2027 Honey Exchange Beginner Beekeeping Course — Portland, ME learning

Category: Learning Also called: The Honey Exchange 2027 Beginner Beekeeping Five Week Class (Portland, Maine); thehoneyexchange.com

What it is

2027 Honey Exchange Beginner Beekeeping Course is a five-week Zoom beginner class (the page says it is not a webinar) from The Honey Exchange, a family shop in Portland, Maine. The official class page says the course takes absolute beginners from setting up a new hive, through seasonal management and winter preparation, to planning for the following spring, with a special focus on urban, suburban and chemical-free beekeeping. The instructor is listed as Phil Gaven, EAS certified Master Beekeeper. The About Us page says Phil and Meghan Gaven and their daughters opened the store in the summer of 2011. This listing is for the 2027 beginner course, not the shop’s supply catalog, package bees, honey-extraction service, or the sophomore/sustainable class described on the Classes and Events page.

Official URL

Official 2027 course / registration page: https://thehoneyexchange.com/products/2027-beginner-beekeeping-five-week-class

Classes and Events: https://thehoneyexchange.com/pages/classes-and-events

The Honey Exchange home: https://thehoneyexchange.com/

About Us: https://thehoneyexchange.com/pages/about-us

Location, Hours & Directions: https://thehoneyexchange.com/pages/location-directions

Cart: https://thehoneyexchange.com/cart

Last checked

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

FAQ

Q: When and where is the course?
A: It is a Zoom class. Communication and class links are sent by email; the page asks you to sign up with an address you check regularly. Four session choices are printed, all five weeks, as 2027 dates (the product title is “2027 Beginner Beekeeping Five Week Class,” and the session selectors include “1/12/27,” “1/16/27,” “3/2/27” and “3/6/27”). Session 1: Tuesday evenings 6:00–8:00 pm, January 12, 19 and 26 and February 2 and 9. Session 2: Saturday mornings 10:30 am–12:30 pm, January 16, 23 and 30 and February 6 and 13. Session 3: Tuesday evenings 6:00–8:00 pm, March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Session 4: Saturday mornings 10:30 am–12:30 pm, March 6, 13, 20 and 27 and April 3. The class is limited to 45 students. The shop itself is at 494 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, phone 207-773-9333, but the beginner course is described as Zoom, not as an in-person class at that address.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: The class page lists $150.00. That course fee includes the textbook The Backyard Beekeeper (Flottum) and an e-binder with handouts and weekly outlines. The page also recommends a supplemental text, Honeybee Diseases & Pests, sold separately. Prices change; check the live page.

Q: How do I register or ask questions?
A: Registration is through the official course page, which has session choices and Add to Cart (the shop is a first-party Shopify storefront). The Classes and Events page said class sign-ups are open for winter 2027 classes on the check date. The same course page also showed a “Notify me when this product is available” line; none of the four session options was marked sold out or disabled on the opened page. Treat enrollment as open until the live page says otherwise, and confirm the session you want is still offered. For questions, the class page says to call the shop at 207-773-9333. No registration, cart-add or call was made for this listing.

Q: What are the shop’s hours if I want to visit or call?
A: The Location, Hours & Directions page lists 494 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, phone 207-773-9333. Regular hours printed there: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 am–6:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am–2:00 pm, closed Mondays. It also says the shop closes at 3:00 pm the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and is closed on listed holidays. The same page still printed a block of “Additional Holiday Hours 2025” (including Monday hours on 12/15 and 12/22); treat that 2025 holiday block as stale and confirm live hours before visiting. This listing is the Zoom course, not a shop visit.

Q: Is this the same as other Maine listings?
A: No. Beekeeping Plaza already lists Spicer Bees (Whitefield, ME) as Equipment. This listing is only The Honey Exchange’s 2027 five-week beginner Zoom course. The Classes and Events page also describes a separate sophomore/sustainable five-week class for keepers with at least one season of their own hive; that class is not listed separately here.

Q: Is this an official or affiliated listing?
A: Neither. Beekeeping Plaza is not affiliated with The Honey Exchange. No registration, payment or contact was made. Footer payment-method icons on the site include common card marks and Amazon Pay; those are checkout options on the shop’s own domain, not a marketplace listing.