Education and Beekeeping Classes

Hands-on Beekeeping
Credits: 3
Location: UVM Horticultural Research & Education Center

Course Description: This introductory beekeeping course offers a combination of classroom lectures and hands-on field experience. Topics include bee biology and natural history, choosing and purchasing equipment and bees, integrated pest management, seasonal colony management, and queen grafting. Class will be held at the UVM horticultural farm where students will interact with the farm's research and education apiary consisting of over 30 hives. There will also be opportunities for field trips with beekeepers in our community. Attendance is mandatory for every class as each class serves as the foundation for the next. Will you get stung? Protective clothing and proper handling techniques greatly reduce the risk of bee stings. However, some bee stings are inevitable. If you have an allergy to bee venom, you should not take the in-person version of this course. Check out the online version of the course: "Introduction to Beekeeping''.

PSS 195-OL1: Introduction to Beekeeping (Online)
Credits: 3
Location: Online

Course Description: In this online course, students will learn the fundamentals of being responsible stewards of honey bee colonies and the skills to support good decision-making in today’s changing world of beekeeping. This introductory course will cover topics including basic bee biology, the factors driving global pollinator decline, current topics in pollinator research, purchasing equipment, and bees, integrated pest management, and successful strategies for overwintering. Note that the course material will be presented asynchronously. If you are interested in a hands-on beekeeping course, please see "Hands-on Beekeeping".

How to sign up:

If you are not a current UVM student, you would register as a Continuing and Distance Education (CDE) student. That process begins here.

Information on all summer courses at UVM can be found here.