2026 Beginner Beekeeping School

It is time again for our bee school, this is one of the most fun events that we as a club put on. We get to educate people about honey bees and introduce them to the world of bee keeping.

Our goal for the class is to teach you about honey bee biology, their importance to the environment and the food supply, how you can help honey bees and last but not least, how you can start keeping honey bees in your own back yard.

The class is organized as a session on a Saturday in the classroom. After the classroom session, we will do three hands-on days in our club apiary where you will get the opportunity to learn to light a smoker and do an inspection of a live hive.

It is important to note that once you take the class and you are a member of the club, you are welcome to come to as many of our apiary days as you want. Your learning adventure does not end once the class is over. We normally do them every weekend during the busy season and you will get to participate in all the different activities that you will do as a beekeeper, making splits, collecting honey, checking for mites, treating for mites, and everything in-between.

What's Included

• Classroom instruction and guided apiary practice. The apiary days will be the three consecutive Saturdays following the classroom session, weather permitting.
• We will provide you a copy of The Beekeeper's Handbook (2021 edition) by Diana Sammataro, it is a great book and will help you connect the dots when you listen to our speakers talk about honey bees.
• 2026 club membership
• Lunch during the classroom day
• We will also offer an opportunity to take both your written and practical tests for the Certified level of the Master Beekeeper Program. This program is run by the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association to encourage beekeepers to grow and learn more about honey bees. You can take the written test right away, but you need a minimum of four months of beekeeping experience before taking the practical test.