Cumberland County Cooperative Extension:

Beginner School is great for new beekeepers, prior to their first year of bees, or is a great refresher course for beekeepers just now going into their first winter, and even those with a couple of years of experience who want to refresh their skills and knowledge. Learn about equipment needs, obtaining and preparing for bees, seasonal management, and pest management.

Beginner Bee School C, 5 weeks + 1 field day (field day to be scheduled in the spring)
Thursdays, January 10 - February 7, 2013 at the UMaine Extension Office in Falmouth - $95/per person, cost includes manual and resource notebook. 35 person limit; Instructors are Master Beekeepers Cindy Bee and Peter Richardson.

Intermediate School (Apiary Management) is geared towards beekeepers with 2+ years of experience.  The focus of this class is how to effectively manage an apiary under Maine conditions.  It will include how to keep your colonies healthy and thriving, and how to meet the goals you have with your bees such as swarm prevention, honey production, colony maximization.  This intermediate level class is focused on IPM strategies for keeping healthy colonies utilizing the honey bees own natural cycles as a guide.

Intermediate Bee School- Apiary Management: 7 weeks + 1 field day (to be scheduled in winter/spring)
Wednesdays, January 9 – February 20, 2013 at USM campus in Portland - $140/per person, cost includes manual and resource notebook. 35-person limit.
Instructors are Master Beekeepers Erin MacGregor-Forbes and Jack Hildreth.

Advanced Intermediate School (new this year) is designed for accomplished beekeepers with 5+ years of experience or those who have already taken Intermediate Bee School. Completion of an Intermediate Bee School or instructor permission is a prerequisite for this course.  This class will discuss advanced topics such as backyard queen rearing, mating nuc management, advanced nuc management, advanced swarm management. live colony removal, managing multiple yards, and more.

Advanced Intermediate (prerequisite of prior Intermediate class, or at least 5 years of beekeeping and instructor permission)
Tuesdays, February 26 – March 26, 2013 at USM campus in Portland - $120/per person, cost includes manual and resource notebook. 35-person limit.
Instructors are Master Beekeepers Erin MacGregor-Forbes and Cindy Bee.

Classes are held 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. 

For more information visit here. 

The Honey Exchange: 

Beginner Beekeeping will guide you from absolute beginner, through starting up a hive and managing it throughout the year and into your second springtime.  Special focus on urban, suburban, and chemical-free beekeeping.  

Beginner Beekeeping Session 1A, 5 weeks Tuesdays, January 8 – February 5, 2013 at The Honey Exchange in Portland - $90/per person, course tuition includes the textbook The Backyard Beekeeper, and pamphlets on Bee Diseases and Pests and The Handbook for Natural Beekeeping (from Certified Naturally Grown). 12 person limit. Instructor is Master Beekeeper Phil Gaven.

Beginner Beekeeping Session 1B, 5 weeks Thursdays, January 10 – February 7, 2013 at The Honey Exchange in Portland - $90/per person, course tuition includes the textbook The Backyard Beekeeper, and pamphlets on Bee Diseases and Pests and The Handbook for Natural Beekeeping (from Certified Naturally Grown). 12-person limit. Instructor is Master Beekeeper Phil Gaven.

Beginner Beekeeping Session 2A, 5 weeks Tuesdays, February 19 – March 19, 2013 at The Honey Exchange in Portland - $90/per person, course tuition includes the textbook The Backyard Beekeeper, and pamphlets on Bee Diseases and Pests and The Handbook for Natural Beekeeping (from Certified Naturally Grown). 12-person limit. Instructor is Master Beekeeper Phil Gaven.

Beginner Beekeeping Session 2B, 5 weeks Thursdays, February 21 – March 21, 2013 at The Honey Exchange in Portland - $90/per person, course tuition includes the textbook The Backyard Beekeeper, and pamphlets on Bee Diseases and Pests and The Handbook for Natural Beekeeping (from Certified Naturally Grown). 12-person limit. Instructor is Master Beekeeper Phil Gaven.

Sophomore Beekeeping, 5 weeks Wednesdays, January 30 – February 27, 2013 at The Honey Exchange in Portland - $90/per person, course tuition includes a textbook. 12-person limit. Instructor is Master Beekeeper Cindy Bee.

course tuition includes the textbook The Backyard Beekeeper, and pamphlets on Bee Diseases and Pests and The Handbook for Natural Beekeeping (from Certified Naturally Grown). 

This class is for beginners who have kept a hive (or hives) through their first year or two and want to explore mite control, nucs and splits, queen problems and solutions, and so much more in greater depth. 

Classes are held 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the store at 494 Stevens Avenue in Portland.

Visit the store or call 207-773-9333 for more information.

About this Blog

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About the Author

Sharon Kitchens is a neo-homesteader learning the ins and outs of country living by luck and pluck and a lot of expert advice. She writes about bees for The Huffington Post and stuff she loves on her personal blog, deliciousmusings.com.

When she is not writing, she enjoys edible gardening, reading books on food and/or thinking about food, hanging out by her beehives and patiently tracking down her chickens in the woods behind her old farmhouse.

In her blog, Sharon profiles farm families, reports on farm-based education and internships, conducts Q&A's with master beekeepers, offers tips on picking a CSA, and much more.

Sharon can be contacted at kitchens.sharon@gmail.com or on Twitter @deliciousmusing.

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