Inside Terra’s Beekeeping Course at Expo City Dubai Launching 18th Jan 2026

Some experiences stay with you not because they are spectacular, but because they recalibrate how you see the world. Terra’s Novice Beekeeping Course at Terra is one such encounter, an experience that transforms sustainability from concept into connection, and education into something deeply human.

Ahead of the course’s official launch on 18 January 2026, Private Members UAE experienced the programme first-hand at Expo City Dubai, beginning with an immersive tour of the sustainable city itself. What unfolded was a preview of a course, and an invitation to rethink our relationship with nature, through bees, biodiversity, and the intelligence of ecosystems that have existed long before us.

A City Designed to Listen to Nature

The visit began with a guided exploration of Expo City Dubai’s sustainable masterplan, a city designed to coexist with its environment. Architecture here is not ornamental; it is functional, regenerative, and intentional. Buildings generate their own energy, recycle water, and create habitats rather than displacing them.

At the heart of this philosophy sits Terra, an architectural and environmental landmark conceived as both a living museum and a working laboratory. Designed by Grimshaw Architects and awarded LEED Platinum certification, Terra produces its own energy and water, generates up to four gigawatt hours of electricity annually, and houses over 100 species of native and climate-adapted plants.

Meeting Dubai’s “Bee Fairy Lady”

The course itself is led by Dr Meriem Hammal, a certified apiculturist, scientist, and educator affectionately known as Dubai’s original “Bee Fairy Lady.” From the first moment, her presence sets the tone, warm and engaging.

Rather than lecturing, Dr Meriem asks questions. Why are bees important? What would happen if they disappeared? How often do we think about the invisible systems that feed us?

Her approach is conversational yet rigorous, blending scientific insight with storytelling that makes complex ecological systems accessible to adults and children alike. Bees, she explains, pollinate approximately 35% of global crop production by volume, and pollinators as a whole contribute between USD 235 billion and USD 577 billion annually to global food production. Without them, much of what we eat, from fruits and vegetables to nuts, seeds, coffee, and cocoa, simply would not exist.

The Bees of Our Region

One of the most compelling aspects of the experience is Terra’s commitment to native pollinators. Unlike many honeybee populations in the region, which are imported, Terra is home to Apis mellifera jemenitica, a honeybee species native to the Arabian Peninsula and naturally adapted to local climate conditions.

Visitors are guided to see the bees up close, observing their ethical hives within a safe, immersive setting. The experience is intimate but respectful, designed to create fascination rather than fear. There is something humbling about standing near thousands of bees, watching a perfectly balanced system operate with calm precision.

Dr Meriem explains the structure of the hive – the queen laying up to 2,000 eggs per day, worker bees collecting nectar and caring for the colony, drones fulfilling their singular biological role, and suddenly the hive becomes a living metaphor for interdependence.

The Jane Goodall Pollinator Garden

The experience continues through the Jane Goodall Pollinator Garden, a permanent ecological space dedicated to biodiversity and native flora. Originally discovered during Terra’s construction in 2019 with just 2,000 bees, the colony was reintroduced in October 2024 and doubled to 30,000 bees within three months, demonstrating the extraordinary potential of urban environments to support pollinator populations when designed with care.

The garden is planted with native species chosen specifically for their symbiotic relationship with pollinators, creating a living classroom that illustrates how cities can integrate restoration rather than extraction. It also forms part of Terra’s wider 100 Hives Programme, an initiative that aims to place beehives in up to 100 schools across the UAE, embedding biodiversity education directly into the curriculum and empowering students to become stewards of their environment.

Honey, Tasted with Intention

After observing the bees, the experience transitions into something gentler but no less meaningful: honey tasting. Set outdoors in an elegant, understated arrangement, participants are guided through the nuances of flavour, texture, and aroma, each influenced by foraging patterns, native plants, and seasonal conditions.

Inside the Novice Beekeeping Course

Launching on Sunday, 18 January 2026, Terra’s Novice Beekeeping Course is a five-day programme spread across five weeks, running every Sunday until mid-February. Open to participants aged nine and above, the course requires no prior experience and blends theory with hands-on learning.

Participants will learn how to:

• Set up and manage a beehive
• Conduct hive inspections and monitor colony health
• Identify native melliferous plants and seasonal foraging patterns
• Prevent and treat common bee diseases and pests
• Harvest honey ethically and safely
• Understand pollination’s role in ecosystems and food security

The programme also includes three optional field trips with expert beekeepers across the UAE, and concludes with a certificate of completion, though the real takeaway is far more lasting.

Why This Experience Matters

Terra’s beekeeping course offers literacy. It equips participants not just with knowledge, but with perspective and an understanding of how individual actions intersect with global systems.

For families, it offers children a tangible connection to nature at a formative age. For adults, it provides a moment of recalibration.