In this three-week course and following field day, you will learn how to start your first year in beekeeping. This beginner’s course will be led by EAS Master Beekeeper Nathan Reid with a mix of other local experts. In addition to the classroom sessions, there will be a bonus Field Day in our teaching apiary (weather permitting), with some hands-on inspections. The Field day will be a Sat/Sun in late March or early April .
Beekeeping 101 is just the beginning of learning about bees and beekeeping. Fortunately, our meetings and other club resources are here to supplement your journey beyond the classroom instruction.
A note from Nate: It’s my goal for this course that you leave with a firm grasp on how to begin your beekeeping journey. However, the fundamentals you learn here will be relevant to any hive inspection regardless of the season. We will focus on building a foundation for beekeeping that includes:
- Practical solutions you can do at the hive
- Stress the timing of certain management practices
- How to read the frames
- Understanding risk in hive management
What’s important to me isn’t that you know all the bee facts, but that you know when and where to look for information when needed.
Topics covered in our Beekeeping 101 course include:
February 24th
- 9am – 10:30am: Overview of a full season and introduction to fundamental concepts.
- 11am – 12:30pm: Necessary honey bee biology and guidelines for handling bees. Guest Speaker: Kim Mahelick (EAS Master Beekeeper)
March 2nd
- 9am – 10:30am: How to read the hive, Inspecting a colony
- 11am – 12:30pm: Dealing with pests and disease. Guest Speaker: Valerie Wampler (EAS Master Beekeeper)
March 9th
- 9am – 10:30am: Recap, and highlights
- 11am – 12:30pm: Mock inspection, Q&A Guest Speaker: David Schultz (MD State Inspector)
Optional: Suggested reading, take home work, zoom sessions in between classes.
Registration includes an individual one-year membership to CMBA (regularly $20/year). Members are invited to attend our monthly meetings and board meetings. You will also receive full members-only access to our website, lending library, and teaching apiary. Everyone is welcome!
Details
Fees: $40 per individual
Schedule: Feb 24th, March 2nd, and March 9th 2024. Saturday mornings, 9AM – 12:30PM Eastern
Class starts promptly at 9am
Field day TBD – for follow up inspections in NUC yard
Location:
In Person. Baltimore County Agriculture Center, 1114 Shawan Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030
Textbook: Registration does not include a textbook, but the one we’re using for the course this year is: “The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro”. $30 (purchasable through either the CMBA (at cost) or on Amazon
Teachers: Teach your students about bees and/or set up a beehive at your school. We can help! You are eligible for a full refund after attending at least five of the six sessions. Send us a message at info@centralmarylandbees.org to apply for the refund.
Purchasing bees & beehives: This year we’re taking a small step back from our NUC sale to highlight some local providers of live bees. A list of local suppliers can be found here.
****** PLEASE NOTE ******
New Members must fill out our Membership Form at time of payment: CLICK HERE.
Select “Annual Membership – $20.”
When asked about payment, choose the “Pay by Check” option and we’ll take care of the rest. No need to send a check.
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Register now!
Registration includes a one-year membership in the CMBA.