Bee School

Information on our 2023 course:

The Caswell County Beekeepers Association is hosting a 9 week bee school to start in January 2023 and will conclude in March.  This is an ideal time to learn about beekeeping just prior to obtaining your first bee hives in late March to May – the beginning of bee season.

 Dates:  9 classes – Wednesday evenings, January 11 to March 8, 2023 – from 6:30PM to 8:30PM

Field day – Saturday, March 25 March 11, 2023 – meet in classroom (starts at 11AM).  See field day schedule.   For the field day, each student should bring a veil and any other protective equipment they feel comfortable with while working bees. The smoker and hive tool will be provided.

Cost:    $75.00 – Includes instruction, book, binder, and handouts

$25.00 – For an additional accompanying family member or friend who will be sharing the book and materials

Registration fee includes 2023 CCBA membership.

REGISTRATION: Print and fill in the registration form and mail your payment: 2023-CCBA-Beekeeping-Course-Registration-Form.pdf

Topics:

Session 1Jan 11Introduction to Beekeeping
Session 2Jan 18Equipment
Session 3Jan 25About the honey bee
Session 4Feb 1The colony
Session 5Feb 8Starting a Honey Bee Colony
Session 6Feb 15Bees’ enemies, pests, and diseases
Session 7Feb 22Food and water for your bees
Session 8Mar 1Products of the hive
Session 9Mar 8Managing your bees
Field DayMar 25Field Day

For an in-depth list of topics in the above class outline, please see 2023-CCBA-Beginning-Beekeeping-Course.pdf.  The outline, topics, and schedule are subject to change.  Changes will be posted on this page.

All evening class sessions will be held in the basement of the Agriculture Building (126 Court Square) next to the Historic Courthouse in downtown Yanceyville, NC. Please park and enter from the back of the building on the lower level.  For directions, click on tab at top of the page.

For the field day on March 11, each student should bring a veil and any other protective equipment they feel comfortable with while working bees. The smoker and hive tool will be provided. The location and starting time will be given during the class. Please note the Field Day will be on a Saturday. Rain date for the Field Day will be (TBD) March 18 (also a Saturday).  See 2023-Field-Day-Schedule.pdf.

At the conclusion of the course, you will have the option of taking the written exam portion of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association (NCSBA) Master Beekeeper Program to be on your way to become a NCSBA Certified Beekeeper.  Membership in NCSBA is separate from CCBA and is required before you take the exam.

Questions?  Please e-mail ccba@caswellcountybeekeepers.org.