The Essex County Beekeepers’ Association (ECBA) Bee School is a nine-week course for beginner beekeepers and those interested in honeybees. Classes are held weekly in Topsfield from 7 - 9 p.m. on Tuesday evenings from February 12 to April 15.
Bee School is an introductory level course designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully keep honeybees and produce honey and beeswax. No previous knowledge or experience is required. The instructors are all longtime local beekeepers.
Bee School Vice Chair, Charlie Donnelly Moran reports, “One of the most highly anticipated lessons is a demonstration of installing live bees in a hive. Students are always amazed at how easily beekeepers can move thousands of bees and one queen into a new hive.”
The Essex County Beekeepers’ Association, ECBA, is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1923 by local beekeepers in Essex County, Massachusetts interested in sharing their experiences.
Students come from throughout Essex and Middlesex Counties and southern New Hampshire. Bee School students can choose either in-person or virtual classes. In-person attendance is limited to 65 students and takes place at the Beekeeping Building at the Topsfield Fairground on Route 1. The parallel online Zoom classes offer students the convenience of asking questions during the live event and the ability to rewatch the class during the following week.
Tuition is $85 per adult, and $50 for youth 12-18 years old who must have an accompanying adult registration. Tuition includes an ECBA membership for 2025.
More information including class syllabus and Frequently Asked Questions is available at EssexCountyBeekeepers.org. The deadline to register online for this year’s Bee School is January 28.
