2026 SEMBA Bee School Overview
Welcome to SEMBA’s Beginning Bee School. This ten-month course introduces new and aspiring beekeepers to the vast world of beekeeping. Through a combination of presentations from national experts, classroom time and hands-on experience, students work closely with a team of proficient beekeeper instructors to learn what to expect and how to manage the first year of keeping honey bees. The course applies sustainable beekeeping practices and exposes students to a broad spectrum of beekeeping information and experience including, but not limited to, the biology of the honey bee, their connection to the pollinators who share their habitats, honey bee health, pests and diseases, seasonal hive management, tools of the trade, and products from the hives. The course goal is to position participants to become successful beekeepers for years to come.
Students are not required to keep bees in order to take this class. Many students choose to wait a year before starting their own apiary. Those that keep bees during the class year can1 raise one colony in the community bee yard, at the respective class sites, and move them to their permanent locations in the fall. Campus apiaries can only support one colony per student. Therefore, students opting to keep more than one colony must secure other location sites for those colonies.
There is much to discover through this combination of academic and hands-on learning. The material presented is designed to have a direct impact on participants’ success in beekeeping and colony health. While attendance is not mandatory, lack of attendance can be detrimental to meeting the course goals. Therefore, please consider your schedule when committing to this class and/or location.
Given SEMBA’s mission of sustainability, through close collaboration with SEMBA’s beekeeping community, the Michigan Beekeepers Association (MBA), and Michigan State University Pollinator Extension Services, students will have the opportunity to purchase Michigan bred nucleus (‘nuc’) colonies to start their beekeeping journeys.
Our Class and Beeyard schedule for 2026
#1 Jan 25
So You Want to Be a Beekeeper? Joint class at Bowers Farm School, via ZOOM if the weather is not cooperating
#2 Feb 22
Equipment “Show & Tell” and review of upcoming conferences
February 28: MBA Spring Conference
MSU Kellogg Center, East Lansing
March 14: SEMBA Spring Conference
Washtenaw Community College Conference Center, Ann Arbor
#2.5 Mar 16
Evening ZOOM Class for all SEMBA members: Yikes! My hives survived the winter! What do I do now?
#3 Mar 22
What do bees need? What do beekeepers need? Building/assembling hive equipment
#4 Apr 12
Bee biology, parasites, pests, & diseases
#5 May 3
Preparing for the arrival of your bees
#6 May 31
Inspecting your new colonies, testing for mites, identifying a strong queen
#7 June 28
Swarms, nucs and splits
July 18 & 19: Fourteenth Annual Michigan Honey Festival
Shiawassee County Fairgrounds, Owosso
#8 July 26
Preparing for winter: Feeding, treating, wrapping, disease management and mite control
#9 Aug 16
Honey harvesting and extracting: Tips and tricks on how to let the gold flow
September 3-7: Michigan State Fair
Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi
#10 Sep 13
Maintenance and Robbing. Mite Load Monitoring, Final winterizing
#10.5 Date TBD
Evening ZOOM Class for all SEMBA members: Last Call - Q & A On Winter Prep Late Season Varroa Management
#11 Oct 11
Wrap party, crash course in honey tasting and student presentations
Our Beginning Bee School program will be offered at two locations this year:
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MSU Extensions Tollgate Farm at Twelve Mile Rd. and Meadow Brook rd. Novi.
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Bowers Farm School at Square Lake and Adams Road, Bloomfield.
All locations will host class from 1:00pm - 3:30pm, Sunday
Tuition: $550 per person. This includes the required textbook, Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, Caron and Connor, your required SEMBA dues, and an assembled wooden five-frame nuc box. Added guest registrations do not include book and nuc.
