- No specialized equipment or prior experience necessary—just an internet connection, a standard web browser, and a desire to learn about bees!
- Topic selection is a la carte, so you can pick and choose exactly which topics you wish to learn about.
- You can go at your own pace; there is no mandate as to how quickly you progress through the BEES network.
- There are opportunities for individual topics or entire "bee schools"! For an introductory short course about bees and beekeeping, you can bundle all three introductory level lectures into one plug-and-play short course for beginner beekeepers. If shown to large audiences, there are opportunities for discounts!
- All proceeds go directly to support the NC State Apiculture Program and our various research and extension endeavors.
The Beekeeper Education and Engagement System (BEES) is a new online resource for beekeepers at all levels. The system is entirely internet based and open to the public. The structure of the BEES network is broken into three ascending levels of difficulty (Beginner, Advanced, and Ambassador) and three general areas of content (honey bee biology, honey bee management, and the honey bee industry).
Pricing
The donation fee for each course is $25, and enrollment is a la carte; you can pick and choose exactly what courses you want! See the list of courses that are currently available below. There are no mandates or pre-requisites for taking any BEES course, so that you do not have to take one in order to take another. Unfortunately, there is no mechanism for refunds at this time.
I'm happy to announce that we just started accepting online payments by credit card (with an additional $1 processing fee per course), so if it is more convenient for you to enroll that way you can go to the secure link:
https://quikpayasp.com/ncstate/commerce_manager/payer.do?orderType=Bee%20Entomology
Alternatively, if you wish to pay by check, please make it out to "NC State University" and send it to:
David R. Tarpy
BEES coordinator
Department of Entomology
Campus Box 7613
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7613Be sure to include your email address and any other information including the requested courses. Once received, I will send you another email with all of the logon information and passkeys to your requested courses. After you have successfully enrolled, you will have a limit of thirty (30) days access to the course content and to complete the course quiz. A passing rate of 80% or greater will allow you access to download the electronic BEES Certificate of Completion for the course!
In the meantime, you can go onto the Moodle system and create an account for free. Once you do, you will have unlimited access to the course “Introduction to BEES” on the Moodle system, which serves as an introduction to the Beekeeper Education & Engagement System, a portal to courses offered in the system, and a social network among other BEES users through discussion forums and other online tools. The link to that course is:
https://extension.moodle.ncsu.edu/course/view.php?id=317
For additional questions about the program, see the BEES tutorial video above or email BEES administrators at david_tarpy@ncsu.edu
OR
******CURRENTLY AVAILABLE COURSES******
Beginner level
BEES 1.01: Basic honey bee biology and life history (5 lectures, 1.66 hours total instruction)
BEES 1.02: Introduction to beekeeping and hive management (6 lectures, 1.95 hours total instruction)
BEES 1.03: Importance of bees and beekeeping to society (4 lectures, 1.71 hours total instruction)
Advanced level
Biology track
BEES 2.01.02: Honey bee anatomy (4 lectures, 0.82 hours total instruction)
BEES 2.01.05: Queens and mating (4 lectures, 0.97 hours total instruction)
BEES 2.01.07: Foraging biology (4 lectures, 0.97 hours total instruction) **NEW COURSE**
Management track
BEES 2.02.03: Pathogens, parasites, pests, and problems (4 lectures, 1.38 hours total instruction)
BEES 2.02.04: Varroa IPM (4 lectures, 1.20 hours total instruction) **NEW COURSE**
BEES 2.02.05: Queen rearing and bee breeding (4 lectures, 1.21 hours total instruction) **NEW COURSE**
Industry track
BEES 2.03.01: Africanized bees (6 lectures, 1.12 hours total instruction)
BEES 2.03.07: History of beekeeping (3 lectures, 1.02 hours total instruction)
Copyright 2011 - NCSU Apiculture Program - North Carolina State University Department of Entomology - All Rights Reserved