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 Katey O’Donnell 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.

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:

March 22nd

• 9am - 10:30am: Overview of a full season and introduction to fundamental concepts.
• 11am - 12:00pm: Necessary honey bee biology and guidelines for handling bees. Guest Speaker: Bill Castro

March 29th

• 9am - 10:30am: How to read the hive, Inspecting a colony
• 11am - 12:00pm: Dealing with pests and disease. Guest Speaker: David Schultz

April 5th

• 9am - 10:30am: Recap, and highlights
• 11am - 12:00pm: Mock inspection. Guest Speaker: Cybil Preston

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: $60 per individual
Schedule: March 22nd, March 29th, and April 5th 2025. Saturday mornings, 9AM - 12:00PM Eastern

Class starts promptly at 9am; Coffee and Chat 8:30am

Field day TBD - for follow up inspections in NUC yard

Location:

Center for Maryland Agriculture and Farm Park | Baltimore County Government

114 Shawan Road Cockeysville, MD 21030 (tel:+14108878570)

https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/recreation/parks-directory/center-for-maryland-agriculture-and-farm-park

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 https://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Handbook-Diana-Sammataro/dp/1501752618/ref=sr_1_1

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 all of the sessions. Send us a message at treasurer@@centralmarylandbees.org to apply for the refund.

****** PLEASE NOTE ******
New Members must fill out our Membership Form at time of payment: CLICK HERE.
Select "Annual Membership - $20." https://www.centralmarylandbees.org/join/

When asked about payment, choose the "Pay by Check" option and we'll take care of the rest. No need to send a check.