I am interested in the spatial ecology of beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. For my undergraduate and M.Sc. research at Yale University, I focused on the interaction networks of wild bee communities in old-field meadows across human impact gradients. For my Ph.D., I would like to continue studying landscape scale beneficial insect dynamics and theory-driven conservation with Prof. 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.
Overview and Courses
These courses equip beekeepers from the hobby level to the commercial level with the concepts, knowledge, and best management practices needed to pass Cornell University’s Master Beekeeping Certificate written, oral, and field examinations.
By the end of these beekeeping courses, you will have the skills and knowledge needed to keep colonies healthy and productive year after year. You’ll be able to expand the amount, quality, and type of bee products and services you produce, and you’ll have the understanding to determine whether to take advantage of the business opportunities that beekeeping can provide. You’ll gain a deep understanding of honey bees as living organisms and be able to navigate controversial topics so you can communicate with credibility in the beekeeping community. Lastly, you’ll be able to act as a resource to educate new beekeepers and participate in bee research and outreach.
In order to receive the final certificate, students must contribute meaningfully to a set number of discussions, moderated by Cornell University Master Beekeeping facilitators, and pass the written, oral, and field exams. The exams include a written exam, the delivery of a presentation, and a field exam where individuals will demonstrate key beekeeping skills. A Cornell University Master Beekeeping Certificate from Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Entomology, will be awarded to individuals who successfully complete the required coursework and receive a passing grade on all three exams.
For the best experience in this program, it is recommended to take these courses in the order that they appear.
Please note there is a prerequisite of three years’ minimum experience in order to enroll in the program.
Course list
Effective hive management requires an understanding of the behavior, physiology, and evolution of these amazing and complex creatures. 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.
This course equips 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.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.
This course equips 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.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 equips 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.A written examination demonstrating comprehension and application of knowledge learned in coursework. The written examination can be completed either online (within this course) or in person at Dyce Lab, Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York; you will choose the format when you schedule your exam. The written exam consists of multiple-choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. Students must score 70% or higher on their written examination in order to pass this component of the final examination.
Delivery of a 15-minute oral presentation demonstrating applied knowledge of beekeeping and research beyond the information provided in the coursework. This can be completed either remotely using video conference technology or in person at Dyce Lab; you will choose the format when you schedule your exam. Your research topic must be approved by the course facilitator and the oral presentation must be accompanied by visual slides. Students will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Their ability to locate, critically evaluate, and interpret the scientific literature and other information sources
The presentation's informational content
The presentation's organization
Their communication skills
The presentation's level of appropriateness for the audience
Their ability to answer follow-up questions from the facilitator
Students must score 70% or higher on their oral examination in order to pass this component of the final examination.
An evaluation of fieldwork demonstrating application of effective management techniques learned in the coursework. This can be completed either remotely using video-recording technology or in person at Dyce Lab; you will choose the format when you schedule your exam. Students are expected to supply their own protective gear. Thin medical gloves are permitted, but leather gloves are not. Examples of techniques to be demonstrated include (but are not limited to) the following:
Performing a split
Performing a merge
Making a nuc
Performing proper inspections
Identifying pests and diseases
Monitoring for pests and diseases
Handling queens
Assessing the nutrition of the colony
Troubleshooting issues
Students must score 70% or higher on their field examination in order to pass this component of the final examination.
This preparation course enables you to schedule the evaluation components required 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.
This course also provides information to help you prepare for your exam, including general descriptions of each evaluation component, practice quizzes, copies of previous exams, and more. The individual components of the exam are housed in their own courses, as follows:
Master Beekeeping Written Exam
A written examination demonstrating comprehension and application of knowledge learned in coursework. The written examination can be completed either online (within this course) or in person at Dyce Lab, Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York; you will choose the format when you schedule your exam. The written exam consists of multiple-choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. Students must score 70% or higher on their written examination in order to pass this component of the final examination.
Master Beekeeping Oral Exam
Delivery of a 15-minute oral presentation demonstrating applied knowledge of beekeeping and research beyond the information provided in the coursework. This can be completed either remotely using video conference technology or in person at Dyce Lab; you will choose the format when you schedule your exam. Your research topic must be approved by the course facilitator and the oral presentation must be accompanied by visual slides. Students will be evaluated on the following criteria:
The ability to locate, critically evaluate, and interpret the scientific literature and other information sources
The presentation's informational content
The presentation's organization
Communication skills
The presentation's level of appropriateness for the audience
The ability to answer follow-up questions from the facilitator
Students must score 70% or higher on their oral examination in order to pass this component of the final examination.
Master Beekeeping Field Exam
An evaluation of fieldwork demonstrating application of effective management techniques learned in the coursework. This can be completed either remotely using video-recording technology or in person at Dyce Lab; you will choose the format when you schedule your exam. Students are expected to supply their own protective gear. Thin medical gloves are permitted, but leather gloves are not. Examples of techniques to be demonstrated include (but are not limited to) the following:
Performing a split
Performing a merge
Making a nuc
Performing proper inspections
Identifying pests and diseases
Monitoring for pests and diseases
Handling queens
Assessing the nutrition of the colony
Troubleshooting issues
Students must score 70% or higher on their field examination in order to pass this component of the final examination.
