Ready to start keeping honey bees?
Bee Great's Beginner Beekeeping Class is designed for people who have decided to become beekeepers and want to prepare properly before their bees arrive.
Taking the class in the fall gives you time to learn, plan your hive location, understand your equipment, and prepare for spring without making important decisions at the last minute.
Class Details
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Location: Bee Great, 107 McCoy Drive, Churubusco, IN 46723
Individual Registration: $175
Two-Person Household Registration: $250
Class Size: Limited to 10 participants
What You'll Learn
During the class, we'll cover:
- How a honey bee colony functions
- The roles of the queen, workers, and drones
- The parts of a beehive and how they work together
- Protective clothing and basic beekeeping equipment
- Choosing and preparing a hive location
- Packages, nucs, and other ways to obtain bees
- Preparing for your bees before they arrive
- Installing bees into a hive
- Conducting basic hive inspections
- Recognizing eggs, larvae, brood, pollen, nectar, and honey
- Evaluating whether a colony has a functioning queen
- When and why bees may need supplemental feeding
- Understanding swarm behavior
- The importance of monitoring Varroa mites and colony health
- Seasonal management during your first year
- Preparing colonies for winter
You'll also have time to ask questions and work with the same types of equipment you will use when you begin keeping bees.
A short break will be included during the class. Lunch is not provided.
Who Is This Class For?
This class is designed for people who:
- Plan to begin beekeeping in spring 2027
- Have little or no previous beekeeping experience
- Want structured instruction before purchasing bees
- Have already purchased equipment but are unsure how to use it
- Want to understand the entire first year before their bees arrive
If you are still unsure whether beekeeping is right for you, we recommend starting with Bee Great's Should I Be a Beekeeper? class.
What's Included?
Registration includes the Bee Great Beginner Beekeeping Guide, which serves as a reference during and after the class.
The guide gives you something to return to throughout your first season rather than trying to remember everything covered during the class.
Two-Person Household Registration
Beekeeping is often something couples or family members do together. Two people from the same household may attend for $250.
Both participants attend the complete class and count toward the 10-person class limit.
What Happens After the Class?
Completing the class is only the beginning.
You'll have several months before spring to prepare your equipment, select a hive location, obtain bees, and get ready for your first season.
Bee Great also offers beekeeping supplies, educational resources, and seasonal hands-on learning opportunities to help new beekeepers continue building their skills.
Our goal is not simply to help you own bees. It is to help you understand what you are seeing inside the hive and make better decisions throughout your first year.
