2026 BEEKEEPING MENTORSHIP

Be part of a supportive community of bee-lovers in Onyx’s 2026 Regenerative Beekeeping Cohort! From January through October, we’ll journey through the full beekeeping season together — cultivating practical skills, confidence, and a deeper connection with the bees and the land.

WHAT WE’LL EXPLORE

  • Foundations of Regenerative Beekeeping

    • What regenerative beekeeping is and how it differs from conventional approaches

    • Honeybee biology and behavior

    • How bees thrive in the wild + what makes a healthy habitat

    Hive Stewardship

    • Choosing the hive style that fits your values and landscape

    • Modifying conventional hives to be more bee-centric

    • Preparing for bees + sourcing your bees ethically (including swarm catching)

    • Feeding bees: when, how, and if it’s appropriate

    Seasonal Practices

    • Bee-centric management through the full cycle of the year (winter → spring → summer → fall)

    Bee Medicines + Human Connection

    • Deep dive into the hive’s medicines: propolis, pollen, honey, royal jelly, venom, wax

    • Their roles in the hive, their history of human use, and how to harvest them with reverence

    Sacred + Intuitive Beekeeping

    • Practices to cultivate intuitive communication with your bees

    • Bees in mythology across cultures

    • Shamanic and ceremonial approaches to commune with the spirit of the bees

Personal Mentorship

  • 2 private one-on-one visits with Onyx (scheduled individually)

  • Monthly personal check-ins via voice notes/text for consistent, tailored support

  • Option to add additional visits at a 25% discount

Community Connection

  • Intimate cohort of 12 students (open to all genders)

  • Private Telegram group for questions, updates, and connection between immersions

  • Opportunities for supplemental bee adventures — swarm calls, seasonal hive work, and other unique experiences with Onyx’s inner circle

  • Priority access to swarms (Onyx’s preferred way of sourcing bees)

A Balance of Community + Personalized Guidance

This mentorship weaves together group learning, one-on-one support, and hands-on experience with the bees — while welcoming you into Onyx’s inner circle of bee tenders.

Program Flow

  • Virtual Orientation — January 17, 12PM-2PM PT (Zoom)
    Preparing for bees and setting intentions for the season ahead.

  • In-Person Immersions — Held at Onyx’s SE Portland apiary,

    10 AM–2 PM

    • March 21 (Swarm season)

    • May 30 (honey season)

    • July 18 (Boundary season)

    • September 12 (putting the bees to bed)

  • SWARM SEASON (March)

    We’ll be going over preparing for bees, including cleaning out old equipment and preparing welcoming hives for swarm season. We’ll also cover how to work with swarms in anticipation of their arrival in April!

  • HONEY SEASON (May)

    Swarming will have mostly died down by end of May and the bees will be shifting their energy to gathering nectar/making honey. This will also be the time that we harvest from the hives on the land to help them recycle old brood comb.

  • BOUNDARY SEASON (July)

    Late summer is the season of propolis and venom, the hive’s boundary medicines. we’ll explore both of these substances in depth during this immersion.

  • PUTTING THE BEES TO BED (Sept)

    Mid Sept is the time to begin thinking about preparing the bees for winter. We’ll be ensuring the hives have enough honey stores for the cold season ahead, as well as adding winter insulation.

  • "In 2021 my husband signed up for a beekeeping mentorship with Onyx. I never planned to be a part of it but from our first meeting I was hooked. I absolutely love Onyx's approach to beekeeping - a wholesome sustainable approach to caring for living beings that just happen to be small. Through her mentorship we learned practical things like the best kind of hives to use, how to care for the bees through the winter months, how and when to harvest honey in a sustainable way, where to position our hives on our property, and how to capture and home and swarm. We also learned about the properties of wax, honey, and propolis, and how to communicate with our bees. Our education is ongoing and Onyx has been the best teacher. I cannot recommend a better person to teach you the ways of sustainable beekeeping."

    Briana Morrison

  • "Onyx was my first inspiration and teacher in bee keeping. I took her online class and participated in a one-on-one mentorship by phone with her, as I don't live in Oregon. I knew I wanted to learn from someone heart centered who brought that perspective to bee keeping and I am thankful to have learned so much from her. She helped me feel confident with bee keeping and coached me through my first year with the bees. I can only imagine how even more wonderful, rich and practical it would be to work with her in person, alongside a small group of like-minded people. She cares deeply about the bees and finding how to be in a symbiotic relationship with them. She has a wealth of resources and is happy to share with those who want to learn"

    Sarah Martins

FAQs

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes! We now have Klarna enabled as a payment option on our website! If choosing a payment plan, the tuition raises to $3200 (the $200 just covers additional fees) - you can select Klarna upon checkout and choose whatever payment plan best fits your needs!

(See the products + classes tab on our website to select this option. Contact Onyx to pay $3000 in full)

Where will the immersions be held?

All of the group immersions will be held at my home apiary in SE Portland. This will give you the opportunity to see a variety of different hive styles and hive personalities over an entire bee season! These will also be important experiences for the cohort to bond as a group.

What if I don’t live locally?

If you are able to travel to PDX and attend at least 2/4 of the in person group immersions, we can do 4 one-on-one mentorship calls (done virtually). The more group immersions you can attend, the better!

Who is this program for?

This mentorship program is for anyone that wishes to approach the bees from a bee-centric lens. All genders and experience levels are welcome!

What if I already have bees?

No problem! Onyx can support you with an already established hive that you’re wishing to approach from a more regenerative space, or can help you get started from the ground up. Wherever you are at in your bee journey is absolutely perfect!