Courses

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Below are certified courses for the Great Plains Master Beekeeping program as well as the Learning Objectives they count towards. Remember, you can take any level course; the credits simply won't count until you have fullfilled your other requirements and move to the next level. We will continue to add more courses as they become available.

Remember to report your courses withing 60 days of taking it to recieve credit in the GPMB program. 

Please bring payment in the form of cash or check to the event unless otherwise specified. For event cancellation due to bad weather, we will email you 5 hours prior to the event start time. We will also post on the Facebook page @GPMBeekeeping and the Events Page.  Please be sure to register for the event so you can receive updates. 

 

Field Training

Open Apiary Field training sites can be found on this map HERE. simply click on the site you are closest to and find dates, location, and contact information there. 

Open Teaching Apiary- Lincoln NE East Campus 2025

See Description for Date(s)
Pollinator Garden on East Campus, UNL Apiary 40.828970, -96.655257

 

Open Apiary are loosely structured field trainings that are based around topics that equip attendees with the next steps they need in thier own hives, or hands on training before they obtain thier own hives.

 

State: Nebraska

Maple City VFW Post 2406 - GPMB Open Apiary 2025

See Description for Date(s)
695 Lansing Rd, Charlotte, MI 48813

 

These classes will be taught at the Maple City VFW Post 2406 in Charlotte, MI in the back of the post. This Apiary is NOW approved by the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Extension Bee Lab for training.

 

State: Michigan

Second Year Beekeeping Class- Rolla MO 2025

March 22, 2025, 8:00 am to March 22, 2025, 5:00 pm
Doolittle Community Hall, 380 Eisenhower, Rolla, Mo

 

​This class will review basic techniques from how to introduce queens, swarm catching and management, splitting and combining colonies, and more basic techniques

 

Course Standards: 2.1 | 2.14 | 2.15 | 2.21 | 2.22

Beginning Beekeeping Class- Rolla MO

January 25, 2025, 8:00 am to January 25, 2025, 5:00 pm
Doolittle Community Hall, 380 Eisenhower, Rolla, Mo

 

Rolla Bee Club will hold a beginning beekeeping class Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Doolittle Community Hall, 380 Eisenhower, Rolla, Mo. Exit 179 off Interstate 44. This class will cover the basics to get started keeping honey bees

 

State: Missouri
Course Standards: 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.12 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.16 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.19 | 1.20

Level 3 UNL Queen Rearing Course 2025: UNL East Campus – 4 Sessions

See Description for Date(s)
Pollinator Garden on East Campus, UNL Apiary 40.828970, -96.655257

 

In this hands-on honeybee queen-rearing course, participants will practice selecting young larvae, grafting them into queen cups, and placing them in starter colonies to develop into queen cells. They will learn the delicate art of grafting, inspect cells for proper development, and manage the cells by ensuring they are in a healthy, queen-less colony. Participants will also practice introducing newly emerged queens to new hives by carefully caging and releasing them, while monitoring their acceptance and success. The course emphasizes gentle handling, proper timing, and understanding the environmental needs to successfully rear queens. You will receive a grafting tool and queen cells as part of the course.

 

State: Nebraska
Course Standards: 3.19

Level 2 UNL Beekeeping Course 2025: UNL East Campus – 4 Sessions

See Description for Date(s)
Pollinator Garden on East Campus, UNL Apiary 40.828970, -96.655257

 

Field training sessions building on information presented in Level 1 and 2 lectures and field training sessions.

 

State: Nebraska

Level 1 UNL Beekeeping Course 2025: UNL East Campus – 8 Tuesday evening Sessions

March 18, 2025, 5:00 pm to May 6, 2025, 8:00 pm
See Session Details

 

Description: This is an introductory level course that focuses on everything you need to start beekeeping, including topics on beekeeping equipment, protective gear, honey bee biology, stressors, and management basics. Sessions 1-4 of the course includes lectures, hands-on activities, and demos by several speakers. Sessions 5-8 of the course is field training that gets you in the hives and takes the lessons from Sessions 1-4 into practice. Learn how to setup the equipment, install and handle bees safely, and perform hive inspections.

 

Course Standards: 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.12 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.16 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.19 | 1.20

Level 1 UNL Beekeeping Workshop 2025: Kimmel - 2 Sessions

March 29, 2025, 9:00 am to March 29, 2025, 4:00 pm
Kimmel Orchard, 5995 G Road, Nebraska City, NE

 

This is an introductory-level course that focuses on everything you need to start beekeeping, including topics on beekeeping equipment, protective gear, honey bee biology, stressors, and management basics. 

 

State: Nebraska
Course Standards: 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.12 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.16 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.19 | 1.20

Level 2 UNL Beekeeping Course: UNL East Campus - Beehive Necropsy- 1 Session

February 22, 2025, 9:00 am to February 22, 2025, 4:00 pm
East Campus Union , Prairie Room B-C

 

This course is meant for beekeepers with at least one year of experience. This workshop will go over how to diagnose and determine what is causing colonies to decline. We will look at factors, symptoms, and signs of varroa mites, brood diseases, queen issues, poor nutrition, and other causes of hive loss.

 

State: Nebraska

Level 1 UNL Beekeeping Workshop 2025: Schramm - 2 Sessions

March 15, 2025, 9:00 am to April 12, 2025, 4:00 pm
Session 1: Schramm Education Center. Session 2: Pollinator Garden on East Campus, UNL Apiary 40.828970, -96.655257

 

Beekeeping 101 courses cover the hows, whats, and whys of beekeeping basics. These short courses are intended to help people understand how to get started, what to expect, and how to assemble the proper equipment, bees, and safety gear. Each course pairs a series of lectures with field demonstrations and hands-on activities to help participants prepare for their own hives and feel confident in their beekeeping skills. 

 

State: Nebraska
Course Standards: 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.12 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.16 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.19 | 1.20