An eight-week course sponsored by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center and the Chatham County Beekeepers' Association

Date: Tuesdays, 6:30-9 p.m. from January 8-February 26, 2019; optional Ask a Beekeeper sessions begin at 6 p.m. before each class.

Location: Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, Pittsboro, NC

Cost for 8-week course (includes book + resource notebook): $100.00 

The school will include hands-on sessions and hive inspections as weather permits.

View the Course Outline below.

Register online

The deadline for registration is November 20.

For more information: Email Debbie Roos and put “Bee School” in the subject line.

Course Outline for 2019 Beekeeping School

[Week 1]: January 8, 2019

Introduction to BeekeepingSpeakers: Debbie Roos, N.C. Cooperative Extension of Chatham County; Larry Daw and Phil Uptmor, Chatham County Beekeepers' Association (CCBA)

• Course overview/the "big picture"
• Resource list (websites, publications, organizations, equipment suppliers, listserv)
• Basic equipment (smoker, fuel, hive tools, protective equipment, etc.)
• Basic hive parts (bottom boards, hive body, supers, frames, inner cover, outer cover)
• Introduction to Chatham County Beekeepers' Association, North Carolina State Beekeepers' Association, and the NC Master Beekeepers Program

[Week 2]: January 15, 2019

Biology and Life Cycle of the Honey BeeSpeaker: Nancy Ruppert, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

• Ecological context; Hymenoptera
• Anatomy and physiology
• Individual caste life cycles, duties
• Hive life cycle (brief intro to what bees do in each season)
• Communication: pheromones, dancing

[Week 3]: January 22, 2019

Starting a New HiveSpeaker: Jennifer Keller, North Carolina State University

• Site considerations: location, neighbors, ordinances
• Getting your own: package bees, nucs, swarms, buying an existing colony or split (advantages, disadvantages, and cautions of various sources)
• Installing bees
• Making or buying a nuc
• Caring for the bees (more to be covered in Hive Management)
• The importance of feeding after installation
• Sources for bees - state certified

[Week 4]: January 29, 2019

Equipment and Frame AssemblySpeakers: David Jones, Jody Moore, and Ray Wise, CCBA, and other members of the Chatham County Beekeepers’ Association will lead small groups

• Review of basic equipment and hive parts (bottom boards, hive body, supers, frames, inner cover, outer cover) and what and how they work together; buying vs. building
• Other equipment (queen excluders, feeders, hive straps, moving frame, staples)
• Plans for making own hive bodies and supers
• Sources for equipment
• Hands-on equipment assembly

[Week 5]: February 5, 2019

Hive ManagementSpeaker: Lori Hawkins, Chatham County Beekeepers' Association (CCBA)

• Late winter/early spring
• Honey flow prep; post honey flow
• Summer management
• Fall and winter management

[Week 6]: February 12, 2019

Pollinator Gardens; Bee StingsSpeakers: Debbie Roos, N.C. Cooperative Extension of Chatham County; Dr. Erik Butler, MD

• Honey plants and the principles of planting a bee garden
• Bee stings: what to expect, how to minimize them, medical responses, and how to treat

[Week 7]: February 19, 2019

Honey Bee Pests, Diseases, and Integrated Pest Management Speaker: Nancy Ruppert, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

• An overview of the most common pests and diseases of honey bees with an emphasis on the most problematic
• IPM strategies: resistant breeds, screened bottom boards, proper maintenance, checking population, proper use of pesticides, mechanical controls

[Week 8]: February 26, 2019

NCDA Hive Inspections; Chatham Beekeepers' Mentoring Program; Expert Beekeeper PanelSpeakers: Don Hopkins, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Phil Uptmor, Chatham County Beekeepers' Association (CCBA), and Chatham County Beekeeper Panel

• NCDA hive inspections
• The Chatham Beekeepers' Association Mentoring Program
• Open discussion with expert beekeepers

[Snow Date]: March 5, 2019

We will use this date for any make-up sessions due to inclement weather.

[Spring Field Session]: April 6, 2019

Hands-on Hive Peek: Honey Bee Pests & Diseases

Speaker: Don Hopkins, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services