Gain the skills and knowledge to manage a viable apiculture business.
This programme will enable you to operate as a Leading Hand in a commercial operation or to run your own commercial operation.
Offered through a unique blended delivery model, this qualification is for people who are single source, comb, or medical grade manuka honey producers, pollination service providers or self-marketing producers. You will gain the range of skills and knowledge needed to operate independently as beekeepers and will enjoy improved job performance.
By successfully achieving both the New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3) and New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 4), you will have completed the apprenticeship scheme endorsed by Apiculture NZ (the governing body for apiculture in New Zealand).
This programme is taught online with block courses in a range of locations throughout New Zealand.
36 weeks, part-time
Details to be advised in April 2024
2024 Fees - To be advised.
The following textbook is included in the course material fee:
There are no electives within this programme and all students undertake the following topics of learning:
AGRI4201 Plants, Pollination & Nutrition
AGRI4202 Bee Diseases & Management plans
AGRI4203 Seasonal Management & Food Safety
AGRI4204 Beehive Products & Management Evaluation
Could include:
The applicants should have completed at least three years at secondary school and achieved National Certificate of Educational Achievement (Level 1) or equivalent. They must be 16 years or over on the date the programme of study commences – unless an exemption from school has been given. There must be a reasonable likelihood of success at level three, as evidenced by cv or record of learning.
It is expected that learners will obtain work experience in a practical beekeeping environment, working in accordance with all health and safety best practices, and be assessed throughout a beekeeping season to achieve this qualification.
Equipment/PPE/AFBCourse
Note: It is assumed that these Level 4 students have passed the NZ cert Api (Level 3) and that they have a bee suit, gloves, smoker, hive tool and copies of the three books Practical beekeeping in NZ, Control of Varroa and Elimination of American foulbrood without the use of drugs. It is also assumed that they have completed and passed the one-day AFB disease recognition course. If they do not have the equipment above they will need to purchase this at and complete an AFB course, all at their own expense.
Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:
Certificate at Level 3
IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE)
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14)
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154. No less than 154 in each skill.
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current:
a) Level 3 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 3 (General)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36
Language Cert – B1 Achiever International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
Trinity ISE - ISE I with no less than distinction in any band
Block Course Locations
• Christchurch (National Trades Academy)
• Cromwell, Central Otago (Bannockburn Road)
• Dunedin (Momona Hall)
• Hamilton (Fraser High School)
• Ōrewa, North Auckland (Hibiscus Coast Community House)
Apiculture Level 4 Timetable 2023-24 (dates may change as agreed between tutor and students)
Otago Polytechnic, Harbour Terrace, Dunedin.
Lecturer: David Woodward
Month, Year, Workshop
Day, Date and Time*
Description of Activity
August 2023
Lecture/tutorial 1
Thursday 31st August
7-9pm
Orientation –overview and outline of course, PPE, on-line Moodle resources, and assessments, beehives, equipment, textbooks, timetable, enrolment, costs, AFB* course completion. Programme learner guide.
September 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 2
Saturday 16th September
9.00am – 5.00pm
Health and safety. Develop a seasonal beehive, nutrition & bee disease management plan. Fill out calendar, Plant collection. Develop Business Strategy, Goals, Objectives, Action Plans. Assessment 10
Workshop 3
Sunday 17th September
Calendar of seasonal operations and pest and disease management plan. Record keeping. Apiary diary. Assess honey stores. Prepare, transport & feed hives. Supering. Present Business Strategy, Goals, Objectives, Action Plans for coming season to group. Assessment 3, 6, 9, 10
September 2023
Lecture/tutorial 4
Thursday 28th September
Implement and monitor a seasonal beehive, beehive nutrition and bee disease management plan. Seasonal calendar. Plant collection. Monitoring food stores.
October 2023
Lecture/tutorial 5
Thursday 12th October
Nutrition and feeding botany. Assessment 7 and 8
October 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 6
Saturday 14th October
Cleaning hive bases, AFB disease inspection and sampling. Varroa treatment into hives. Swarm control, making up nucs. Uniting hives. Making up frames. Weed control.
