New Zealand Certificate in Primary Industry Skills (Level 2) - Apiculture

Feel the buzz and kick-start your career in the apiculture industry today by learning a range of work-ready skills.

Apiculture tutor Dion Mundy stands next to the beehives at the Marlborough Campus.

Interested in the beekeeping industry? In six months, you can learn the basic bee-farming knowledge and skills needed to start working in the apiculture industry or let you decide if you want to commit to further study.

Ease into the basics of this beekeeping programme, designed for backyard beekeepers or anyone curious about the industry and keen to gain useful general knowledge.

You will build two hives, all in time to extract your honey in February. We'll even supply you with the materials for your first beehive.

By having two hives, you can use one to help support the other if a hive is weakened by disease, limited food sources or other issues. Don't worry, we'll teach you all about hive health too. 

You will learn 16 practical apiculture production tasks, including:

• Safe handling of bees
• Assessing beehive health and placement
• Bee biology
• Opening and closing hives
• Horticulture and tool maintenance
• Machinery use around beehives
• Honey extraction (using campus facilities)
• The legal requirements for owning bees and producing honey

This is the ideal pathway into the New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture, Level 3, to become an assistant beekeeper and to support you in completing an American Foulbrood (AFB) course.

Heavy lifting alert

Lifting a hive can be heavy, up to or more than 40kgs; please take this into consideration before enrolling.

"The programme is designed to be fun, engaging and a great introduction to the world of beekeeping."

— Dion Mundy, Apiculture Tutor

Programme delivery

Delivery

This programme is easy to fit around work and life with an on-campus workshop every second Saturday, and an hour's online class/meeting on alternative weekends.

The programme breaks from 16 December to 13 January for a summer break.

Practical hours

The hours you might practise the skills you are learning could be while working with a beekeeper, volunteering to weed and plant bee-attracting plants or sharpening tools for friends and neighbours. All hours spent practising the skills count.

During this programme, you should log approximately 5 hours per week of practical work over 26 weeks (120 hours). 

Assessments

During this programme, you will be introduced to 16 practical production tasks. To pass the programme, you must document and take photos of at least seven of the 16 practical production tasks with a sign-off from your tutor.

Additional costs

You will need to purchase

• your own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which includes a beekeeping suit (overalls and veil), gloves, smoker, and hive tool (approximately $250)
• a nucleus of four frames of bees, honey, and a queen bee (approximately $250)
• the woodware for your second beehive

It is preferable that you wear steel-capped boots or gumboots.

You will be supplied, free of charge

• the woodware to build your first beehive

Please note

At the end of this programme, you will own a fully functioning beehive and be able to manage this at a location that suits your needs.