Why Join The Club?

At the J  Beekeeping Club we want our members to learn from our experienced members as well as from our various Guest Speakers to build on the techniques and methods of beekeeping that most relate to their style and beekeeping goals.

We suggest before you buy a hive or any gear to come along to one of our monthly meetings where you will be welcomed by our Membership Manager, Kevin O’Sullivan, who will answer any questions you might have about our club.

You may also decide to start with one of our field days at our club apiary to find out if you are comfortable around bees before you invest in equipment or bees.

Once you have joined the club we will nominate an experienced club member to provide you with practical support.

We also have a store at the club which is always stocked with beekeeping equipment and gear which our members can buy at discounted prices.

Here are some of the topics that will be covered throughout the year at our monthly meetings and field days:

  1. History of European honey bees and beekeeping in Australia
  2. Different breeds of European honey bees
  3. Beekeeper’s responsibilities
  4. Legal requirements – Victorian Biosecurity Act  
  5. Biosecurity Code of Practice
  6. Regulations for keeping bees in the suburbs and in a rural areas
  7. The biology of the European honey bee colony
  8. Variables in determining a suitable apiary site
  9. Protective clothing
  10. Hive equipment
  11. Managing a smoker
  12. Types of Hives
  13. Standard Hive construction
  14. Types of frames
  15. Standard frame construction
  16. General hive management over the various seasons of the year
  17. Feeding bees
  18. Queen bees and breeding
  19. Swarming
  20. Removing Honey
  21. Honey extraction methods
  22. Pests
  23. Endemic diseases
  24. Exotic diseases and pests
  25. Flora – local types and timing of flowering

How To Join?

Download the member application form here. This form is be scanned and forwarded to [email protected] or handed into the Secretary at a club monthly meeting. Membership isn’t confirmed until payment of the $50 membership fee.

We look forward to seeing you at the meetings.

Club Rules

Click here to download the club’s ‘Rules for the J Beekeeping Club’.