Apprentice-Level Beekeeping Course

Participants will learn the basics of keeping honey bees, including bee biology and care of bees throughout the year.  This course includes both classroom lectures and hands-on experience in the bee yard.  Participants will be taught how to recognize common honey bee ailments and pests as well as the treatment for them.  By the end of this course, participants will be able to manage honey bee colonies for maximum bee health and honey production.  View the full course schedule.

Participants are expected to provide their own hive tool, and bee suit. A veil with canvas beekeeper gloves, plus a pollinator jacket or full suit are acceptable. Beekeeping supplies are available from Western Bee 1-800-548-8440.

Participants are also expected to have the text book, which is available at the UM Bookstore or online at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

Upon completion of the course, 1.8 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) will be awarded to participants. A certificate of completion will be mailed to each participant. 

The course offers optional academic credit and has been approved for one academic credit through The University of Montana Division of Biological Sciences as BIOB 191 Apprentice Beekeeping.  Students who opt to take the course for academic credit must pay an additional $135 credit recording fee.

Course text:

Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees
Malcom T. Sanford and Richard E. Bonney, Storey Publishing 2010
ISBN 978-1-60342-550-6 (pbl.: alk. Paper)
ISBN 978-1-60342-551-3 (hardcover : alkpaper)

Other materials will be provided in class as needed.

About the instructors:

Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk received his Ph.D. in insect ethology (behavior) from Montana State University.  He co-founded Bee Alert Technology in 2003 and is the statewide director of Montana's EPSCoR program (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research). His research focuses on insect behavior, ecotoxicology, population dynamics, and environmental chemistry.  The Montanan magazine published an article about Dr. Bromenshenk's research.

Scott Debnam is a graduate of The University of Montana Wildlife Biology program and has 12 years experience managing the research colonies for the University. He has extensive expertise with Honey bee ailments and pests, as well as an intimate knowledge of the insects that he is eager to pass on to others. 

Phillip Welch has a broad skill-set based in the natural sciences and coupled with years of experience managing honey bees for agriculture and for scientific studies.  Phil is a graduate of the University of Montana Biology program.  He has participated in research at Sandia National Labs, The University of Montana, and Bee Alert Technology.  These studies ranged from training bees to find land mines to finding better ways of monitoring hive health for commercial beekeepers.  Phillip is also a backyard-beekeeper who enjoys the benefits of pollination in his family garden and orchard.

Registration:

This course is now full, so registration is closed.  If you would like to be added to the waitlist for this course, or if  you would like to be notified about future beekeeping courses, please email candi.merrill@umontana.edu.