Want to learn beekeeping?

Learn to become a beekeeper

Several Triangle beekeeping organizations have upcoming workshops or “bee schools.” Here are details:

▪ I’ll mention the Orange County Beekeepers Association since the deadline to register for their bee school is Jan. 1.

The class is 7-9 p.m. Tuesday for 10 weeks at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1710 Old N.C. 10, Hillsborough. The first class will be Jan. 17. Sign-in and registration will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Bee school costs $95 per person or $150 per couple and couples can mean spouses, siblings, partners, co-workers or friends as long as you are willing to share one set of materials.

The registration fee includes textbook, online supplemental material and opportunity to participate in new-beekeeper support groups. Due to space restrictions, enrollment is limited and preregistration is required.

Here is the schedule:

Jan. 17: Introduction to Beekeeping

Jan. 24: Honey Bee Biology

Jan. 31: Bees as Social Insects

Feb. 7: Beekeeping Equipment

Feb. 11: Saturday Morning Equipment Field Day

Feb. 14: Getting Started

Feb. 21: Varroa Mites

Feb. 28: Diseases, Pests, and Treatments

March 7: Plants for Bees in North Carolina

March 14: Products of and from the Hive

March 21: Seasonal Management/Review and Certification Exam

March 25: Saturday Field Day (weather permitting)

To register and for more information: theocba.org/2017-bee-school/

The Orange County Beekeepers Association meets at 7 p.m. every second Thursday of the month at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Hillsborough. Info: theocba.org

▪ The Wake County Beekeepers Association has a beginning beekeepers’ workshop from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Raleigh Police Club, 3500 Leonard Road, Knightdale.

At the end of the class, you can take the written portion of the certified level test of the state master beekeeper program. To take the test, you need to be a member of the state beekeepers’ organization. The practical portion of the test will be given each third Sunday at 1 p.m. March-September. The practical exam is held at Historic Oakview Park at Carya Drive, Raleigh (You must keep bees for four months before taking the practical test.)

The workshop fee is $35, which includes the book “First Lessons in Beekeeping,” one-year membership in the WCBA, and lunch on Saturday. For members of the WCBA or your local chapter, the fee is $25. If you already have the book, the fee is $15.

To register and for more information, go to wakecountybeekeepers.org.

The Wake County Beekeepers Association meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Wake County Cooperative Center, 4011 Carya Drive, Raleigh.

▪ The Durham County Beekeepers Association has a bee school at 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays (Jan. 17-March 21) at the Durham Cooperative Extension Office, 721 Foster St., Durham. The class costs $85.

Here is the schedule:

Jan. 24: Equipment

Jan. 31: Diseases

Feb. 7: A Bee’s Calendar

Feb. 14: Products of the Hive

Feb. 21: Anatomy

Feb. 28: Nectar and Pollen Sources

March 7: Nutrition for the Colony

March 14: Course review followed by question-and-answer sessions with instructors

March 18 (Saturday): Field Day, weather permitting.

March 21: Snow Day Make Up, if needed.

For more information and to register, go to durhambeekeepers.org/bee-school-2017/

The Durham County Beekeepers Association meets at 6:30 p.m. every third Monday of the month at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, 420 Anderson St., Durham. Info: durhambeekeepers.org

▪ To find more beekeeping schools across the state or an association near you, go to ncbeekeepers.org/education/courses-bee-schools

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Want to learn beekeeping?."