Mentor Responsibilities

● Must be a member of the UTBA

● Have a minimum 5 years successful beekeeping experience

● Arrange for a minimum of 7 apiary visits with the assigned mentee from April to October with a minimum of an hour and a half per visit. (These sessions will take place either at the mentor’s apiary, or at the apiary of the mentee.)

● Guide and assist the mentee in all aspects of their beekeeping by encouraging the new beekeeper to identify problems and find solutions

● Communicate biosecurity rules and maintain a clean and safe environment

● Coach and model good record keeping

● Respond to mentee questions or concerns in a timely manner (within 48 hours)

● Provide feedback (positive and negative) to the mentor coordinator

● Mentors agree to prepare a mentor profile that outlines their style/philosophy of beekeeping; their preference to teach in their own or the mentee’s apiary; the rough location of the mentor’s hives; the maximum number of participants in a group; the approximate dates of mentorship sessions; accessibility; and willingness to take on a mentee with no prior experience or beekeeping study

● All mentors must be approved by the Mentorship committee prior to posting mentorship profiles

● Mentor apiaries must be registered with OMAFRA.

● All mentors shall carry 2 up-to-date Epipens if the training is to take place in the mentor’s apiary.

● Mentors agree to pay $50 of each mentee’s fees to the UTBA

Mentee Responsibilities

● Must be a member of the UTBA

● Have a willingness for continuous learning by consulting beekeeping books, websites and videos

● Communicate with mentor should there be a delay in coming to an agreed session

● Respect the mentor’s time and be ready and prepared for each visit

● Respond to mentor communications in a timely manner (within 48 hours)

● Follow the mentor’s rules for biosecurity and maintain a clean and safe beekeeping environment

● Provide feedback (positive and negative) to the mentor coordinator

● Understand that getting stung now and then is a normal part of beekeeping, that this could result in an allergic reaction, and agree to take personal responsibility for your health and safety

● If mentee has beehives, they must be registered with OMAFRA

● If training is to take place in the mentee’s yard, the mentee must purchase liability insurance through the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association and must carry 2 up-to-date Epipens.