Beekeeping Courses in Massachusetts, the Northeast and Online

Beginner Beekeeping Courses

• Most county bee clubs in Massachusetts offer a beginner bee course. Information about county bee schools can be found here: https://www.massbee.org/bee-schools/
• MDAR offers monthly hands-on workshops at the State Apiaries in Amherst and Danvers: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/mdar-state-apiaries

Master Beekeeper Courses

• The Eastern Apicultural Society offers a Master Beekeeper Certification Exam at their yearly conference (including written, oral, laboratory and field components). Beekeepers with at least 5 years of experience can apply to take the exam.
• Cornell University offers a 15-month Master Beekeeper Program. The program consists of four online classes, and three in-person final exams at the Dyce bee lab. Beekeepers with at least 3 years of experience can register for the course.

Honey Bee Veterinary Courses

• American Veterinary Medical Association, Honey Bees 101 for Veterinarians: https://www.avma.org/honey-bees-101-veterinarians

Other Advanced Bee Courses

Massachusetts

Eastern Mass.

• Drumlin Farm (Lincoln) offers beginner and intermediate bee courses. For more info visit the website: https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife sanctuaries/drumlin-farm/programs-classes-activities/know-your-food/beekeeping
• Wetlands Apiary (Brockton) teaches workshops on queen rearing (using the cloake board method). For more information, visit their website: https://wetlandsapiary.com/
• Mass Department of Agriculture (MDAR) (Danvers) offers hands-on workshops about yearly colony management. Learn more here: https://www.mass.gov/service details/mdar-state-apiaries

Pioneer Valley + Berkshires

• Warm Colors Apiary (South Deerfield) offers workshops on queen rearing and colony management. More info on their website: https://www.warmcolorsapiary.com/
• Mass Department of Agriculture (MDAR) (Amherst) offers hands-on workshops about yearly colony management. Learn more here: https://www.mass.gov/service details/mdar-state-apiaries
• Berkshire Botanic Garden (Stockbridge) offers workshops on diverse topics, including beekeeping! Check out their website for more info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/

State-Wide

• Mass Bee hosts conferences in the Spring, Summer and Fall. More info here: https://www.massbee.org/

Regional

New York

• Cornell University, Dyce Bee Lab (Ithaca) offers a queen rearing workshop, in addition to the Master Beekeeper Program (see Master Beekeeper Certifications above). For more info, visit their website: https://pollinator.cals.cornell.edu/resources/

Maine

• Maine State Beekeepers Association has a list of bee schools for the state of Maine, available here: https://mainebeekeepers.org/education/bee-schools/

East Coast

• The Eastern Apicultural Society hosts a conference every summer. More info here: https://www.easternapiculture.org/

National

• The Ohio State University offers a popular webinar, where they bring in experts to lecture about bees: https://u.osu.edu/beelab/courses/

 

This resource was created by UMass Extension, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

For more honey bee veterinary resources visit: https://ag.umass.edu/resources/pollinators/resources-for-veterinarians

To learn more about the project visit: https://ag.umass.edu/resources/pollinators/research-projects-at-umass/ma...

Produced by the University of Massachusetts, funded by USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program 2019 AM190100XXXXG044 through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).