About this course

Get started with the basics of beekeeping

Curious about keeping bees? This two-day introductory course will help you understand how a bee colony works and how to care for it. You’ll gain practical experience inspecting and handling beehives, using a bee smoker and carrying out general hive management.

You’ll learn how to:

  • understand the life cycles of bees and how a colony functions
  • recognise common beekeeping terms and beehive components
  • manage bee colonies to support their survival and productivity
  • safely prepare and use a bee smoker
  • open, inspect and reassemble a beehive.

Whether you’re interested in keeping bees as a hobby or exploring beekeeping for your property or business, this course will give you a solid foundation to get started.

Is this course right for me?

Before registering, consider whether this course suits your interests and goals. This introductory course is designed for people who want to learn the basics of beekeeping, whether for personal interest or to support their farm or property. You should be comfortable taking part in practical activities, handling beekeeping equipment and following safety instructions when working around bees. If you’re keen to learn how to inspect and manage a beehive and understand how a bee colony works, click on the register now button.

At a glance:

Location: Statewide
Course duration: 2 days
Start date: Multiple intakes
Number of units: 2
Indicative fees: From $620 GST-free
Accredited Course: Yes

Details

  • Identify bee life cycles
  • Understand the mechanisms of a bee colony
  • Understand the terminology used in the beekeeping industry
  • Identify beehive component parts
  • Manage bee colonies for survival and productivity
  • Inspect and manipulate a bee hive

The total cost of the course starts at $620 GST-free, depending on location.

Day 1

  • Protective clothing and occupational health and safety
  • Opening a hive, hive components and assembly
  • Bee biology and seasonal management
  • Honey flora
  • Legislation
  • Diseases and pests of bees

Day 2

  • Extracting and storing honey
  • Inspecting hive for disease
  • Honey marketing, food safety and record keeping
  • Purchasing hives
  • Other products from the hive
  • Industry structure
  • Evaluation and close

  • Participants will receive a copy of the publication Bee Agskills and additional course notes.
  • This course is delivered using indoor and outdoor instruction.

Participants must:

  • Be comfortable working outdoors and handling live European honey bees while wearing protective beekeeping equipment.
  • Have no known severe or life-threatening allergies to bee stings (anaphylaxis).
  • Be physically capable of lifting, carrying, and maneuvering hive components (such as full honey supers weighing up to 15–20 kg).
  • Wear mandatory protective personal gear during practical hive inspections, including a full bee suit or jacket with veil, protective gloves, and sturdy closed-in leather footwear.
  • Strictly follow safety instructions and bio-hygiene procedures provided by trainers when working near open hives and using bee smokers.

Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Capability Requirements

To complete this course successfully, participants will need:

  • Reading: Interpreting basic beekeeping guides, hive component assembly instructions, disease inspection checklists, and bee smoker fuel safety guidelines.
  • Writing: Recording basic hive observation notes, inspection logs, and swarm management records.
  • Numeracy: Tracking hive counts, estimating brood frame coverage percentages, measuring feeding ratios (sugar-to-water mixes), and monitoring seasonal timing schedules.
  • Oral Communication & Hearing: Communicating clearly with trainers and fellow participants while working around active apiaries and listening for safety directions.
  • Digital Literacy: Basic computer or smartphone skills.

This course is mapped to the following national units of competency:



Additional Information

For information on students rights and responsibilities, and the Tocal College Code of Practice see Industry qualification student policies.



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