Botanical Gardens
Programs and Events
YOGA
EVERY FRIDAY AT 2pm
A good way to relieve stress and anxiety is through yoga. It provides many benefits, like improving mental health, reducing burnout, promotes self-care and reduces anxiety. End every week with our Friday yoga session at 2pm.
Plant Festival
SUMMER PLANT FESTIVAL
June 15th, 9am- 3pm
Open to members at 8:30am
- $10 Admission
- Free for Members & USF ID
- Children under 12 are free!
Vendors TBA!
World Carnivorous Plant Day Sale
Saturday, May 4th
9am-12pm
Mother's Day Bouquet Workshop
Saturday, May 11th
12:00-2:00pm
Express your love for your mother, or for the one who cares for you like their own, in the art of floral arranging during our Mother's Day Bouquet Building Workshop! Show your appreciation with a handmade bouquet this May 11th! Registration will cost: $25.
BEEKEEPING CERTIFICATION
2023-2024 Beekeeping Class
Monthly November 4, 2023 - October 5, 2024
REGISTRATION for the 2024-2025 Class will open in September 2024.
Registration is complete with: payment, completed registration form, signed liability waiver Participants under 18 must have parent signature.
Return Registration Forms to USF Botanical Gardens.
| Date | Lecture | Hive |
|---|---|---|
| 11/4/23 | Introduction to Bees | First look inside the hive |
| 12/2/23 (Potluck) | Integrated Pest Management (1PM) | Reading a Frame |
| 01/06/24 | Setting up Your Apiary | In-hive Basic Inspection |
| 02/03/24 | Hive Building | None |
| 03/02/24 | Swarm Control | Hiving Your Bees |
| 04/06/24 | NO LECTURE - Pick Up Nucs | Installing Nucs/Re-queening |
| 05/04/23 | Q&A, Swarm Control | Making splits |
| 06/01/24 | Queen Biology | Re-queening |
| 07/06/24 | Varroa destructor | Varroa Counts & Treatment |
| 08/03/24 | Mead Making | |
| 09/03/24 | Honey Extraction, Bottling, and Labeling | Honey Extraction |
| 10/05/24 | Winter Preparations, Q&A | Inspections and Q&A |
Course Costs
Registration: $200; Garden Member: $180
Submit liability waiver and registration form to USF Botanical Gardens with confirmation of your registration payment.
Please be aware that supplies are not included and must be purchased separately.
MESSER FAMILY BEEKEEPING SCHOLARSHIP (Opens Fall 2024)
Anyone can have the opportunity to participate in our course through the Messer Family Award. To become an applicant, submit a personal statement—500 words or less - on why urban beekeeping is important to you and the community. Personal statements must be submitted to botanicalgardens@usf.edu before November 5 at 11:59pm. The Messer Family Award recipient will be notified over email the week of November 7.
This award will assist with course expenses for individuals interested in pursuing beekeeping as well as show a committed effort to increase urban beekeeping in the local community. Expenditures awarded from this fund will be used for but not limited to course registration costs, the purchase of course educational materials and required supplies.