Jennifer has been teaching beekeeping for over a decade, and her passion is passing on the skills of this ancient and important practice to future generations of beekeepers. From first year beekeeping to more advanced skills such as queen rearing, Jennifer loves to share her skills with others.

Click this link to book a mentorship appointment

We also sell Gift Certificates, at this link

About mentorship:

You can schedule with me for a site visit, one-on-one mentorship to help you develop your skills as a beekeeper. We’ll do hive inspections, apiary evaluation and make a to-do list so you’ll have a plan moving forward. I've been teaching in different capacities since 2002, from early childhood development all the way to college level, and I love sharing my skills. I believe the best beekeepers are those who have one-on-one, hands-on training, and its nearly impossible to learn how to keep bees from books and videos alone. We have a unique climate here in the Bay Area, and that means the way we keep bees is also different than anywhere else.

About me:

My name is Jennifer Berry, and my career began with a degree in biology. While working as a landscape consultant in 2003, the property manager invited me to help him with his hives, and from that moment on I was hooked. I kept my own hives as a hobby for several years, taking classes and studying with several mentors before the 2008 recession hit my industry particularly hard. Beekeeping emerged as an activity that calmed me, made me feel more connected to nature, and presented problems in the world that I could actually solve myself. Coming out of the recession I began to transition from biology and landscape work to beekeeping as a profession. Since then I’ve been managing apiaries for organic farms and residential clients, along with mentoring hobbyists and teaching classes. Each spring I sell queens I’ve selectively bred myself and nucleus colonies to other beekeepers. ( I prune trees in the winter!) My methods are to keep bees organically with special attention to health and nutrition, and to use methods that make most of our Bay Area climate. My practice continues to evolve as we learn more about the science of bees, and I strive to make the most of my knowledge to help bees thrive in our changing world.

Since 2013 I’ve brought in genetics from hygienic queens that I’ve purchased, adding them to my growing stock of locally adapted bees. I also have been trading genetics with other local breeders for bees that are well adapted to our Mediterranean climate.

I have several posts on Instructables on beekeeping how-to, including one on this topic. http://www.instructables.com/id/Nucleus-Colony-or-How-to-Start-a-Beehive/

Thanks for reading!