Education

Holly’s Backyard Bees run a series of workshops and education programs for both children and adults.

Honey Bee Incursion
Australian Native bee/insect hotel making
Queensland Fruit Fly Incursion
Beeswax food wrap incursion
Candle making incursion
Beekeeping experiences for children
Introduction to backyard beekeeping workshop
Mentoring
Beeswax wrap and candle making workshop

Kindergarten/Primary School incursions

Our children's programs, the Mini Beasts Series include:

Honey Bee Incursion

This engaging and interactive session will stimulate all the senses. The bee incursion is tailored to provide age appropriate information and allow plenty of time for the children to guide the discussion and ask questions. Holly brings in her observation hive so that the children can see a real honey bee colony in action. A demonstration of beekeeping tools and suit is provided along with a childrens sized suit and veil for the children to try on. Of course, you couldn’t learn about bees without tasting some honey too!
The themes of discussion are focused on what makes up a hive, the bee lifecycle and how the bees make honey. We also spend plenty of time talking about how the bees help our environment, why they are so important in our food systems and sustainability and how to respond and behave around bees in our natural play spaces.
Cost – $250 with a maximum of 30 children per session (Note – travel fees may apply for out of area bookings)
Session length – 60 minutes

Download Bee Incursion Flyer

Australian Native bee/insect hotel making

Did you know that there are over 1500 different species of Australian native bees? Almost all of these species are solitary bees – they don’t live in social colonies like honey bees do, but have individual nests.
During this incursion, Holly teaches the children about some of the Australian Native bees that we might come across in our gardens in Victoria, what kind of plants that they like, and how we can provide habitat for them to welcome them into our gardens and play spaces. Native bees also play an important role in pollination and our sustainable food systems.
This is a hands on incursion where the children will make an insect hotel to take home to provide habitat for the these amazing insects. All materials are provided however children are also encouraged to forage for natural materials in the garden to add to their insect hotels (eg sticks, bamboo, seedpods, etc)
Cost - $250 with a maximum of 30 children per session (Note – travel fees may apply for out of area bookings).
Session length – 60-75 minutes

Download Australian Native Bee Incursion Flyer

Queensland fruit fly incursion

Queensland fruit fly (QFF) is a pest which is having significant impacts on the way we grow food. Together with Agriculture Victoria and Agribusiness Yarra Valley, we have developed a free online education program. Designed for use with primary students, the online QFF learning package assists educators and schools in raising awareness about what QFF is, what we can do to prevent it, and how to respond to a detection.
Click here to view the free videos and resources to get started!

Beeswax food wrap incursion

Plastic waste is a big problem for our environment. It clogs up our waterways, affects our wildlife and never decomposes. This incursion is targeted at helping the children to think about how they can remove the need for plastic wrap/zip lock bags in their lunchboxes by using beeswax food wraps. The session can be tailored to any age group from Kindergarten, all the way to secondary school education.
During this incursion, Holly facilitates discussion about plastic waste to encourage the children to identify the issues themselves and guides them in finding some solutions together. We talk about how bees make the beeswax that we are using to make our food wraps with and how it helps to keep our foods fresh.
During the session each child will make a beeswax food wrap which they can take home. All materials for this session are provided and the children will be able to choose their own fabric prints to accomodate their own taste! It is a really fun and empowering session!
Cost - $15 per child with a minimum spend of $150 (Note – travel fees may apply for out of area bookings). **Book both the beeswax wrap and candle making incursion and receive a $5 discount per child ($25 for both incursions).
Session length – dependant on number of children in session – please discuss at time of booking regarding session length.

Candle making incursion

Beeswax is amazing stuff! Its sweet honey smell is delicious and can be made into beautiful candles. During this incursion, Holly teaches the children about how and why the bees make beeswax in the first place, how the beekeeper harvests it, and how we can use it in candle making.
Each child will be able to make either a poured candle or a rolled candle to take home. This is a fantastic incursion to book for Mothers Day or Christmas time where their creations can be given as gifts to loved ones.
Cost - $15 per child with a minimum spend of $150 (Note – travel fees may apply for out of area bookings). **Book both the beeswax wrap and candle making incursion and receive a $5 discount per child ($25 for both incursions).
Session length – dependant on number of children in session – please discuss at time of booking regarding session length.

Beekeeping experiences for children

Does your child have a fascination with insects and bugs? Perhaps this is the perfect experience for them!
Holly provides all the required protective equipment, teaches and demonstrates how and why we use a smoker and walks your child through a bee hive inspection at her apiary in Mount Evelyn.
After the inspection, why not stick around a have a farm tour and say hi to our animals!
Cost - $90 or $160 for two children. Please note, a parent or guardian will be required to be present at all times including during the hive inspection. An adults beekeeping suit will be provided and all protective equipment for your safety also.
This experience is suitable for children aged 6+
Experience length –60 minutes

bee-workshops

Adult Beekeeping Education:

Introduction to backyard beekeeping workshop

Have you been wanting to join the wonderful world of beekeeping but just not sure where to start? Are you interested in Permaculture Design and how honey bees fit into our design systems?
At Holly’s Introduction to backyard beekeeping workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn what is required to get started in beekeeping and how anyone can integrate a hive into their backyard, with a focus on bees in Permaculture systems. We will be discussing topics ranging from the lifecycle of honey bees, their characteristics and roles in the hive, how to manage your hive at different stages through the seasons, pest and disease management, hive designs/styles and of course extracting your very own liquid gold!
This is a hands on workshop (weather permitting) where you will be able to work with a colony of bees under Holly’s guidance and get some hands on experience to give you the confidence to get started. No prerequisite knowledge is required for this workshop and all equipment is provided on the day.
Cost - $150 per person.
Session Length – 9.30-3.30pm
These workshops are run seasonally and based on demand. If you would like to register your interest in the next workshop, please get in touch here

Mentoring

It is tricky to know what is what when you are starting out as a beekeeper and the guidance of an experienced mentor can give you the confidence and skills you need to properly care for your bees. Holly provides one on one or group mentoring to help you in the early years of your journey with bees. Holly can come to you and help you with your own hive inspections/seasonal management, or beekeeping skills can be gained by attending a pre-arranged session in Holly’s apiary too.
Cost - $50 per hour plus travel fees for greater than 10km travel (Minimum 1 hour session).

Beeswax wrap and candle making workshop

Beeswax is amazing stuff! During this workshop, you will learn all about beeswax, how honeybees make it, its amazing antibacterial properties, and how we can use it to reduce our footprint on the planet. Each participant will make their own beeswax food wrap to take home along with a 100% pure beeswax candle. Demonstration of various candle making techniques with be demonstrated and discussed.
Beeswax food wraps are fantastic for replacing your roll of glad wrap or zip lock bags, which usually only get used once, and then get piffed into our garbage, into landfill, before often ending up in our waterways and oceans! Not only are beeswax food wraps great for the environment, but they will save you loads of money too. With a few simple ingredients, and some everyday items, you will learn just how simple it is make these at home and play your part in the war on waste!
Cost - $45 per person
Workshop length – 2 hours