2027 Beekeeping Course for Beginners — Frederick County Beekeeping Association

Category: Learning Also called: FCBA Beekeeping Course for Beginners; FCBA Beekeeping Class for Beginners; Frederick County Beekeeping Association bee class; FCBA short course (Walkersville, MD) Last checked: 2026-10-09

What it is

The 2027 Beekeeping Course for Beginners is a three-Saturday, in-person beginner course run by the Frederick County Beekeeping Association (FCBA) in Walkersville, Maryland. The official Bee Class Information page says, “The 2027 Beekeeping Class for Beginners is now open for registration. Class will be held on three consecutive Saturdays in January 2027.” The course information sheet says it covers “the basics to prepare would-be beekeepers to establish and maintain honeybee colonies,” with three lecture-and-demonstration days followed by a spring field day at a local apiary. Students who attend all three classes receive a Course Completion Certificate and a free one-year FCBA membership. It is a dated beginner course with a published day-by-day program, not a monthly club meeting and not a hive-equipment shop.

Who it’s for

Would-be and first-year beekeepers in the Frederick County, Maryland area who want a structured winter course before ordering bees and equipment in spring. The information sheet says associations hold courses in winter “so that students are better able to order bees and equipment before Spring.” Each registrant may bring at most one additional person, who must be 16 or older. Students are asked to read Beekeeping for Dummies (5th edition) by Howland Blackiston before class. Not an online self-paced course and not a tested master-beekeeper certification.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Learning program. The club’s official pages print the 2027 dates, venue, fee, registration deadline, completion requirement and a full typical three-day program. Registration is open now for a January 2027 start. It is curriculum-first, not a blog and not an affiliate landing page.

• Dates & venue (2027 registration form + course information sheet — checked 2026-10-09): Saturdays January 9, 16 and 23, 2027 (snow date January 30, 2027), 9 AM–3 PM, at Walkersville United Methodist Church, 22 Main St., Walkersville, MD 21793. A Saturday field day at a local apiary follows in spring (date and location TBD).
• Cost & registration (same sources + Bee Class Information page — checked 2026-10-09): $90 for the first adult and $80 for one additional person (the form also states “$170 for two”). Enrollment is first-come, first-served and secured by payment, by PayPal/credit card or by check. Registration closes December 15, 2026, or when the class fills; the form warns the class “will fill up extremely quickly.”
• Completion (registration form + information sheet): students must attend all three classes and arrive at least 15 minutes early each day; completion earns a Course Completion Certificate and a free one-year FCBA membership (new members only). Each student gets a 3-ring binder with lecture outlines and handouts. Beverages and snacks are provided; students bring a bag lunch.
• Typical program (Bee Class Information page — checked 2026-10-09): Day 1 — biology of the European honey bee, the Langstroth hive, tools and equipment, choosing an apiary site, getting bees into your hive (nucs and packages), and “My first year as a beekeeper.” Day 2 — the beekeeping year (winter/spring and summer/fall), other buzzing insects, feeding bees, frames and foundation, and swarms. Day 3 — harvesting honey, wax and hive products; pests and diseases and integrated pest management; the Maryland State apiary inspection program and hive registration; parasites, predators and pathogens; and hands-on stations (woodenware, hive-inspection basics, lighting a smoker, installing packages).
• Vendors & extras (information sheet): beekeeping-supply vendors attend on days 2 and 3 for on-site purchases; there are door-prize drawings each day and a raffle on the last day.
• Organizer & contact (FCBA Contacts page + information sheet — checked 2026-10-09): the FCBA Beekeeping Course for Beginners Committee is chaired by Mike Raide. General and bee-class inquiries go to [email protected] (the Contacts page invites questions “about our bee classes” there). The information sheet also names Dave Maloney as the course contact; his personal phone and email are not repeated here.

Course dates, fees and the program above are what the official pages showed on the check date. Programs change. Use the live FCBA pages before treating any detail as fixed.

