In this five-week course, you will learn how to set up and mange one or more colonies of bees. The teachers include four Master Beekeepers certified by the Eastern Apiculture Society, as well as other local experts. In addition to the Thursday evening classroom sessions, the final Saturday includes field work–weather permitting–where you will actually open a beehive and handle bees. Beekeeping 101 is just the beginning of learning about bees and beekeeping, a process that can last a lifetime!
Topics covered in our Beekeeping 101 course include:
- Getting started with honey bees
- Honey bee biology
- Bee equipment
- Package and nuc installation
- Natural beekeeping
- Seasonal management of bees
- Nectar sources
- Swarm collection
- Dealing with stings, pests, and diseases
- Harvesting honey
- Honey extraction
- Inspecting a bee colony
- Finding the queen
- Re-queening
- Making splits
- Handling bees
Registration includes a 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: $60 (individual) or $100 (family)
Schedule: Thursday evenings, 7:00 – 9:30pm Eastern
March 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30, 2023
Saturday, 9:00am – 4:00pm Eastern
April 1, 2023
Location: In-Person: Baltimore County Agriculture Center, 1114 Shawan Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81401581223 (Passcode: BK101)
Textbook: Registration includes a textbook to be determined. We hope to offer other, more comprehensive beekeeping books at a discount.
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: You can purchase bees and beehives from local suppliers or online. CMBA will pre-purchase nucleus colonies (aka nucs) in 2023 and make them available to students in our course at a reduced price of $195. But order early from our website, as the quantity is limited. Nucs usually arrive sometime in April.
****** 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.
Pay Online
Choose your course below, and register now!
Registration includes a one-year membership in the CMBA.