October 2023 Theory and Practical
Workshop 7
Sunday 15th October
Assess stores. feeding hives, manipulating weak and strong hives, making up nucs, splitting hives, requeening hives. Plant collection. Assessment 8
Lecture/tutorial 8
Thursday 26th October
Alternative hive products, consider what alternative hive product you are going to collect. Hand in online diary for checking
November 2023
Lecture/tutorial 9
Thursday 16th November
Nutrition and feeding Pollination and Botany. Assessment 1, 7 & 8
November 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 10
Saturday 18th November
Swarm control, feeding, requeening cells/mated queens, splitting hives, making up nucs. Plant collection.
Workshop 11
Sunday 19th November
Swarm control, feeding, manipulating weak and strong hives, requeening, splitting hives, making up nucs.
Lecture/tutorial 12
Thursday 30th November
Monitoring, assess food stores and feeding. Discuss what records you have kept.
December 2022
Lecture/tutorial 13
Thursday 7th December
Botany Assessment 8
Alternative hive products Assessment 2
December 2023
Lecture/tutorial 16
Thursday 14th December
Discussion on monitor, assess food stores & feed if necessary, supering up hives after queen cells removed prepare for honey flow. Hand in online diary for checking.
December 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 14
Saturday 16th December
9.00am-5.00pm
Varroa treatment out of hives, AFB disease check, manipulating weak and strong hives, supering up hives prepare for honey flow. Uniting hives. Queen excluders.
Workshop 15
Sunday 17th December
Shift hives if necessary. Varroa treatment out of hives, AFB disease check, supering up, prepare for honey flow. Plant collection.
Lecture/tutorial 17
Thursday 21st December
Properties of honey and alternative hive products Assessment 2 Hand in plant collection Assessment 8 Review seasonal calendar & pest and disease plan.
Christmas Break
January 2024
Lecture/tutorial 18
Thursday 18th January
Honey hive products and alternative hive products. Assessment 2
January 2024 Theory and practical
Workshop 19
Saturday 27th January
Remove supers from production hives. Working in a honey house maintain food safety procedures, keep suitable diary records. Assessment 5
Workshop 20
Sunday 28th January
Working in a honey house. Food safety procedures. Assessment 5
February 2024
Lecture/tutorial 21
Thursday 8th February
Checking hives for honey, rearranging frames, preparing for harvest.
Lecture/tutorial 22
Thursday 22nd February
RMP and Exotic bee diseases. Assessment 4
February 2024 Theory and practical
Workshop 23
Saturday 24th February
Harvesting honey, food safety procedures Assessment 5 AFB inspections. Splitting hives introducing queens.
February 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 24
Sunday 25th February
Harvesting honey, food safety procedures Assessment 5
AFB inspection. Uniting hives. Varroa treatments into hives, alternate chemical class from spring treatment.
March 2024
Lecture/tutorial 25
Thursday 7th March
Exotic bee diseases. Assessment 4
Lecture/tutorial 26
Thursday 21th March
March 2024 Theory and practical
Workshop 27
Saturday 23th March
Assess food stores, feeding hives. Repair and replace damaged equipment. Food safety procedures. Begin wintering down process. Assessment 5
March 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 28
Sunday 24th March
Assess food stores, feeding hives. Food safety procedures. Begin wintering down process. Assessment 5
April 2024
Lecture/tutorial 29
Thursday 4th April
Commercial beekeeper guest speaker.
Lecture/tutorial 30
Thursday 18th April
Analyse and evaluate a seasonal beehive, beehive nutrition and bee disease management plan.
April 2024 Theory
Workshop 31
Saturday 27th April
Wintering down, assess food stores, feeding, reducing entrances, removing varroa strips, mice and wasp control.
Submit on-line seasonal calendar of operations & pest & disease management plan. Apiary diary 18+ entries.
May 2024 Theory
Workshop 32
Sunday 28th April
Powerpoint presentation on implement and monitor a seasonal beehive, beehive nutrition and bee disease management plan, recommend improvements. Submit on-line apiary dairy. Assessment 3,6,9 & 10
Workshop 33
Saturday 11th May
Assessments 1-10 Resits if required, could be class, small group, one to one or on-line sessions. Only if required.
AFB*=Students are expected to have passed the AFB disease recognition course and be approved beekeepers by the AFB Pest Management Agency. If you have not passed this course, you will need to book and complete the next available course.
*Timetable dates are correct at time of printing but may be subject to change. Note some practical hive management may be required outside of these timetabled hours and some online theory classes may become practical tutorials if required.
