Beekeeping Course

Tia Bown has recently completed a 2 day Beekeeping course as part of the Gateway programme at Otaki College. She was keen to share her experience so that other students may wish to take up this opportunity in the future.

My experience at the Beekeeping Course through Papa Taiao was a really good one. It was so educational and I learned more than I thought I would. My point of view on the beekeeping industry and bees in general switched as soon as I got there. It definitely opened my eyes and made me see how important the bees are and how the quality of their lifespan affects our world and the food we eat. 

My favourite parts of the course included making parts of a beehive box and learning the different types of sections it has and the jobs they do to protect the bees. I loved getting into a beekeeping suit and putting on a veil as if I was actually a beekeeper. As much as I used to be a little fearful of bees and their sting, I really enjoyed opening and closing the real beehives and being up close to thousands of them just swarming around. It was also really cool to go to Shaun’s honey extractor and see the types of equipment he uses to make the honey he produces. The smell was divine and I love his honey. 

I was very grateful to have had this opportunity to not only learn about bees and see the day in a life of a beekeeper but I also met some pretty cool people who made this course even more exciting as we were all so keen and eager to just learn about this particular industry. I walked in with one mindset and left with another, and maybe even a desire to pursue something like this in the future. 

Tia Brown, Year 12