Learning Objectives are the five main topics that describe the type of learning that each beekeeper is required to do. The purpose of the Learning Objectives are to create a well rounded knowledge base for a beekeeper as he or she progresses through the program.
That is why becoming a Master Beekeeper doesn't just mean that you can manage a large number of hives, but that you can make products, conserve land resources, understand the organism that makes all of that possible, and so that you can become an advocate and teach others about bees.
M
Bee Management Skills
Honey bees are livestock; they need to be fed, treated for mites, and properly controlled so your bees don’t become a problem for other beekeepers. Management skills are diverse but there are certain things that must be done in order to be a person who KEEPs bees vs a person who HAS bees.
L
Land Stewardship Conservation Practices
Bees need nectar and pollen to survive. Diverse floral landscapes provide the best foraging opportunities for healthy and robust colonies. Learning how to feed your bees by providing landscape-level foraging is the simplest step in maintaining healthy colonies.
B
Bee Biology, Ecology
The honey bee is a very complex superorganism. Properly understanding the honey bee ecology will allow you to make decisions when complex situations arise.
E
Business, Marketing, Economics
Even if you keep honey bees only as a hobby, they will produce multiple products people can buy. Proper understanding of these products and how to make them will give you more avenues to expand your knowledge of bees and their contributions.
P
Professional Development
The internet is a great resource but can be a detriment to beekeepers because of misinformation. Communicating credible information will make you a better mentor to other beekeepers and a better advocate for bees.
Apprentice (0-2 yrs experience)
| Course | OBJ | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Intro to bee morphology/life cycle | B | 1.1 |
| Caste system, age polyethism | B | 1.2 |
| Role of Bees in Agroecosystem | B | 1.3 |
| Local Apiary Law | E | 1.4 |
| Honey Bee Plants | L | 1.5 |
| Saftey and Stings | M | 1.6 |
| Locations of apiaries | M | 1.7 |
| Placement of hives | M | 1.8 |
| Installing Package Bees | M | 1.9 |
| Introduction to Honey bee Stressors | M | 1.10 |
| Beekeeping Equipment | M | 1.11 |
| Seasonal Hive Activities | M | 1.12 |
| Overwintering Basics | M | 1.13 |
| Honey Production, Extraction (small scale) | M | 1.14 |
| Swarm management | M | 1.15 |
| Varroa mite monitoring & management | M | 1.16 |
| Role of Beekeepers in Food Production | M | 1.17 |
| Colony health inspections | M | 1.18 |
| Other insects in the apiary | P | 1.19 |
| Beekeepers etiquette | P | 1.20 |
Journeyman (2-5 yrs experience)
| Course | OBJ | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Bee behavior: mating, swarming, etc. | B | 2.1 |
| Pollination services and plant biology, landscape enhancements | B | 2.2 |
| Bee Communication (Dance language, pheromones) | B | 2.3 |
| Migratory colonies (Considerations/Laws) | E | 2.4 |
| Growing your business | E | 2.5 |
| Value added products | E | 2.6 |
| Marketing your products | E | 2.7 |
| Selling at farmer's markets, craft fairs | E | 2.8 |
| Selling in commerical stores | E | 2.9 |
| Entering Competitions | E | 2.10 |
| Developing formal contracts with growers for pollination | L | 2.11 |
| Informal agreements with landowners for honey production | L | 2.12 |
| Mitigating impacts of pesticides on bees | M | 2.13 |
| Colony health inspections | M | 2.14 |
| Installing queens (direct release) & marking queens | M | 2.15 |
| Disease diagnostics & management | M | 2.16 |
| Repairing your equipment | M | 2.17 |
| Queen selection and traits | M | 2.18 |
| Varroa Resistance Management | M | 2.19 |
| Honey Extraction (small/large scale) | M | 2.20 |
| Catching swarms | M | 2.21 |
| Spring Management: Reversals & Splits | M | 2.22 |
| varroa monitoring & control | M | 2.23 |
| Techniques for gloveless beekeeping | M | 2.24 |
| How to be an effective communicator | P | 2.25 |
| How to be an effective mentor | P | 2.26 |
Master (5+ yrs experience)
| Course | OBJ | Code |
| Queen, worker, drone biology | B | 3.1 |
| Bee type hybrids and breeding traits | B | 3.2 |
| Bee Diseases/Stressors expanded | B | 3.3 |
| Dance Language decoded | B | 3.4 |
| Plant ID, phenology, maintenance | B | 3.5 |
| Other beneficial insects | B | 3.6 |
| Making your own equipment | E | 3.7 |
|
Commercial Beekeeping Operations |
E | 3.8 |
| Queen Breeding | E | 3.9 |
| Honey Producers and Packers | E | 3.10 |
| Commercial marketing | E | 3.11 |
| Crop pollination | E | 3.12 |
| Difficult value added products (comb honey, propolis, pollen) | E | 3.13 |
| Farming for beneficial insects | L | 3.14 |
| Diversifying farms | L | 3.15 |
| Making up packages, nucs | M | 3.16 |
| Swarm trapping and bee hunting | M | 3.17 |
| Varroa control on commercial scale: chemical & breeding | M | 3.18 |
| Queen Rearing | M | 3.19 |
| Selecting for hygienic bees & varroa resistance | M | 3.20 |
| Advocating for bees at local, state and federal levels | P | 3.21 |
| Making presentations | P | 3.22 |
| Making up observation hives | P | 3.23 |
| How to do swarm demonstrations | P | 3.24 |
| Addressing misinformation and blogosphere influence | P | 3.25 |
| How to interpret scientific papers | P | 3.26 |