Event information
Location
Online course
Contact
Katie Lee, Extension educator, apiculture
katielee@umn.edu
Beekeeping in northern climates
Interested in becoming a beekeeper? Marla Spivak, Katie Lee, Gary Reuter and others from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab and Bee Squad will help you get started. If you have had no prior experience keeping bees in our cold climate, this course will teach you everything you need to know.
The course covers honey bee biology, management, wintering of colonies, managing diseases and pests, and much more. Learn how to keep your bees alive and healthy year after year.
The online course includes more than 14 hours of pre-recorded instruction divided into modules. The course is self-paced, meaning you can work through the course material on your schedule.
We provide a solid support system as you learn about beekeeping. You will have access to optional live Q&A sessions via Zoom on the first Tuesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. (CST) to ask the instructors questions about keeping honey bees. You can pose written questions in online discussion forums that will be answered by an instructor each Monday.
Course access will last until June 15, 2026, allowing you to use the content over more than one beekeeping season.
Access to the course begins on January 20, 2024. To welcome students, we will host a live, online event via Zoom on January 20 from 10 to 11 a.m. The live welcome will be recorded and the video added to the course for those who register after that date or are unable to attend.
A paper copy of our manual, “Beekeeping in Northern Climates, Third Edition” will be mailed to the address used to register for this course after the start of the course.
For more information, see the course page on the U of MN Bee Lab website.
If you prefer in-person instruction, courses on Beekeeping in Northern Climates are held each year on the U of MN St Paul campus in January or February. For details, see our class website.
Audience
This online course is for anyone interested in becoming a beekeeper.
Cost
$175
Course fee includes access to the course for 2 years.
Registration
You will receive an email with information for accessing the course after you register.
University of Minnesota Extension is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting Katie Lee, KatieLee@umn.edu, two weeks before the start of the event. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.
Everyone can help support bees
If you would like to directly help bees, your goal is better met by planting flowers for diverse pollinators, reducing pesticide use, or supporting research through participation in community science initiatives. Becoming a beekeeper will not help the honey bee population or contribute positively to addressing native bee declines.
5 ways you can help:
- Plant bee flowers everywhere.
- Provide nesting habitat.
- Keep bee flowers clean — do not treat bee-friendly flowers with pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.).
- Collect data.
- Support our efforts to keep bees.
Read more about helping bees and all insects on beelab.umn.edu.