In order to enroll in Cornell Master Beekeeping Exams, all four courses — Honey Bee Evolution, Biology, and Behavior; The Science and Art of Beekeeping; Managing Pests and Diseases; and The Rewards and Contributions of Beekeeping — must be completed.
These exams will allow you to demonstrate your skills and advanced knowledge and receive valuable feedback. Students who receive a passing grade on all three components of the exam will receive the Cornell University Master Beekeeping Certificate.
How It Works
Format
Blend of online and in-person options
Cost
$899
Faculty Authors
Katherine Urban-Mead
Extension Outreach Assistant
Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
PhD Student & Honey Bee Extension Outreach Assistant, Dyce Lab of Honey Bee Studies, Cornell University
Kimberly Carpenter
Secretary
Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
Secretary, Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
Kimberly is a second generation beekeeper who is following in the footsteps of her grandmother in her love for beekeeping and the natural world. With her husband Ben, she is the current owner of their two companies; Hungry Bear Farms & Ross Rounds. With a focus on education, Kimberly has traveled and participated in numerous training workshops from Queen Rearing at Penn State University to pests & diseases workshops and has helped bring beekeeping education back to her local club in New York. She aides in running and operating their businesses but her primary function is head of the beekeeping division of Hungry Bear Farms. She focuses on managing their honey bee colonies for queen rearing & nuc production and sales, honey production and crop pollination, as well as managing their new migratory operation in Florida. Kimberly holds many beekeeping classes in and out of the apiary every year to help educate beekeepers on many topics including colony health, sustainable beekeeping practices, the importance of genetics for improving stock, and diagnosing & managing pests and diseases. 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 Carpenter
President
Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
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. Ben’s primary function is managing their businesses, coordinating logistics and heading up the commercial sales division of Hungry Bear Farms. He is the current Director at Large for New York State’s beekeeping association and helps with marketing and technical resources. He is the current president of his local beekeeping association in Canandaigua New York and the Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association, where he coordinates their meetings & brings in speakers from all over the country. He also teaches beginner beekeeping classes for their farm with Kimberly, as well as at their local club. Ben also helps Kimberly with their migratory beekeeping operation in Florida with managing trucking and logistics. Ben is a co-coordinator for the Geneva Bee Conference, helping bring beekeeping education and speakers to a wider audience in NY State. He enjoys escaping into the beeyard when he gets a free moment.
Eleanor Andrews
Extension Assistant
Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
PhD Candidate & Honey Bee Extension Assistant, Dyce Lab of Honey Bee Studies, Cornell University
Ellie received a master’s degree in Geography (Penn State University, 2012) and a bachelor’s degree is in Political Science and French (Amherst College, 2006). In 2017-18, she taught in the Environmental Studies department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
She is interested in the human relationship to the environment: dueling visions of sustainability, the social causes and consequences of climate change, the implications of the Anthropocene for conservation, and more. Political economy and political ecology underpin her research, with forays into environmental history, science and technology studies, and nature-society geography.
Her current research examines how beekeeping is changing in response to ongoing honey bee health challenges, as it becomes ever more difficult to keep bees healthy and productive. Through participatory observation and interviews, her work shows how competing visions of “sustainable beekeeping” are being re-shaped by novel ecologies, challenges to conventional authority and expertise, and the hybridity of honey bees as part-wild, part-domesticated creatures.
Tom Seeley
Professor
Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Horace White Professor in Biology, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University
Thomas D. Seeley, biologist and writer, is a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. He teaches courses on animal behavior and does research on the behavior, social life, and ecology of honey bees. Tom is an avid beekeeper and began keeping bees while a high school student, when he shook a swarm into a box and brought it home. His scientific work is summarized in four books: Honeybee Ecology (1985), The Wisdom of the Hive (1995), Honeybee Democracy(2010), and Following the Wild Bees (2016). In recognition of his scientific contributions, he has been honored by an Alexander von Humboldt Distinguished U.S. Scientist Award, awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He writes:”These awards are gratifying, but for me the most important prizes by far are the discoveries that I have made about the inner workings of honey bee colonies.”
Emma Walters
Senior Extension Associate
Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
Senior Honey Bee Extension Associate @ Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
Emma Walters works with beekeepers to understand factors affecting honey bee health, with a focus on parasites, diseases, pesticides, and management practices. Emma is particularly interested in training beekeepers in methods that improve their colonies’ health. During her time at Cornell University, she led the NYS Beekeeper Tech Team and the Cornell University Master Beekeeping Program. Emma started beekeeping in 2011 in Ontario, Canada, and completed her Master’s degree investigating honey bee behavioral genetics at Western University in Canada.
