Throughout six weeks of online coursework, the Commercial Queen Rearing and Package Production course introduces students to rearing honey bee queens for commercial purposes, including package production and individual retail sale. The course provides detailed information on queen and larval nutrition, the techniques of grafting, and the colonies necessary for queen rearing. It offers in-depth instruction on mating flights and best practices for taking advantage of nuptial flights with mating nuc and drone yard placements. Students also learn how to prepare colonies for package production and produce packages of honey bee colonies for sale. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to incorporate queen rearing and package production into their beekeeping operation.
Prerequisites: Passing Apprentice-Level (or Apprentice Test-Out) and Journeyman-Level Beekeeping courses.
Required textbooks: The Hive and the Honey Bee, 2015 version, available through Dadant. Beekeeping in Western Canada, 1998 or newer version (printed version or free electronic version).
Course meets fully online. There are no face-to-face components. Course is available for 5.0 CEUs.
To register, select "Add to Cart" below and follow the instructions through checkout. Within five business days of the course start date, you will receive the login information. The subject line of the email will be: “University of Montana Online Course Access.” Please note that payment must be received before the login information will be sent to you. If you do not receive this email, be sure to check your spam folder as it may have been delivered there.