you a beautiful certificate (yes, 3 in all)
Your Hives, Enjoy Your Bees!
Completing Academy is just the start. We help so many beekeepers enjoy and succeed in their beekeeping through the Colony community
Academy Frequently Asked Questions
  • 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!

* * * * *
Awesome! Everything I needed to get started as a beekeeper. Very satisfied.
--- Steven
Academy Webinars
Our webinars - one per section for 9 in all - augment your Academy learning. With the help of a PerfectBee Ambassador, each webinar covers important topics from a single section.
Course 1 : Learn About Bees
Discover the amazing and often astonishing world of the honeybee.
1.1 The Science of Bees
1.2 The Life of Bees
1.3 About Beekeeping
Course 2 : Your Beehive
Understand what you need to install your first beehives - and your first bees!
2.1 Beehives and Accessories
2.2 Equipment and Clothing
2.3 Starting Your Beehive
Course 3 : A Healthy Beehive
Learn about the threats to bees and what you can do to help your colonies.
3.1 Threats to Bees
3.2 Inspecting Your Beehive
3.3 Reaping The Rewards
Academy Webinars Frequently Asked Questions
  • 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.

The Colony Forum
The friendly and supportive community for hobbyist beekeepers, new or experienced!
You are not alone with PerfectBee. Our highly experienced Ambassadors have decades of beekeeping experience and LOVE helping beekeepers. They participate in webinars and the Colony Forum and other members also offer a friendly and supportive perspective to all our members.
Engage with PerfectBee Ambassadors and other Colony members
Searchable, with hundreds of discussions
Friendly, supportive and safe.
Available 24 x 7
Foundationless frames
Pricing Options

Sign Up Now to Start Learning

Monthly
$9.99 / month
PerfectBee Academy (3 courses, 100+ lessons, tests, certificates)
Colony Forum and access to PerfectBee Ambassadors
9 Academy Webinars
Colony Cluster Q&A (Feb - Oct)
Join Monthly
Annual
$99 / year
All Monthly Benefits plus...
5% discount on ALL products in the PerfectBee Store (even sale products!)
Join Annual (and Save!)
Membership Frequently Asked Questions
  • 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.