The best way to start or improve your beekeeping practice is to take a beekeeping course. The best options are to enroll in a local or state bee club course. These local or regional courses are helpful, allowing new beekeepers to learn from potential mentors and to learn about beekeeping in their area.
However, if there is no local course available to you and you want to be sure that the information you are learning is accurate and, here is a list of beginning beekeeping courses provided through institutions of higher education or university extension offices. We will choose one of these courses this spring and will post an update with a review of the course later this year.
North Carolina State university – “Beginner” Bees series (3 courses)
- Format: fully online
- Length – about 6 hours
- Length of access: not noted
- Cost: $105, with discounts sometimes available
- https://reporter.ncsu.edu/index.html
Penn State Extension – Beekeeping 101
- Format: Fully online
- Length – 9 hours
- Length of access: 60 days
- Cost: $79.50. Keep an eye out, sometimes these courses are discounted
- https://extension.psu.edu/beekeeping-101
Rutgers University
- Bee-ginner’s Beekeeping
- Format – online with optional 1.5 hour evening Q&A session
- Length: 14-15 hours
- Length of access: 2 weeks
- Cost: $300
- http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/programs/beekeeping.html
University of Minnesota – Three levels of beekeeping courses
- Format: Fully online
- Length – 14 hours
- Length of access: two years
- Cost: $175
- https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bee-squad/education/beekeeping-classes/beekeeping-online
University of Montana Apprentice Level Course – the first in a three course Master Beekeeping series
- Format: fully online
- Length – 20 hours
- Length of access: not noted
- Cost: $325 (1 undergraduate university credit or 2 CEU)
- https://www.umt.edu/sell/programs/bee/apprentice.php