HCC - Beekeeping 2024 Courses
ZBees Apiary and Haywood Community College have partnered together to offer a course on Backyard Beekeeping
Backyard Beekeeping is a fun and intensive 15-week course designed for those individuals who are seriously interested in becoming beekeepers and maintaining a honey bee apiary. Prior knowledge about honeybees not required! Subjects covered will include the science of apiculture, types of honey bees, purchasing bees, equipment, protective clothing, and the importance of honey bees to the environment. In addition, students will receive practical experience with building and setting up beehives, managing an apiary, controlling hive pests or diseases, and preparing for the NC State Beekeepers certification test. Finally, students will also document hive inspections, analyze honey, estimate hive populations, and how to prepare colonies for winter.
During this course of the class will study topics from apiculture to beekeepers in the community as they learn about various honey bee varieties and characteristics. Colony inspections will bee conducted within the apiary, giving students hands-on experience in managing and inspecting honey bee colonies. The course is designed to help new beekeepers develop an Apiary Management Plan (AMP), so there colonies can survive the first winter.
BE AWARE, if you have any “bee allergies” then, this course IS NOT RECOMMENDED for you. Exposure to live honey bees is part of being a beekeeper and you can get stung during the inspections.
Left to Right: Allen, Denise, Kristina, Shelley, Tina, Barbara, Erika, Emily
(missing) Ricky
Back row: Zach, HCC Bee Instructor
Allen Blanton (left) is the Haywood County Beekeepers Chapter
Education Coordinator
HCC Backyard Beekeeping - SPRING 2023
Brunch Celebration
Honey bees exercising their wings.
Haywood Community College
Backyard Beekeeping
SPRING 2024
(CSP 4000-24841)
March 1 to June 14 Classes