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: 

Textbook: Registration includes a textbook to be determined. We hope to offer other, more comprehensive beekeeping books at a discount.

Teachers: You are eligible for a full refund after attending at least five of the six sessions. As for more information at info@centralmarylandbees.org or to apply for the refund. Teach your students about bees and/or set up a beehive at your school. We can help.

Purchasing bees & beehives: You can purchase bees and beehives from local suppliers or online. CMBA purchases nucleus colonies (aka nucs) and makes them available to students in our course at a reduced price. But order early from our website, as the quantity is limited. Nucs usually arrive sometime in April.