2025 Beekeeping Course

For the second year in a row, we are happy to offer a Yukon-focused beekeeping course with certified instructor and beekeeper Julia Common (bio below). Whether you are just curious, an aspiring beekeeper, a novice needing a refresher or an experienced keeper looking to continue your education, we welcome you to these sessions!

The course will be presented over 2 days and include biology and behaviour of the honey bee and the hive, getting started in beekeeping, apiary placement, bee health and disease, and what to expect in terms of time and money.

Both days are bag lunch format – use the time to have informal discussions and ask lots of questions of Julia and other local keepers! Light snacks and drinks will be offered both days.

These sessions are interactive, entertaining and full of practical advice based on the science and art of decades of beekeeping. The exact topics and progress may vary depending on participants and discussions; however, the general layout is intended to offer:

Day 1: fundamental understanding of the honey bee, the hive and the building blocks for thoughtful apiary management.

Day 2: best management practices with a focus on the short season and local conditions in and around Whitehorse including: integrated pest management, seasonal patterns, supplementing, hive growth, harvest, and maybe the most important piece of all - preparing for winter.

Our teaching and mentoring team will include long-standing local and experienced beekeepers who will assist in keeping it relevant for Yukon conditions. 

Due to the timing of the course, there is no field component. However, there will be interactive displays and learning tools. We are planning field sessions with Julia later in the season as a supplement to this course. TBC.

Julia Common Bio

Julia began with bees many years ago as an undergraduate research assistant, and her passion for bees has continued throughout her life. In 2011, she moved from country beekeeping to city bees with her daughter, Sarah, as they co-founded Hives for Humanity in downtown Vancouver. There, she not only kept bees, but began mentoring and teaching local people who became connected with the community through the magic of bees.

Since her retirement from Hives for Humanity in 2019, Julia has built her business “Bees Actually“ and manages 100 hives. She offers nuc and honey sales, greenhouse and field pollination, consulting, presenting and teaching. She also works alongside senior residence homes creating and implementing native pollinator and human health programs - here she brings sedentary non-beekeepers into the wonders of the bee world with apiary visits, honey extracting, creating and sampling all forms of bee products. 

Julia is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) with over 50 years of beekeeping experience. She is also an active member of a number of local honey bee and native bee clubs in the Fraser Valley and of the British Columbia Honey Producers Association of which she is a BCHPA certified instructor, as well as a member of the Western Apicultural Society (WAS). 

Julia is truly an ambassador for all pollinators, a mentor for many beekeepers and a passionate teacher of best beekeeping practices.