2025 Class Offerings
All classes this year will be in person.
Classes are priced per person. For family members wishing to take classes, please add the total number of participants to the shopping cart.
To get the class discount:
- You must be a 2025 registered EDB member
- You must be logged on
Exploring what's entailed in beekeeping
Learn what's involved in keeping bees. This one hour overview looks at the materials, cost and time commitment needed to keep bees.
WHEN:
Saturday, January 11, 10 AM
WHERE:
Farm Bureau Building, 2460 Headington Rd, Placerville
PRICE:
$10
This two-part introductory class is comprised of one classroom day and one afternoon in the field. Taught by experienced club members, many in the CA Master Beekeeping Program, you’ll learn all you need to know to start beekeeping this spring.
SAT FEB 15
The classroom day is divided into six small stations. You’ll learn:
- what equipment is needed to start
- how to set up a bee yard
- a tour inside the hive
- what happens throughout the year
- intro to bee biology and society
- intro to Varroa and pests in the hive
We recommend the following books for the beginner beekeeper:
- Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping by Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson (FFA)
- The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile
- Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston
WHEN:
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 9am to 4pm
WHERE:
Cameron Park Community Center, 2502 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park
Please arrive early to sign in.
LUNCH:
A sandwich lunch is included.
SAT APR 19
During the afternoon field day you’ll learn:
- how to light a smoker
- how to properly open, close and inspect a hive
- how to read the frames
- how to test for Varroa mites
NOTE: Bring your veil and smoker
WHEN:
Saturday, April 19, 2024, noon to 3pm
WHERE:
Bluestone Meadow Lavender Farm 2025 Carson Rd, Placerville, CA
PRICE:
$140 nonmember
$100 club member (must be logged in to get discount)
$10 youth (under eighteen) (Enter YOUTH coupon code to get discount)
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You’ve just installed your bees. What’s next? We understand that “information overload” is a given for new beekeepers. This field day class provides new beekeepers an in-hive review and demonstration of topics covered in Beginning Beekeeping.
Taught by experienced club members, many in the CA Master Beekeeping Program, you’ll review what is needed to get a good start with your new colonies.
In this 3-hour class you’ll review:
- properly identifying the three individuals in a colony: queen, drone, worker
- how to open and close a hive and how to pull a frame
- how to read the frames: Is everything OK?
- feeding your new colony
- how to test for Varroa mites
- Varroa mite treatment options
NOTE: Bring your veil and smoker
WHEN:
Saturday, May 17, 2025, 11am to 2pm
WHERE:
Sherwood Demonstration Garden and Community Observatory
6699 Campus Drive, Placerville, CA
PRICE
$45 nonmember
$35 club member (must be logged in to get discount)
$10 youth (below 18) (Enter YOUTH coupon code to get discount)
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Prerequisite: Must have successfully over-wintered one colony
Your bees survived the winter! Now what? In this intermediate class learn more about working your colonies and integrated pest management (IPM) with experienced club members, many in the CA Master Beekeeping Program.
Taught in four stations, you’ll learn:
- hive management skills: splits, swarm control, re-queening and combining hives
- The Varroa Wars: battle plans
- biology / diseases in the hive
- increasing your apiary with swarms: catch, trap, vacuum and cut-outs
WHEN:
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 9am – 2pm
WHERE:
Cameron Park Community Center, Classroom B
2502 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park
Please arrive early to sign in.
LUNCH:
A Subway lunch is included.
PRICE:
$80 nonmember
$60 club member (must be logged in to get discount)
$10 youth (under eighteen) (Enter YOUTH coupon code to get discount)
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5 students minimum
What’s a Top Bar Hive? Learn the basics of TBH beekeeping with Chuck Jachens, an experienced TBH beekeeper in the CA Master Beekeeping Program.
You’ll learn:
- Comparison to Langstroth, horizontal and Warre hives
- TBH general overview
- TBH pros and cons
- how to install bees, getting started
- inspections, comb handling and management
- how to test and treat for Varroa in a TBH
- honey harvest with a TBH
- TBH insulation and ventilation
- a construction demo of a TBH
- a panel discussion with TBH members from the club
- where to find more information
WHEN:
Saturday, April 13, 2024, 9am-1pm
WHERE:
Bluestone Meadow Lavender Farm
2025 Carson Rd. Placerville, CA
Please arrive early to sign in.
PRICE:
$25 nonmember
$20 club member (must be logged in to get discount)
$10 youth (under eighteen) (Enter YOUTH coupon code to get discount)
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This class will be a 2-hour session introducing you to a single method of queen cell production. You will learn:
- How to make Queenless Cell Builder
- Other simple methods of Queen cell production available to you
- What equipment is needed to start
- How to graft using a Chinese Grafting Tool
We recommend the following reading material for the beginning Queen producer:
WHEN:
Saturday May 10th 9am-11am.
WHERE:
tentatively at JG’s barn/apiary
PRICE:
$35 nonmember
$30 EDB member (must be logged in to get discount)
$10 youth (under eighteen) (Enter YOUTH coupon code to get discount)
Note: There is equipment required! You must bring your bee suit/jacket to enter the apiary. You will also need to supply your own magnifying jeweler’s headband or magnification glasses. I will only bring one.
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Saturday, July 20 | 10am - Noon
tentatively at KS’s home
Club members are invited to visit Keith Scott for a hands-on honey extraction demonstration which will begin with raw frames of honey (already removed from the hives), an inspection to determine the content and quality of the individual frames, how to remove and save the wax cappings and wax honeycomb, instructions on how to process the wax, spin the honey, the filter process and bottling. You'll also have an opportunity to try your hand at removing the cappings yourself (gloves provided) and YES, you get to sample the honey!
We only have room for 20 members, do not delay.
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Questions? Contact Kim Stevens [email protected].