Projektron Beekeeping Course 2026 – Five Sessions All About Bees, Honey and Wax

Since 2021, two bee colonies have lived on the rooftop terrace of our Berlin headquarters. The sheltered location on the seventh floor provides the bees with good conditions for foraging and developing their colonies.

At the beginning of the course, the participants learned about the bees’ behaviour and needs. They were also introduced to different types of hives, frames and the most important tools used by beekeepers. Basic equipment includes a protective suit, smoker, bee brush and hive tool. During the practical sessions, it quickly became clear how important calm movements, patience and careful handling are when working with bees.

Swarming Behaviour and Queen Rearing

Another focus was the bees’ natural swarming behaviour. When a colony becomes very large and there is no longer enough space for additional brood, part of the colony may leave the hive and search for a new home. The participants learned how to recognise and manage an approaching swarm. One important sign is the presence of queen cells, in which new queens develop.

The development of a queen bee was also explained. The well-known beekeeping rule “Three, five, eight – the queen is made” describes the individual stages of development from the egg to sealed brood. Shortly before hatching, the young queens are separated using small cages. The participants were also shown how a queen is marked with a coloured dot so that she can be identified more easily within the colony.

Extracting Honey and Recycling Beeswax

One of the highlights of the course was honey extraction. Before the honey can be extracted, it is checked to ensure that it is mature. For a long shelf life, its water content should not exceed 18 per cent. The sealed honeycomb cells are then opened using an uncapping fork. The frames are placed in a honey extractor, where the honey is spun out of the comb. A well-filled frame can contain around 2.5 kilograms of honey.

After extraction, the honey is filtered, filled into jars and labelled in accordance with legal requirements. The participants also learned why certain types of honey, such as rapeseed honey, need to be stirred regularly to achieve a fine and creamy consistency. Recycling beeswax was another part of the course. Old combs can be melted down using a solar or steam wax melter, cleaned and then reused to produce new wax foundation sheets.

Honey Tasting and Protecting the Bee Colonies

During a joint tasting session, the participants sampled several varieties, including sweet chestnut honey, heather honey, buckwheat honey and forest honey. The differences in flavour, texture and aroma were clearly noticeable. The Projektron team members also learned about the distinction between blossom honey and forest honey. While blossom honey is made from the nectar of various plants, bees producing forest honey mainly collect honeydew from trees.

Regular checks for varroa mites are also an important part of beekeeping. These parasites weaken bees and can transmit diseases. The course demonstrated how an infestation can be detected using the powdered sugar method. Depending on the severity of the infestation, treatment of the colony may be necessary. The bees used for the analysis are returned to their hive afterwards.

Promising Prospects for the Honey Harvest

After five varied sessions, the 2026 beekeeping course concluded with many new impressions and valuable insights. The eight Projektron team members gained theoretical knowledge and were able to try out numerous tasks directly at the beehives.

The annual course is part of our internal professional development programme. It gives our employees the opportunity to learn more about bees and beekeeping and to gradually take on greater responsibility for our two colonies. The bees are doing very well. Over the past few months, they have been busy collecting pollen and nectar, so we can look forward to a plentiful honey harvest this autumn.