Based on the curriculum written by EAS Master Beekeeper Landi Simone and the book "Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees" 

Basic Beekeeping is a complete three-day course in beekeeping to be held on two full classroom days with one mandatory field time.

It is offered by the Raritan Valley Beekeepers Association and presented by Adele Barree, Cornell Certified Master Beekeeper and other beekeepers.

Successful completion of this class fulfills the education requirement of the NJ state beekeeping regulation (necessary to legally keep bees in NJ). 

Classroom topics covered include: 

• Beginning Beekeeping

• Origin and History of Beekeeping

• A Bee's Life

• Choosing Hive Location

• Getting Equipped

• Getting Bees

• Managing Honey Bee Colonies

• Taking the Crop

• Pollination

• Diseases and Pests of the Honey Bee

• Additional Strategies

Day 3, Field Day, takes place at the RVBA apiary in Branchburg Twp. and provides students with an introduction to working with the bees. Students will have the experience of opening and inspecting a beehive themselves and obtain hands-on lessons in recognizing the various components of a hive and colony as well as inspection basics such as smoker lighting, protective gear, and correct use of the hive tool and performing a varroa mite count

Students will receive a copy of the book Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, and have access to all slides presented during class as well as supplementary class materials. Students may be able to purchase equipment at class and will be given resources for purchasing bees in spring.

For questions, email rvba.secretary@gmail.com