Official URL

Program page: https://www.frederickbees.org/bee_class-2/

2027 registration form: https://davidmaloney.com/machform2/view.php?id=21706

2027 course information sheet (PDF): https://www.frederickbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/beeclassletter_2027.pdf

FCBA home: https://www.frederickbees.org/

About FCBA & meetings: https://www.frederickbees.org/home/about-fcba/

Upcoming FCBA meetings: https://www.frederickbees.org/upcoming-meetings/

Join/Renew: https://www.frederickbees.org/home/joinrenew/

Contacts: https://www.frederickbees.org/home/contacts/

FAQs: https://www.frederickbees.org/faqs/

Location

In person at Walkersville United Methodist Church, 22 Main St., Walkersville, MD 21793 (Frederick County), Saturdays January 9, 16 and 23, 2027, 9 AM–3 PM, with a January 30 snow date. The spring field day is at a local apiary to be announced. No online attendance option is described.

This is a Learning / in-person course identity, not a Local club hall and not an Equipment retail counter.

Notes

• Category is Learning. The course has published 2027 dates, a fee, a registration deadline, a day-by-day syllabus and a completion certificate. It is not Equipment and not Local clubs, although it is run by a county club. The FCBA itself meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 PM (in person at the same Walkersville church or on Zoom; individual dues $10 a year, lifetime $100), but this listing is for the course. It is the first Maryland listing in the directory and is separate from the already-listed Learning entries (Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, California, UF/IFAS, Montana, Cornell, WASBA, Great Plains, West Virginia Master programs; Penn State 101/102, UMN, Rutgers, UW–Madison, Purdue, CSU Extension, Arkansas Complete Beekeeping Short Course).
• Unlike the Master Beekeeper programs already listed, this course has no exam or levels; completion is by attendance, with a certificate.
• The registration form is hosted on an outside form service at davidmaloney.com (FCBA lists Dave Maloney as its Membership Relations Director-at-Large, and the information sheet names him as course contact) and is linked from the club’s own Bee Class Information page (“Go here for the online registration form”). The form page was only read; nothing was submitted.
• Small conflicts: the 2027 information sheet’s body text says “consecutive Saturdays in January 2025” while its title, the form and the club page all say 2027; January 9, 16, 23 and 30 are Saturdays in 2027. The typical program on the club page still mentions an “Overview of the 2025 course” and has some overlapping time slots, so treat it as a sample schedule.
• The registration form links the prerequisite book to Amazon; Beekeeping Plaza does not repeat that link.
• Dates, fees, venue, completion rules and the program are copied from official frederickbees.org pages, the linked course information sheet (PDF dated August 25, 2026) and the club’s registration form, checked on 2026-10-09, and may change.
• First-party image saved beside this listing as frederick-county-beekeeping-course.jpg (the official FCBA logo OFCBA-LogoOnlyCopy_1-scaled.jpg, linked from the club’s “FCBA logo” menu item; unedited 2560×1992 original).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where is the 2027 FCBA beginner course?
A: Saturdays January 9, 16 and 23, 2027 (snow date January 30), 9 AM–3 PM, at Walkersville United Methodist Church, 22 Main St., Walkersville, MD 21793, per the official registration form and course information sheet checked 2026-10-09. A spring field day at a local apiary follows (date TBD).

Q: How much does it cost, and when does registration close?
A: $90 for the first adult and $80 for one additional person aged 16 or older. Registration closes December 15, 2026, or as soon as the class fills. Payment is by PayPal/credit card or check. Confirm at https://www.frederickbees.org/bee_class-2/.

Q: What does the course cover?
A: Bee biology, the Langstroth hive, tools, apiary siting, installing nucs and packages, the seasonal beekeeping year, feeding, frames and foundation, swarms, honey and wax harvest, pests, diseases and IPM, Maryland apiary inspection and hive registration, and hands-on stations for woodenware, inspections, smokers and package installation.

Q: Do I get a certificate?
A: Yes. Students who attend all three days receive a Course Completion Certificate and a free one-year FCBA membership (new members). There is no exam. For tested certification pathways, see the Master Beekeeper programs under Learning (e.g. the West Virginia Master Beekeeper Program).

Q: Is this a local club or an equipment shop?
A: It is listed here as Learning, a dated beginner course run by the Frederick County Beekeeping Association. For hive gear, see the Equipment listings (e.g. Spicer Bees). For monthly club meetings, see Local clubs (e.g. Paseo del Norte Beekeepers Association).