2027 Beginner Beekeeping Series — Indian Creek Nature Center
- Location
- Cedar Rapids, IA
- Last checked
- 2026-11-04
- Also called
- ICNC Beginner Beekeeping Series (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Indian Creek Nature Center beekeeping class with field days at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm (Marion, IA); indiancreeknaturecenter.org
Category: Learning Also called: ICNC Beginner Beekeeping Series (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Indian Creek Nature Center beekeeping class with field days at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm (Marion, IA); indiancreeknaturecenter.org
What it is
The Beginner Beekeeping Series is a season-long, in-person course for new hobby beekeepers run by Indian Creek Nature Center (ICNC) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which describes itself as Iowa’s first and largest independent nonprofit nature center (founded 1973). The class page says the series takes participants through the annual cycle of beekeeping, from establishing a hive to harvesting, with large-group lectures in the auditorium at Amazing Space, the Nature Center’s headquarters building, and hands-on field days in the Nature Center’s educational apiary at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm, between Alburnett and Marion. Participants are split into small groups for more one-on-one time with instructors, and each is assigned a mentor teacher for support through the season. The 2027 series runs from February to September 2027. This listing is for the course, not the nature center as a whole, a club or a supply store.
Official URL
Official class page (with 2027 details): https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/education/beekeeping/
Registration (“Register Here” link on the class page; Blackbaud ticketing): https://117772a.blackbaudhosting.com/117772a/packagetickets?tab=3&txobjid=39083e9b-1d3d-4ec9-b638-ce441a8b8b1c
About Indian Creek Nature Center: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/about-us/
Nature Center membership: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/support/membership/
Contact: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/contact/
Last checked
2026-11-04. All URLs above returned HTTP 200 with a desktop Chrome user agent on that date.
FAQ
Q: When are the 2027 sessions?
A: Per the class page checked 2026-11-04: lectures 6:00–7:30 pm on Thursdays February 4, March 4, April 15, June 24 and September 23, 2027, in the Amazing Space Auditorium (the June 24 session is at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm); and field days 9:30–11:00 am on Saturdays April 24, May 22 and September 18, 2027 at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm, 3697 St. Peters Rd, Marion, IA 52302. The Nature Center itself is at 5300 Otis Road SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.
Q: What does it cost?
A: $165 for non-members, with a $25 discount for Nature Center members ($140), as printed on the check date. Nature Center memberships listed on the Membership page start at $40 a year for an individual and $50 for a household. Prices change; check the live page.
Q: What do I need to bring or buy?
A: The page lists required materials: the book Simple, Smart Beekeeping by Kirsten Shoshanna Traynor and Michael Joseph Traynor, a Varroa Easy Check tool, and personal protective equipment (a jacket or suit with a veil, a hive tool or J-tool, and gloves, which do not have to be beekeeping gloves). Students are expected to keep up with the recommended reading, attend the field and maintenance days, and do regular hive inspections.
Q: Do I have to register before it starts?
A: Yes. The page says participants must register before the first class of the year and attend the first class. Questions go to the Nature Center by phone at 319-362-0664 or via the email on the page.
Q: Are there extras beyond the lectures and field days?
A: The page says instructor Julie Rice holds occasional maintenance days in the apiary (announced by email about a week ahead) for upkeep and informal Q&A, and that completing the class gives complimentary use of the Nature Center’s Sugar House for honey extraction from about late July until early October 2027.
Q: Can I buy bees through the Nature Center?
A: The same page lists 2027 3 lb bee packages from Georgia (open-mated Carniolan/Italian queens) at $157 per package, for pickup at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm in about April; purchasing opens in early 2027 and closes in late March. Bees are bought separately from the course.
Q: Is there a certificate or exam?
A: None is described. This is a beginner series with lectures, field days and mentoring, not a certification program.
Q: Is this an official or affiliated listing?
A: Neither. Beekeeping Plaza is not affiliated with Indian Creek Nature Center. No registration, payment or contact was made; the registration link was only checked for an HTTP 200. Iowa already has Equipment and Local clubs entries; this is the site’s first Iowa Learning listing.