VIN

VSPN

The current VIN date & time: Eastern

Honey Bees – Beekeeping 101 (ARTH002-0225)

The lectures for this course will be presented via Zoom.

Instructor: Meghan Milbrath, PhD, MPH
Course Dates: February 4-March 7, 2025
Enrollment Ends: 5:00 pm ET (USA), February 11, 2025
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Tuesdays, February 11, 18, and 25, 2025; 8:00-9:30 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 4.5
RACE Category: 4.5 hours Medical


Enroll Now  

Tuition: Member $104 ($94 early bird special if enrolled by January 21, 2025)
Non-Member $183 ($165 early bird special if enrolled by January 21, 2025)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


  • Enroll in 2 or more Honey Bee courses on the same day and receive a 15% discount.
    • ARTH001-0125: Honey Bees – Biology
    • ARTH004-0325: Honey Bees – Diseases
    • ARTH005-0425: Honey Bees – Practicing Honey Bee Medicine
  • Please note - ARTH001-0125: Honey Bees - Biology is a strongly recommended prerequisite for this course.


Course Information:
This course is designed for veterinarians who are beginner beekeepers, interested in beekeeping or working with small-scale and hobby beekeepers. We will cover the basic equipment and tools necessary to keep bees, focusing on different hive types and PPE. Participants will learn the basics of animal handling and safety, and we will go through the basics of how honey bee colonies are established in the first year. We will cover basic nutrition needs of honey bees and how they are fed.


Learning Objectives: Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • identify key equipment used by beekeepers.
  • contrast different hive styles for use in different climates.
  • demonstrate the basic skills needed for a safe hive inspection.
  • identify all types of cells and cell contents within a hive.
  • describe the beekeeping tasks throughout the season.
  • explain the differences between summer and winter bees.
  • outline the basic tasks involved in honey bee care.
  • identify environmental cues that drive management decisions.
  • list the basic nutritional requirements for honey bees.
  • identify standard sources of food.
  • describe the standard methods of feeding honey bees.
  • identify signs that a colony is in nutritional stress.


Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary support personnel interested in beekeeping, working with beekeeping clients, and/or honey bee medicine. ARTH001-0125: Honey Bees - Biology is a strongly recommended prerequisite for this course.
Credit Approval: This course is approved for 4.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-1247322)


Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session February 11, 2025): Equipment and Tools
In this session we will cover the different types of hives that can be used to house honey bee colonies, comparing how they work in different climatic environments. We will look at various beekeeping tools and outline the necessary PPE for safe beekeeping.

Week 2 (Real Time Session February 18, 2025): Establishing a Honey Bee Colony
We will cover basic yearly management for honeybee colonies with extra focus on areas with a cold winter or prolonged dry season. Participants will learn the basic life stages of a colony over the season, focusing on environmental cues that drive management. We will cover common mistakes at each time of year and will focus on best management practices to optimize honey bee health and nutrition as well as honey crop production. Participants will understand how to set up a honey bee hive and colony, and to manage it for optimal health in the first few years.

Week 3 (Real Time Session February 25, 2025): Nutrition and Feeding
In this session we will discuss the nutritional needs of honey bees at both the colony and the individual level. We will discuss forage identification, assessing a colony to determine if the nutritional needs are met, signs of starvation and nutritional stress. Participants will learn when and how to supplementary feed, including preparation for winter or periods of drought.


Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.


Enroll Now  

Tuition: Member $104 ($94 early bird special if enrolled by January 21, 2025)
Non-Member $183 ($165 early bird special if enrolled by January 21, 2025)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


  • Enroll in 2 or more Honey Bee courses on the same day and receive a 15% discount.
    • ARTH001-0125: Honey Bees – Biology
    • ARTH004-0325: Honey Bees – Diseases
    • ARTH005-0425: Honey Bees – Practicing Honey Bee Medicine

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on February 11, 2025, at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.


Enrollment qualifications:
  1. VIN CE Courses:
    1. VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
    2. Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. VSPN CE Courses:
    1. VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
    2. Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
    3. Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
  3. Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
  4. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses.
    1. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  5. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.


Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357