INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED BEEKEEPERS
Level Up Your Beekeeping
Intermediate Bee School
Advance your beekeeping knowledge with our Intermediate Bee School. Designed for those looking to deepen their beekeeping skills. This course builds on foundational practices, introducing advanced techniques in hive management, and increasing your confidence and understanding of beekeeping.
Engage in practical in-depth discussions that help you learn the skills to solve more complex beekeeping dilemmas and maximize your apiary's productivity. Intermediate Bee School will help you advance your practice and become a more effective and sustainable beekeeper with our comprehensive curriculum.
Are you ready to advance your beekeeping skills with our Intermediate Bee School? This course is exclusive to MCBA club members. If you are not yet a member, join us today to become eligible for enrollment. Secure your spot now and transform your beekeeping practice with advanced insights and techniques. Membership brings numerous benefits, including access to this advanced course.
About Intermediate Bee School
Advanced Level Beekeeping
Join our Mecklenberg County Beekeepers Intermediate / Advanced Bee School
and connect with a hive of passionate beekeepers.
Three speakers discussing advanced level beekeeping topics.
Intermediate / Advanced Bee School Registration is now live!
You may ask why the intermediate/advanced label this year? Well we called in some big guns to help teach this year and we wanted to reach a broad audience. A audience that has seen it all and a audience that has seen very little. This group of speakers captures all avenues of beekeeping backyard, sideliner, commercial.
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Speakers:
Keith Spillman
Burton Beasley
Octavio Vasquez
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Registration is now open
Location: 4921 Randolph Rd. Charlotte, NC 28211
When: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Doors open at 8:00 AM
Lunch: On your own
Cost: $45
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Speakers
Keith Spillman Owner of Half Tracks and Honeybees
Youtube Channel
"I have been keeping bees in Yadkinville, North Carolina for 20 years, though I readily admit I spent the first decade entirely clueless. After losing far too many colonies, I finally bought a book (Beekeeping for Dummies) and began working towards being a beekeeper and not just a bee haver.
Today, my operation has grown to around 30 total hives, featuring 20 dedicated production hives that have yielded approximately 2,500 pounds of honey in each of the past two years."
____________________________________________________
Burton Beasley Owner of Beasley Honey Co.
Website link HERE
Beasley Honey Co. began in 2009 as a small backyard hobbyist beekeeping endeavor having only a couple hives to start. We quickly grew over the next few years to maintaining over 50+ hives becoming what is known as a sideline beekeeping operation.
We are no longer just backyard hobbyists nor are we by any means a full on commercial beekeeping operation. We currently maintain on average between 100 – 200 honey bee colonies in Gaston County North Carolina.
____________________________________________________
Octavio Ruben Vazquez - Kutik K9 Queens
Commercial Queen Breeder and right hand man of world famous and former AHPA Beekeeper of the Year Chuck Kutik. Octavio oversees the breeding program of Kutik K9 Queens.
K9 Queens are a specialized, highly hygienic line of honey bee queens bred by Octavio and Mr. Kutik in Oxford, New York, and South Carolina. Named "K9" because a bee was observed attacking a varroa mite like a police dog, these queens are selectively bred for mite resistance and disease-clearing behavior.
Kutik’s has grown to be the largest apiary on the east coast; annually selling 10,000+ nucs, 30,000+ queens, pollination crops in California, North Carolina, Maine and New York producing 900,000+ pounds of honey annually.
____________________________________________________
Intermediate / Advanced Bee School Registration is now live!
Join our Mecklenberg County Beekeepers
Intermediate / Advanced
Bee School and connect with a hive of
passionate beekeepers.
Intermediate / Advanced Bee School Registration is now live!
You may ask why the intermediate/advanced label this year? Well we called in some big guns to help teach this year and we wanted to reach a broad audience. A audience that has seen it all and a audience that has seen very little. This group of speakers captures all avenues of beekeeping backyard, sideliner, commercial.
This years speakers include:
Keith Spillman
Burton Beasley
Octavio Vasquez
_________________________________
Course Details
Registration is now open
Location: 4921 Randolph Rd. Charlotte, NC 28211
When: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Doors open at 8:00 AM
Lunch: On your own
Cost: $45
_________________________________
Prerequisites: Completion of Beginner Bee School or equivalent experience
Speakers
Speakers will be discussing advanced level beekeeping topics.
Keith Spillman Owner of Half Tracks and Honeybees
"I have been keeping bees in Yadkinville, North Carolina for 20 years, though I readily admit I spent the first decade entirely clueless. After losing far too many colonies, I finally bought a book (Beekeeping for Dummies) and began working towards being a beekeeper and not just a bee haver. Today, my operation has grown to around 30 total hives, featuring 20 dedicated production hives that have yielded approximately 2,500 pounds of honey in each of the past two years.
___________________________________________________________________
Burton Beasley Owner of Beasley Honey Co. Website link here
Beasley Honey Co. began in 2009 as a small backyard hobbyist beekeeping endeavor having only a couple hives to start. We quickly grew over the next few years to maintaining over 50+ hives becoming what is known as a sideline beekeeping operation. We are no longer just backyard hobbyists nor are we by any means a full on commercial beekeeping operation. We currently maintain on average between 100 – 200 honey bee colonies in Gaston County North Carolina.
___________________________________________________________________
Octavio Ruben Vazquez - Kutik K9 Queens
Commercial Queen Breeder and right hand man of world famous and former AHPA Beekeeper of the Year Chuck Kutik. Octavio oversees the breeding program of Kutik K9 Queens. K9 Queens are a specialized, highly hygienic line of honey bee queens bred by Octavio and Mr. Kutik in Oxford, New York, and South Carolina. Named "K9" because a bee was observed attacking a varroa mite like a police dog, these queens are selectively bred for mite resistance and disease-clearing behavior.
Kutik’s has grown to be the largest apiary on the east coast; annually selling 10,000+ nucs, 30,000+ queens, pollination crops in California, North Carolina, Maine and New York producing 900,000+ pounds of honey annually.
___________________________________________________________________
Intermediate / Advanced Bee School Registration is now live!
Intermediate / Advanced Bee School
45$Expand your beekeeping expertise with our Intermediate Bee School. This course is perfect for enhancing your skills and deepening your understanding of advanced beekeeping techniquesValid for 3 months- Advanced Hive Management
- Queen rearing
- Making Splits
- Swarm Suppression
