With this programme, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to manage your own beehives. You’ll meet commercial apiarists in your local area and have the chance to complete an American Foulbrood (AFB) disease recognition course. Topics include bee behaviour and life cycle, beekeeping equipment, harvesting and extracting honey, and suitable bee forage plants.
Part-time over 36 weeks or up to two years
Blended Delivery - Online study with workshops at various locations. Please indiate your location on your enrolment form.
Direct Material Costs $949.00 (GST inclusive).
Cost of wax for dipping will be approximately $10-25 to be arranged with the tutor and a local supplier and paid by the student.
There are no electives within this programme and all students undertake the following topics of learning:
AGRI3201 Beekeeping Fundamentals
AGRI3202 Manipulating Beehives
AGRI3203 Beehive Disease Management Planning
AGRI3204 Beehive Disease Management Control
Graduates of this new programme will be able to work as an assistant beekeeper for commercial operators, as an independent beekeeper with a small number of beehives or even develop their own business. Alternatively, you will be able to progress into Level 4 Apiculture training (either as a leading hand or specialising in queen bee rearing – see the website for further details.
*All applicants to note that this is the last time this programme will be offered in its current form, so the programme will need to be completed within this intake.
Direct Material Costs include the following resources and equipment:
Gear and equipment students must provide or have access to:
English 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
Direct Material Costs include the following resources and equipment:Direct Material Costs include the following resources and equipment:
Block Course Locations
Materials supplied by SIT:
Students must achieve a pass in each course and attend 85% of workshop sessions to achieve a total of 60 credits as noted in the programme of study to be awarded the New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3).
Apiculture Level 3 Timetable 2023-24 (may change as agreed between the tutor and students)
Central Otago campus, 25 Bannockburn Road, Cromwell
Lecturer: David Woodward
Month, Year, Workshop
Day, Date and Time*
Description of Activity
August 2023
Lecture/tutorial 1
Thursday 31st August
7.00-9.00pm
Orientation –overview and outline of course, PPE, Moodle on-line resources and meetings, beehives, equipment, textbooks, timetable, enrolment, costs, AFB* course.
Sept 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 2
Saturday 9th September
9.00am – 5.00pm
Moodle site, assessments & course content. Wifi required. 3 textbooks. Learner Guide. Diary. Seasonal calendar of operations & pest & disease management. Plant collection.
Workshop 3
Sunday 10th September
PPE, supporting tools & equipment for beekeeping. Health, safety & regulations for beekeeping. Describe bee anatomy and bee behavior. Fill out the seasonal plan.
Sept 2023
Lecture/tutorial 4
Thursday 21nd September
On-line meeting Moodle resources and assessments. (Assessment 1 Bee life cycle & 6 Bee fodder plants & 9 Disease plan, beehive construction theory)
Lecture/tutorial 5
Thursday 5th October
On-line meeting and assessments (Assessment 1 Bee life cycle & 2 Beehive construction & 6 Bee fodder plants)
October 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 6
Saturday 7th October
Construct a beehive. Health and safety around paraffin wax dipping
October 2023 Theory and Practical
Workshop 7
Sunday 8th October
Construct beehive frames. Health, Safety & PPE, lighting a smoker. Work in apiary introduce varroa strips (if PPE available) Assessment 2 Hive construction. Apiary diary entry
October 2023
Lecture/tutorial 8
Thursday 19th October
On-line meeting and assessments (Assessment 6 Bee fodder plants)
November 2023
Lecture/tutorial 9
Thursday 2nd November
On-line meeting and assessments (Assessment 3 Assess and feed & 4 Requeen a hive & 6 Bee fodder plants)
November 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 10
Saturday 11th November
Re-queen a beehive with cells and/or mated queens. Make up nucs. Check hives for AFB and other diseases. Check hives for swarming. Feed bees. Dividing hives.
Workshop 11
Sunday 12th November
Locate suitable new sites for beehives. Shift beehives and feed beehives. Bee habitat. Monitor hive health, Assessment 3, 4 and 5
Lecture/tutorial 12
Thursday 23rd November
On-line meeting Assessment 7 Transport hives
December 2023
Lecture/tutorial 13
Wednesday 6th December
On-line meeting Assessment 7 Transport hives and 8 Pests and diseases, apiary diary
December 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 14
Saturday 9th December
9.00am-5.00pm
Pest and diseases AFB. Work in the apiary check hives for AFB, other pests and diseases and common conditions. Swarm control.
Workshop 15
Sunday 10th December
Bee fodder plants. Work in apiary. Feed if necessary. Remove varroa strips. Add honey supers. Requeen hives with queen cells if required. Shift hives to permanent sites
Lecture/tutorial 16
Wednesday 13th December
On-line meeting and Assessment 8 Pests & diseases, update diary, provide on-line copy to lecturer
Lecture/tutorial 17
Wednesday 20th December
On-line meeting and Assessment 10 Honey supering, review progress on 9 Disease management plan & pest and disease calendar. Update on-line copy of dairy.
Christmas Break
January 2024
Lecture/tutorial 18
Thursday 25th January
On-line meeting and Assessment 8 and 9 Pests and diseases-varroa mite
January 2024 Theory and practical
Workshop 19
Saturday 27th January
Manipulate frames in honey supers. Sample techniques for varroa mite population using two methods
January 2023 Theory and practical
Workshop 20
Sunday 28th January
Requeening with cells. Varroa mite biology, treatment options and sampling techniques
February 2024
Lecture/tutorial 21
Thursday 1st February
On-line meeting and Assessment 10 Honey harvesting and 8 and 9 Pests and diseases and disease management plan
Lecture/tutorial 22
Thursday 15th February
On-line meeting and assessments (Assessment 8 Pests and diseases & 11 Extract honey)
February 2024 Theory and practical
Workshop 23
Saturday 17th February
Harvest honey supers. Assist with the commercial extraction of honey and product processing.
Workshop 24
Sunday 18th February
Harvest honey supers. Carry out manual extraction of honey & hive products. Sample for AFB using two methods. Varroa strips in. Reduce entrances & feed hives.
Lecture/tutorial 25
Thursday 29th February
On-line meeting and assessments (Assessment 5 Swarm dividing and uniting, 8 AFB disease recognition course)
March 2024
Lecture/tutorial 26
Thursday 14th March
On-line meeting and Assessment 5 Swarming, dividing and uniting & AFB disease recognition course
March 2024 Theory and practical
Workshop 27
Saturday 16th March
AFB disease recognition course* and industry test (open to apiculture industry)
Workshop 28
Sunday 17th March
Work in an apiary and feeding beehive, assess honey stores. Monitor and manage hive health. Uniting hives.
Lecture/tutorial 29
Thursday 28th March
On-line meeting and Assessment 9 Disease Plan & 12 Wintering down, apiary diary
April 2024
Lecture/tutorial 30
Thursday 11th April
April 2024 Theory
Workshop 31
Saturday 20th April
Wintering hives. Conduct apiary site management in presence of disease. Feeding hive.
Workshop 32
Sunday 21st April
Submit assessment 9 and 12. Report on seasonal calendar of operations & pest & disease management plan for 2021/22, submit calendar on-line. Consider 2022/23 season. Varroa strips out 8 weeks after introduction. Update & submit on-line copy of apiary diary. Complete resits.
May 2024 Theory
Assessment resits 33
Saturday 4th May
If required, could be class, small group, one to one or on-line sessions to finalise resits. All resits completed by 4 May
*=Students are required to complete the AFB disease recognition course and pass the test. If you do not pass 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.
Please note that textbooks need to be ordered at least 3-4 weeks prior to the commencement of your study