Instructors

Meet

Your Instructors

Where fun & education collide

JULIA COMMON, BSc & MSc Agriculture, Owner of Bees Actually, former Chief Beekeeper of Hives for Humanity

Julia Common is a BCHPA certified instructor, the BC Regional Director of the Western Apicultural Society, and a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturalists.  Julia has been involved in beekeeping since her university days. What started as a summer job became first a hobby and later a career. From 2012 through to 2019 she acted as Chief Beekeeper for Vancouver-based society Hives for Humanity, which she co-founded along with her daughter Sarah Common.

Urban beekeeping has led her to a number of epiphanies concerning the health and welfare of both bees and humans. She’s passionate about bees, teaching & life, and her courses stress the basic concepts of individual and colony biology, demonstrating how an understanding of these fundamentals can become the cornerstone of practical apiary management.

Since her retirement from Hives for Humanity, Julia has turned her focus to bee health and research through her new endeavour Bees Actually, started in 2020.

Brian Campbell, 
Founder of Blessed Bee Apiaries & the Bee School, Instructor at Langara & Kwantlen University. 

Brian Campbell is a certified  Master Beekeeper and Master Gardener. He has kept bees for over 20 years and has extensive experience teaching beekeeping to people of all ages.  Currently Brian is the Beeologist in Residence at the UBC Botanical Garden where he conducts research on bee/plant relationships, a sessional instructor with the KPU Farm School program and Product Manager at West Coast Seeds.  

Brian is also known for his efforts in pollinator conservation and education. He has been involved with VanDusen Gardens for over 15 years, leading many workshops and guided tours on native pollinators. Brian has also been a consultant for Border Free Bees in their design of pollinator friendly pastures and has designed many of the pollinator Seed Blends that  are offered at West Coast Seeds.

Brian is widely recognized as a wellspring of knowledge on bees and beekeeping, for his dynamic and entertaining presentations, and for his extensive contributions to the BC beekeeping culture through education and mentorship. 

LINDSAY DAULT, Former Owner of Urban Bee Supplies Inc, Current Owner Country Bee Honey Farm.

Lindsay Dault is a Master Beekeeper, BCHPA certified instructor, former adviser to the Senate on honeybee health, a published beekeeper in Backyard Roots, and a teacher to hundreds of students. She started Urban Bee Supplies over 10 years ago, when she thought she might get bored being a mom. She has since relocated her family of five to Victoria to pursue her dream of running a honey bee farm with her husband. Country Bee Honey Farm is the collaboration of both partners’ hobbies: Jason does the birds, and Lindsay does the bees! They manage approximately 80 hives on the Saanich Peninsula, where they collect neighbourhood honey and produce seasonal nucs.

Lindsay’s passion for beekeeping and teaching is clear when she stands in front of her students. She correlates basic human activities with activities the bees perform in the hive. This helps firmly instill the fundamentals all beekeepers must understand and elevates them from being good beekeepers to becoming great beekeepers.

If weather permits expect hands-on time with the bees.
If weather permits expect hands-on time with the bees.
Hive Inspections with students
Hive Inspections with students
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In field beekeeping sessions
In field beekeeping sessions
Your instructors, always smiling!
Your instructors, always smiling!
You'll feel like you're in the yard beekeeping with all these props!
You’ll feel like you’re in the yard beekeeping with all these props!
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