Become a member at Local Buzz

Hands-on visits take place (almost) weekly between mid-April to mid-September in small groups of 4-5.

• Members get 5 visits in total, and are encouraged to use them once a month.
• Each visit is on average 1.5-2 hours.
• Hive visits will take place on Tuesdays, as long as the weather permits.
• Hive visits last around 1.5 hours in total depending on the task at hand. After getting dressed, Idil introduces the day’s tasks and goals and as we open the hives, she explains what is happening inside the hive and what it means. There are always numerous moments of learning when we are hands-on at the hives. These are the opportunities to link practice with theory.
• Every visit’s highlights are recorded in a beekeeping diary that is shared with you, which is a part of the Learning Platform, in order to bridge the gap between hive inspections. Newsletters summarise monthly developments at the hives.
• An attendance sheet is shared where you can sign-up for available spots.

Estimated amount per member is 2.5 kg of honey. There will be several different kinds of honey from different queens, harvested at different times of the season.

In 2022, Local Buzz won two gold medals in the honeydew (honningdugg) category at NM i Honning (the National Norwegian Honey Championship).

In 2020 and 2023, Local Buzz won silver medals at NM i Honning.

Collected throughout the year, the beeswax is rendered at the end of the season and divided into a share for each member.

In this 1.5-2 hour seminar, you will be immersed in a wide range of information from the biology of bees to using materials and tools properly. As a result, you will get acquainted with the hive community and how to get started with your hive. After this webinar, you will feel more confident about being hands-on around a beehive.

Topics covered:

• The community inside the hive
• Beekeeping equipment, tools and protocols
• Seasons and changes of life inside the hive
• Learning platform: Resources and support tools for new beekeepers!

It is very important for first-time beekeepers to attend the webinar. This way, you will be feeling comfortable opening a hive and performing inspections.

This is an extremely unique activity, seeing the transfer of this golden liquid from frames into jars. It engages every sense, from the sweet smelling aroma to sticky hands. Not to mention the taste straight from a honey-laden frame!

• Honey is harvested several times throughout the year to capture the season’s various nectar flows, from end of June to end of August.
• We typically harvest specific to each queen: Queen Mel, Queen Yaps and Queen D were some of our resident queens in 2024.
• At the end of the season, you will have several different honeys, each one distinctive of the season and the colony who produced it.
• Each workshop lasts around 3-4 hours and takes place either on the weekends or afterwork hours.
• The workshop involves harvesting honey-full frames from the hives and then extracting the honey from the frames into containers.
• You will get sticky! But as a reward, you will experience honey fresh from the hive. 

At the end of the season is the time for a guided tasting workshop to appreciate and explore the differences in honey’s taste profiles.

We will be using a honey-vocabulary wheel and sensory chart to help us translate what we sense into words. I will also share with you very interesting and special monofloral honeys I have collected throughout my travels, and you can also bring an interesting honey to taste!

Beeswax is a beautiful substance produced by honeybees themselves, and we ensure that no part of this valuable material goes to waste by carefully collecting and rendering it after harvest.

Through a gentle melting process, we purify the beeswax by removing impurities to create a clean golden block, and then dividing it into smaller cubes by melting again into molds.

Beeswax can then be used in a variety of ways – from making candles and natural cosmetics to food wraps and even wood polish. We talk about its properties, its historical significance and its uses, and share recipes.

In this workshop, you’ll get hands-on experience with this process, learning how to render and repurpose beeswax yourself, and walk away with your wax share.

The season is short in Norway and the growth in the hives happens exponentially. From one visit to another, you may be surprised at the differences you will witness!

Therefore, we send out ‘The Local Buzzer’ newsletters, which are a source of real-time information. You receive these to get updates on your hives, the specific attributes of the month we’re in, announcements about events and other activities, and inspiring links to keep you buzzing.

The key to learning is your engagement. Therefore you’ll get linked to our Learning Platform.

The learning platform is divided into months, and designed to hold exciting and interesting content according to the month, and resources for your learning journey in beekeeping.

This will stay with you even after your membership is over.

Through the platform you will have access to videos, blogposts, webinar slides, the beekeeping diary and the hive visit attendance sheet.

Local Buzz owns suits and gloves of various sizes and styles, and you do not have to worry about what you wear when you show up.

Taking photos at the hives is not the most convenient thing. For one, you are focused on what you are doing and don’t wanna get stung. Yet you also want to document these moments. No worries – we usually take turns, and our beekeeper tries to take many photos during the hive visits. Later, we all upload our photos in a collective album so everyone has access to all the photos.