Katherine Urban-Mead
Extension Outreach Assistant
Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
PhD Student & Honey Bee Extension Outreach Assistant, Dyce Lab of Honey Bee Studies, Cornell University
I am interested in the spatial ecology of beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. For my undergraduate and M.Sc. research at Yale University, I focused on the interaction networks of wild bee communities in old-field meadows across human impact gradients. For my Ph.D., I would like to continue studying landscape scale beneficial insect dynamics and theory-driven conservation with Prof. 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 Carpenter
Secretary
Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
Secretary, Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
Kimberly is a second generation beekeeper who is following in the footsteps of her grandmother in her love for beekeeping and the natural world. With her husband Ben, she is the current owner of their two companies; Hungry Bear Farms & Ross Rounds. With a focus on education, Kimberly has traveled and participated in numerous training workshops from Queen Rearing at Penn State University to pests & diseases workshops and has helped bring beekeeping education back to her local club in New York. She aides in running and operating their businesses but her primary function is head of the beekeeping division of Hungry Bear Farms. She focuses on managing their honey bee colonies for queen rearing & nuc production and sales, honey production and crop pollination, as well as managing their new migratory operation in Florida. Kimberly holds many beekeeping classes in and out of the apiary every year to help educate beekeepers on many topics including colony health, sustainable beekeeping practices, the importance of genetics for improving stock, and diagnosing & managing pests and diseases. 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 Carpenter
President
Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association
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. Ben’s primary function is managing their businesses, coordinating logistics and heading up the commercial sales division of Hungry Bear Farms. He is the current Director at Large for New York State’s beekeeping association and helps with marketing and technical resources. He is the current president of his local beekeeping association in Canandaigua New York and the Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association, where he coordinates their meetings & brings in speakers from all over the country. He also teaches beginner beekeeping classes for their farm with Kimberly, as well as at their local club. Ben also helps Kimberly with their migratory beekeeping operation in Florida with managing trucking and logistics. Ben is a co-coordinator for the Geneva Bee Conference, helping bring beekeeping education and speakers to a wider audience in NY State. He enjoys escaping into the beeyard when he gets a free moment.
Eleanor Andrews
Extension Assistant
Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
PhD Candidate & Honey Bee Extension Assistant, Dyce Lab of Honey Bee Studies, Cornell University
Ellie received a master’s degree in Geography (Penn State University, 2012) and a bachelor’s degree is in Political Science and French (Amherst College, 2006). In 2017-18, she taught in the Environmental Studies department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
She is interested in the human relationship to the environment: dueling visions of sustainability, the social causes and consequences of climate change, the implications of the Anthropocene for conservation, and more. Political economy and political ecology underpin her research, with forays into environmental history, science and technology studies, and nature-society geography.
Her current research examines how beekeeping is changing in response to ongoing honey bee health challenges, as it becomes ever more difficult to keep bees healthy and productive. Through participatory observation and interviews, her work shows how competing visions of “sustainable beekeeping” are being re-shaped by novel ecologies, challenges to conventional authority and expertise, and the hybridity of honey bees as part-wild, part-domesticated creatures.
Tom Seeley
Professor
Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Horace White Professor in Biology, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University
Thomas D. Seeley, biologist and writer, is a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. He teaches courses on animal behavior and does research on the behavior, social life, and ecology of honey bees. Tom is an avid beekeeper and began keeping bees while a high school student, when he shook a swarm into a box and brought it home. His scientific work is summarized in four books: Honeybee Ecology (1985), The Wisdom of the Hive (1995), Honeybee Democracy(2010), and Following the Wild Bees (2016). In recognition of his scientific contributions, he has been honored by an Alexander von Humboldt Distinguished U.S. Scientist Award, awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He writes:”These awards are gratifying, but for me the most important prizes by far are the discoveries that I have made about the inner workings of honey bee colonies.”
Emma Walters
Senior Extension Associate
Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
Senior Honey Bee Extension Associate @ Cornell Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies
Emma Walters works with beekeepers to understand factors affecting honey bee health, with a focus on parasites, diseases, pesticides, and management practices. Emma is particularly interested in training beekeepers in methods that improve their colonies’ health. During her time at Cornell University, she led the NYS Beekeeper Tech Team and the Cornell University Master Beekeeping Program. Emma started beekeeping in 2011 in Ontario, Canada, and completed her Master’s degree investigating honey bee behavioral genetics at Western University in Canada.
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Key Course Takeaways
- Apply knowledge of honey bee evolution and behavior to better identify and respond to the needs of your honey bees
- Use systematic hands-on techniques to support your colonies’ ability to thrive, keeping your colonies healthy year after year and achieving your specific objectives
- Prevent and control pests and diseases that interfere with honey bee health and productivity
- Explore the possibilities and considerations of how you can both profit from and contribute to the success of these amazing pollinators
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What You'll Earn
- Master Beekeeping Certificate from Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Who Should Enroll
- Beekeepers with at least three years of experience
- Beekeepers seeking advanced depth and breadth of knowledge to increase the success of their operation, extend their business opportunities, and gain credibility as a resource in the beekeeping community
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