Beekeeping Workshop Offerings
| Levels of Beekeeping | Description of Levels | 2025 Workshops Available |
Level 1For beginning beekeepers with <2yrs experience. | Beekeeping 101 courses covers the how’s, what’s, and why’s of beekeeping basics. These short courses are intended to help people understand how to get started, what to expect, how to assemble the proper equipment, bees, and safety gear. Each course pairs a series of lectures with field demonstrations and hands-on activities to help participants prepare for their own hives and feel confident in their beekeeping skills. | |
Level 2For intermediate beekeepers with 2-5 years of experience. | These courses focus on honing beekeeping management skills for beekeepers who have had a few years of prior experience. Topics included guidance and tactics that improve colony development and honey production, develop pest and disease control strategies, and mitigate impacts from pesticide exposure. Other topics focus on professional & economic development for beekeepers, diversifying value-added products (creamed honey, cosmetic products, and mead, etc), and marketing strategies. | |
Level 3For advanced beekeepers with 5+ years of experience. | Advanced courses are for beekeepers seeking higher learning opportunities and requires participants to have a strong understanding of beekeeping management basics. Topics include queen rearing, pest & disease diagnostics, and necropsy (deadout) examinations. |
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Hive Health Inspections
On-Site Hive Health Inspections
Sometimes beekeepers need specific guidance and help troubleshooting their own colonies. Therefore UNL Bee Lab offers on-site visits and personal consultation services. Consultation services include thorough hive inspections, Varroa mite and disease monitoring, and next step guidance for each colony. We may also be able to offer replacement queens and or brood if needed. Consultation rates are $50/hour for an expert evaluation and to answer any follow-up questions.
APHIS (Animal/Plant Health Inspection Service) Honey Bee Health Inspection Survey Program for the USDA
Each year the Bee Lab is contracted by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to inspect 24 apiaries across the state. If you have 10 or more hives in one location, you can qualify for free honey bee health inspections through the APHIS program. Hive inspections are conducted on 8 of the 10 hives and samples are pooled to obtain information on Varroa mite counts, Vairimorpha (formerly Nosema) infection, pesticides in pollen or wax, and viral loads for the apiary. The results contribute to national database for the state of Nebraska and on-site reports provided after each visit help inform participants of any immediate concerns or action steps needed.
Beekeeping Equipment Donations
Do you or someone you know have old used beekeeping equipment? Did you try beekeeping and it just wasn’t for you? The UNL Bee Lab will take donations of gently used beekeeping equipment, used hives or any other beekeeping equipment for a tax deductible donation and free pickup (depending on location).
Have Questions?
We are here to help you, help pollinators! We have so many informative resources from value-added products, hive management, recommended native food sources to plant for bees and more. Fill out the form below with your contact information and question, or call us at 402-472-8378.