Bee School
Learn the essential skills necessary to becoming a great beekeeper! Held in January each year, and covering fundamental topics in Connecticut Beekeeping, this intensive 4-day workshop immerses you in the concepts needed for beekeeping success.
Get your start in beekeeping or brush up on your skills!
If you bought Bee School tickets, video replay is included, and you do not need to re-purchase here. Please reach out if you didn't receive video links.
Are you new to beekeeping?
Get started on the right track. From terminology to setup and organization of your first hive to coverage of diseases that affect bees and honey production here in the Northeast, our Bee School sessions offer instruction and guidance from knowledgeable beekeepers and experienced professionals.
Already an experienced beekeeper?
Learn more about winterizing your colony or fighting disease, discuss the latest techniques and get advice from local professionals, swap stories, and elevate your beekeeping knowledge. Join CBA and sign in to use your membership discount.
Topics Include:
Beekeeping Terminology and Basic Equipment
The Colony and Its Organization
Getting Started with a Packet of Bees
Colony Management
Suburban Area Hive Management
Seasonal Hive Management
Fall and Winter Preparations
Bee Diseases and Colony Registration
Schedule
Session 1 - Saturday, January 6th
Basic Terminology and Equipment, with Walter Schwarz
The Colony and Its Organization, with Bill Hesbach
Session 2 - Saturday, January 13th
Setting Up Your Hive in Suburban Areas, with Bill Hesbach
Getting Started in Beekeeping, with Bill Hesbach
Session 3 - Saturday, January 20th
Navigating the Management of Your New Colony Through the Seasons, with Dr. Cameron Jack
Session 4 - Saturday, January 27th
Bee Diseases, Pest Management and the Registration of Your Colonies, with Dr. Meghan Milbrath
INSTRUCTORS
Dr. Cameron Jack
Dr. Cameron Jack is from a small farming community northeast of Las Vegas, NV. His grandpa was a sideliner beekeeper, so Cameron grew up around honey bees and beekeeping. He obtained his Master’s degree at Oregon State University under the mentorship of Dr. Ramesh Sagili. There, he researched the honey bee gut pathogen Nosema ceranae. He then traveled across the country to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Jamie Ellis, where he began investigating methods to control the devastating pest Varroa destructor. Cameron joined the teaching faculty at the University of Florida and has been obsessed with creating a premier educational program that prepares students for the many challenges associated with beekeeping. He teaches ten honey bee-related courses and has created an online Beekeeping Certificate Program at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As an Assistant Professor, he continues to teach and conduct research focused on pesticides, pathogens, and parasites that affect honey bees.
Bill Hesbach
Bill Hesbach is a Connecticut native with a background in engineering. He's an Eastern Apicultural Society Certified Master Beekeeper and graduate of the University of Montana's Master Beekeeping Program. Bill is on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Apicultural Society, and is President of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association. Bill teaches bee biology and beekeeping methods at events hosted by regional organizations, and appears as a guest speaker at national seminars. He's a published author, with articles appearing in Bee Culture, Bee Craft, and The American Bee Journal.
Dr. Meghan Milbrath
Dr. Meghan Milbrath is an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University, where she studies honeybee diseases, focusing on transmission risk and treatment. She heads the Milbrath Lab and studies risk factors that affect the health of honeybees and other pollinators. Dr. Milbrath began working bees over 25 years ago, and since 2011, has run The Sand Hill Apiary, a small livestock and queen rearing operation in Munith, Michigan. She studied biology at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and received degrees in public health from Tulane University and the University of Michigan, where she focused on environmental health sciences and disease transmission risk. Meghan worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Michigan State University, studying Nosema, and as a research associate at Swedish Agricultural University, studying honeybee disease resistance.
Walter Schwarz
Walter Schwarz is a Master Beekeeper from Cheshire, Connecticut. He learned the basics of beekeeping from Dr. Chip Taylor at the University of Kansas. He earned his Master Beekeeper certification through the Midwest Master Beekeeping Program, under the guidance of Dr. Marion Ellis at the University of Nebraska. Walter has a passion for teaching and has mentored dozens of new beekeepers in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Connecticut. He is the secretary of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association, where he manages its mentorship program.