Honey bees are fascinating! We geek out on the details of bees and beekeeping and are excited to share what we know with our community. We offer a 6-week apprentice level beekeeping course and 1-day beginning beekeeping class twice a year. We also try to be available to give Beekeeping 101 presentations to community groups upon request.
Beginning Beekeeping Class
This class is free! The purpose of the beginning beekeeping class is to introduce you to the basics of what it means to be a hobbyist beekeeper before you decide to invest time, energy, and money in setting up an apiary.
2025 Schedule and locations
This class is about 2 hours long, depending on the turnout and number of questions. We usually conduct the class a few weeks prior to the next apprentice level course. It is held at the Swantown Inn Grand Victorian Ballroom.
- Saturday, January 18th, 10am to 12pm
- Sunday, September 7th – tentative
Class Registration
Registration is not required for this class! You can just show up, and we will welcome the opportunity to introduce you to hobbyist beekeeping and answer your questions.
That said, we do appreciate an RSVP is you plan to attend. Once the class date and time are confirmed, we will update this page with a link to RSVP to the event on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Facebook or subscribe to the OBA Beeline email newsletter to learn about the event and get the link to RSVP.
Apprentice Level Beekeeping Course
We teach a state certified apprentice level curriculum and completion of our course will earn you an apprentice beekeeping certificate, as well as access to the OBA mentorship program.
The apprentice level course is for beekeepers who are ready to take the first big step in their beekeeping journey or want to refresh their knowledge and skills about beekeeping. (If you are brand new to beekeeping, we highly recommend that you take the beginning beekeeping class first.)
2025 Schedule and locations
This course is six 2-hour classes, held weekly on Saturdays from 10:00am to 12:00pm. It is in-person at the Swantown Inn Grand Victorian Ballroom. One class will be held at the club apiary at the Freedom Farmers.
- Saturday, March 8th through Saturday, April 12th
- Mid to late September – TBD
Course fee and registration
The course is $50 and you must be a current member in the Olympia Beekeepers Association to register (Membership is $25 per household).
We have updated our online registration process. We believe all will go smoothly, but if you experience issues please reach out to our President via email, president@olympiabeekeepers.org.
Want to learn as a family?
Multiple people from a family are welcome to sit in on a class (our association membership covers a household with the right for one vote), but the fee structure only covers one person being certified as an apprentice. If there are multiple people in a family wanting to be certified there is an additional admin fee of $25 ($10 for the certificate, $15 for the class fee = $25).
Beekeeping 101 Presentations
To request an association member volunteer to come and give a Beekeeping 101 presentation to your group, please reach out to our Outreach Coordinator at outreach@olympiabeekeepers.org.