New Beekeepers

So you want to be a beekeeper!

Welcome to the hive! We're so glad you're here.

VIBA is a great place to learn beekeeping, build community, and receive support for beekeepers of all levels. We want all our bees and beekeepers to be successful so we offer our teaching apiary as a safe place for everyone to gain knowledge and practice their skills. Sometimes we even offer structured coursework when our members are available to teach. To get you started, we'd like you to carefully consider the basics:

Bees are livestock, and you are becoming a farmer! That means that your animals require care for their health and survival, and they depend on you to give what they need when they need it. Honey bees in North America are not wild animals in a box who can fend for themselves, they are domesticated, managed livestock.

While beekeeping is considered somewhat seasonal, there are things to do year round. The spring and summer are exciting, but the critical make-or-break time for bee care is in between August and October on Vashon when the bees are struggling the most with parasite burden. If your lifestyle doesn't accommodate being present to take care of your bees in the fall, think carefully before deciding to become a beekeeper.

Beekeeping isn't a cheap sport. It's wise to consider your budget before diving in and discovering that your bees need equipment and care your pocketbook can't accommodate. Here is a link for more about that: https://www.queenandcolony.com/blog/2019/2/12/how-much-does-it-cost-to-start-beekeeping

Take a class. While YouTube University has some effective offerings, there is no substitute for a qualified teacher in a structured course. You should absolutely do your own homework with books and other online resources too!

Now that you've had a chance to consider how beekeeping fits with your life, we hope you'll decide to become a VIBA member. As a member and a new beekeeper, we will do our best to support you which can include mentorship!

MENTOR PROGRAM

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

We strive to assist VIBA members as much as possible. Part of the benefits of membership is the support that we provide through such efforts as the VIBA Mentors Program. VIBA will try to match committed first year beekeepers with the nearest and most qualified beekeeper.

Asking for assistance while deciding if beekeeping is right for you and your family is encouraged. Many questions will be answered if you join a VIBA apiary check on the weekend (announced on the Facebook page). Once you know the basics, VIBA highly encourages all new beekeepers to attend a class either with us when we offer them, or either the Pierce Country Beekeepers or the West Sound Beekeepers. Sometimes there are also online classes available. These classes are not offered all the time; so planning ahead is essential.

Once you have made the decision to start beekeeping, we strongly encourage you to join VIBA to further your knowledge and expertise.

Mentor Guidelines

Mentors advise and educate Mentees, but explaining situations that exist and likely causes. Mentors encourage Mentees to evaluate situation and make decisions based on the Mentee’s goals and management style. Mentors and Mentees understand that there is always a risk of failure with any course of action, but there are valuable lessons to be learned from failures.
Mentors visit Mentees apiaries about 3‐4 times a year to address seasonal changes and needs at agreed upon times. The Mentee initiates these meetings.
Mentors respond to sporadic calls or emails from Mentees, but Mentors are not "on call."
Mentors don't charge for their services
If problems should arise please contact the club president.

Mentee Guidelines

Each Mentor has a unique style and specific talents. Mentors are volunteers trying to assist and educate new beekeepers.

Mentees must be VIBA members and attend regular quarterly meetings and as many VIBA apiary meetings as possible. Mentors are not trained teachers and every beekeeper has different approaches and styles.
Mentees are expected to take an introductory Beekeeping class before they purchase a hive or engage a mentor.
Mentees are always expected to do their own research before asking for help, so that they can discuss the situation and options with their Mentors.
Mentors are assigned to advise and educate. Mentor’s provide insights based on their own experience to assist the Mentee in making their own decisions to select a course of action. Mentors are not assigned to tell you what to do and there is always a risk of failure.
Mentees are encouraged to gain knowledge and experience by helping their Mentors with beekeeping tasks such as cleaning frames/supers, assembling frames/supers, cutting the grass around hives, extracting honey, as a thank you etc.
Most importantly, Mentees should be respectful of their Mentor’s time. Be prepared before your Mentor arrives. Get everything ready that you will need for that day’s visit. IE: Hive boxes, extra frames, smoker, work site, and whatever else will be needed that day and be prepared to succinctly explain the questions you have to ask.
If any problems should arise with your Mentor, contact the club president
If you would like to be matched with a mentor, visit one of the VIBA meetings and talk to the club president to assign you someone in your area.

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