Club Apiaries & Hands-On Classes
Our outdoor mini-classes for members, HandsOn Hivesides, are held April to August, usually on Saturdays & Sundays. Saturdays are 1 PM - 3 PM, unless announced otherwise, at the Maltby location. Sundays are at the Granite Falls location (email Ron at beebuddy.skba@gmail.com for times and dates).
Space is limited to about 7 participants per class, so advance registration is required. For the Maltby site, email Eli at eliochel@snokingbka.org and Ron at beebuddy.skba@snokingbka.org for the Granite Falls. Please indicate how many are attending and on which date and we will confirm by email.
If you wish to be notified in a weekly email which apiaries are offering classes that weekend, email eliochel@snokingbka.org to be placed on the notification list. Please respond asap if you receive such a notification of openings and wish to attend.


We can only open hives and demonstrate inspection techniques if the weather is close to or about 60 degrees F and sunny. If we can’t open bee hives, there is still lots to show and demonstrate:
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2 methods of oxalic acid vaporization (a popular treatment for Varroa) and how to light a smoker.
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BYOS (Bring Your Own Smoker) and we will help you light it and see how to keep it going.
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Winterization, feeding and hive management, apiary setup, etc.
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Broodminder sensor & FLIR photography
If you are interested in seeing the Broodminder app used to upload data, we have a sensor at each apiary. Broodminder and FLIR are not essential for beekeeping but are fun to use to image what’s going on inside our hives, and they give us an excuse to “talk bees” during the fall/winter months.
TO SIGN UP:
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Granite Falls: call or text Ron Robinson 206-719-3604 or email him at beebuddy.skba@gmail.com .
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Maltby: call or text Eli Ocheltree 206-859-7392 or email her at eliochel@snokingbka.org .
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Sultan: call or text Jessica Neiffer 602-292-9043 or email her at jneiffer77@gmail.com .