2027 SEMBA Beginner Beekeeping Course — Bloomfield Hills, MI / Novi, MI learning

Category: Learning Also called: SEMBA Beginning Bee School; Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association beginner course (Novi and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan); sembabees.org

What it is

2027 SEMBA Beginner Beekeeping Course is a ten-month in-person beginner course run by the Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association (SEMBA), a club the school page says has supported beekeepers for over eighty years (the home page dates the organization to 1934). The official event page and Bee School overview describe classroom instruction, national-expert presentations, and hands-on work in a community bee yard, covering honey bee biology, health, pests and diseases, seasonal management, tools, and hive products. Students are not required to keep bees; those who do raise one colony at their class site and move it in the fall. This listing is for the 2027 course, not SEMBA’s monthly membership meetings, swarm list, or online store.

Official URL

Official 2027 course / registration page: https://www.sembabees.org/event-6904572

SEMBA Beekeeping School overview: https://www.sembabees.org/Beeschool

SEMBA home: https://www.sembabees.org/

Membership: https://www.sembabees.org/Membership

Last checked

2026-11-10. All URLs above returned HTTP 200 with a desktop Chrome user agent on that date.

FAQ

Q: When and where is the course?
A: Classes are on Sundays, 1:00–3:30 pm, at one of two sites you choose when registering: MSU Tollgate Farm / Education Center, 28115 Meadowbrook Road, Novi, MI 48377 (conference center/barn and community bee yard) or Bowers School Farm in Bloomfield Hills (Farm Activity Building and community bee yard). The event page prints Bowers at 1219 E Square Lake Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 in one block and 1223 East Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills in another; confirm the live address before traveling. The printed 2027 Class Schedule is: January 31, February 21, March 14, April 11, May 2, May 23, June 13, July 11, August 15, September 19 and October 17, 2027 (11 sessions, from “So, You Want to Be a Beekeeper?” through “That’s a Wrap!”). The event header also shows a start of December 1, 2026, 1:00 pm and an end of March 1, 2027, 3:30 pm, which does not match that Sunday schedule; use the dated class table as the session list and confirm times on the live page.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: The event page lists tuition of $550.00 per person at either location (Bowers or Tollgate). That fee includes the required textbook (Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, Caron and Connor), required SEMBA dues, and an assembled wooden five-frame nuc box. The page says added guest registrations do not include the book and nuc. On the check date the same page showed Registration is closed and also Spaces left 70; treat enrollment as closed until the live page says otherwise.

Q: What if I also want club membership only?
A: The Membership page lists $10 single and $15 family annual dues (manual or auto-renew options), or a check mailed to SEMBA, Michelle Kinney, P.O. Box 5462, Plymouth, MI 48170. Course tuition already includes required SEMBA dues for students. This listing is the 2027 course, not a Local clubs entry.

Q: How do I register or ask questions?
A: Registration is through the official event page (closed on the check date). The Bee School page asks questions be sent to [email protected] or [email protected]. The Contact Us page also lists Bee School contact Rich Wieske at [email protected], plus a general SEMBA email [email protected]. No registration or contact was submitted for this listing.

Q: Is this the same as other Michigan listings?
A: No. Beekeeping Plaza already lists Beeline Woodenware (Mendon, MI) as Equipment and the Holland Area Beekeepers as a Local clubs entry. This listing is only SEMBA’s 2027 beginner course at the Novi and Bloomfield Hills sites.

Q: Is this an official or affiliated listing?
A: Neither. Beekeeping Plaza is not affiliated with SEMBA, MSU Tollgate Farm, or Bowers School Farm. No registration, payment or contact was made. The SEMBA home page on the check date still featured an October 18 membership meeting (already past); course dates and tuition were taken from the 2027 event page and class schedule.