Forsyth County Beekeepers Association's
2025 Bee School
The FCBA Bee School is designed to provide you the skills and knowledge you will need to become a certified beekeeper through presentations, demonstrations, mentors, class instruction and practical experience. If you are a new or beginning beekeeper, FCBA does not recommend buying equipment before completion of the class.
This will be a combination of in-person and self-directed asynchronous classes that will culminate with a practical hands-on examination of your new beekeeping skills. You will also have the opportunity to take the NCSBA Certified Beekeeping Written Exam.
If requested, you will be assigned a mentor who can assist you.
No books are required for this class but a good reference guide to the material we will be teaching can be found in The Beekeeper's Handbook which you can purchase here on Amazon if you so choose.
A meeting link for the online portion will be provided via email after you have registered for the class within a week before class starts as well as confirmation of the first in-person meeting location at the Extension Office where we hold our regular club meetings. The course will be instructed by experienced Beekeepers from our Association.
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Date
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Subject
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Meeting Place
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Instructor
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1st Meeting
Jan 18
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Introduction, History, Tutorial for Google Classroom
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In Person - Ext. Office
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Wayne Spoo
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Jan 19 thru
Jan 31
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Honey Bee Biology and Bee Stings; Examining Colonies and Seasonal Mgmt.
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Online Classes
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Sara Devine
Berl Childers
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2nd Meeting
Feb 1
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Review and Q&A with Instructors, Demonstration Day 1, Meet your Mentor
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In Person - Ext. Office
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Feb 2 thru Feb 14
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Products of the Hive, Keeping Bees in Residential areas; Diseases, Predators, & Pesticides
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Online Classes
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Alicia McDuffee Wayne Spoo
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3rd meeting Feb 15
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Review and Q&A with Instructors, Demonstration Day 2
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In Person - Ext. Office
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Mar 1
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Choices Day- purchasing hives & equipment
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In Person - Ext. Office
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Jamie Apple |
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TBD
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Bee yard day with practical (if needed)
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In Person
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TBD
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TBD
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Bee yard day with practical (if needed)
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In Person
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TBD
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April 5
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State Exam
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Ext. Office
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Michelle Brock
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An Annual FCBA membership is required @ $15.00.
The cost of the course is $75.00 per person. This is non-refundable. Registration covers the cost to host the virtual meeting, in person facilities with refreshments when required, one year of access to the online digital material including slide decks and class recordings. These monies help fund our association's mission to promote good beekeeping practices and continuing education for interested beekeepers.
Registration is open through 1/15/2025. Seats are limited and Registration will close once our seat limit is full. If the class fills you can add yourself to the waiting list but there is no guarantee you will get in.
We look forward to seeing you at this years' Bee School!
