Virginia master beekeeper program

Member at Large, paying annually or as a lifetime member one time payment. Submit appliction and pay dues through local association if you are a member of one. Paying early in the year. Reduced fees. Voting in meetings. Novice Beekeeper Benefits. Application Link. Explore this critical knowledge with world-renowned honey bee experts as well as Cornell University researchers and extension associates. This course serves as a foundation to help you understand the characteristics of a colony and how these traits and behaviors support colony survival and success.

This information can be applied as you develop your hands-on beekeeping skills and will translate directly into your hive management practices. In addition, it will enable you to better understand the current scientific research and communicate with credibility within the beekeeping community. This is the first in a series of courses that equip beekeepers at the hobby, sideliner, and commercial levels with the concepts, knowledge, and best management practices needed to pass the written, oral, and field components of Cornell University's Master Beekeeping Certificate.

Managing pests and diseases is the number one reason beekeepers reach out to the Cornell University Honeybee Research and Extension Program for support. In this course, you will gain knowledge about honey bee immunity as well as how to apply Integrated Pest Management IPM principles to prevent and control all known pests, parasites, and pathogens that interfere with honeybee health and productivity.

As a result, you'll feel confident in your ability to monitor, diagnose, and control specific problems in your colonies as you identify how to be proactive and take charge of the health of your bee operation. Supporting your colonies' ability to thrive and achieving your desired outcomes requires a systematic approach and the application of practical techniques and knowledge. In this course, you will discover how to predict what to expect in your colony season by season.

You'll gain confidence in your ability to analyze different situations and make informed management decisions based on the scientific principles you study here.

Apply the hands-on techniques used by experienced expert beekeepers, honey bee biologists, and the Cornell University Honey Bee Extension team to keep your colonies healthy and to produce your desired outcomes year after year. Beekeepers are in a unique position to both reap financial benefit from their hives and contribute to the health of pollinator populations and the greater beekeeping community. In this course, you will examine major hive products and services, how to grow your operation, and what options to consider for beekeeping as a business.

Even if you are not interested in making a profit from your bees, you will gain a valuable appreciation for the beekeeping industry, and understand how hard bees and beekeepers work. You will also determine how to evaluate the quality of information sources about bees and beekeeping, allowing you to contribute to education, research, and outreach, as well as participate in research activities, mentor less-experienced beekeepers, and raise awareness on pollinator issues.

This course will prepare you to be a leader in your beekeeping community. This course enables you to schedule the evaluation components required in order to earn the Cornell University Master Beekeeping Certificate.

Although evaluations can be scheduled in advance and are held in the summer months , students must complete all required coursework prior to completing their evaluations.

I am interested in the spatial ecology of beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. For my undergraduate and M. For my Ph. Bryan Danforth. I am particularly interested in understanding early season forage provisioning and factors affecting nest site availability for wild bee pollinators in apple orchards.

Kimberly is a second generation beekeeper who is following in the footsteps of her grandmother in her love for beekeeping and the natural world. She aides in running and operating their businesses but her primary function is head of the beekeeping division of Hungry Bear Farms. She teaches several full day beginner beekeeping classes for their farm as well as helps teach at her local clubs class.

She is also a co-coordinator for the Geneva Bee Conference which brings education and well known speakers in the beekeeping industry to NY each March. Lastly, she helps with various schools and Board of Cooperative Educational Service programs in New York state to help with beekeeping education in the school system and the importance of our impact on the environment.

Ben is a third generation beekeeper and currently owns two beekeeping supply companies with his wife Kimberly; their farm business Hungry Bear Farms and their manufacturing business Ross Rounds. He also teaches beginner beekeeping classes for their farm with Kimberly, as well as at their local club. Wax 2. More emphasis will be placed on short essay answers.

Skip to content. Who may participate? Is beekeeping experience necessary to apply? Will I learn about top bar hives, Warre hives, and other alternative hives?

What are the requirements to be certified at the Apprentice, Certified or Master level? Is there a time limit to complete each certification level? What is the cost for participating in the program? Do I have to start at the Apprentice Level if I am an experienced beekeeper? Is it necessary to take all certification levels to participate in the program? How old can public service credits be and still count?

Credits can be no more than 3 years old and still count. How do I document my public service credits? Can I do the same public service credit more than once? What books are good to study for the test? What kind of questions are on each test? What is the difference between each level? Form Links. Test Application. Required Readings. Public Service Credits. Challenge Answers. Program Reciprocity. Presentation Request. Certification Levels and Requirements. Apprentice Beekeeper.