Beekeeping programs educate Nebraskans of all ages, experience

LINCOLN — “Save the Bees!”

It’s a phrase most have seen on social media, stickers, pins and T-shirts. There’s no longer any doubt that honeybee populations are decreasing, as shown by data from the United States Department of Agriculture, even though these pollinators are crucial to ecosystem survival. Compounding these concerns, beekeeping has an aging workforce less suited to the physical labor demanded by the job.

The central United States, including Nebraska’s surrounding states, has historically been lacking in a comprehensive, wide-ranging beekeeper education program, but new groups throughout Nebraska are aiming to help the situation.

The Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program through the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, partners with 11 other beekeeping organizations throughout Nebraska and the Midwest to form a network of field learning and involvement opportunities, including shared facilities, equipment, and online learning content.

Research Project Manager Sheldon Brummel played a central role in outlining the program’s structure and content. A UNL graduate himself, Brummel became interested in conservation and beekeeping as a hobby after beginning his undergraduate career in 2016.

“I was a broke college student so I was like, ‘I don’t want to pay for these classes, so I’m going to find someone at UNL who can teach me,’” Brummel said.

However, he was unable to find a current UNL faculty member able to teach beekeeping to students. Brummel was referred to Marion Ellis, a retired UNL professor who then began teaching Brummel about beekeeping at his personal apiary, a collection of beehives.

Due to his expressed interest, the UNL Entomology Department hired Brummel to clean off and maintain unused beekeeping equipment that had been previously used by Ellis. After gaining more hands-on experience with Ellis, Brummel was able to take the reins and help establish a new beekeeping education program.

“The coasts are a very different ecoregion, and they also have a lot of master beekeeping programs already, but there’s really nothing in the central U.S.,” Brummel said.

The program’s content is broken up into three skill levels: apprentice, journeyman and master. A student at the apprentice level will likely have zero to two years of beekeeping experience, a journeyman will probably have about 2-5 years, and a master beekeeper will have five or more years of practice.

According to Brummel, bees only fly between the months of April to October, and seasons shift every year. A crucial part of beekeeping is learning to ensure a hive’s survival through changing winter months and unpredictable weather patterns, which is why most pupils need about five years to achieve the highest competency.

“Even if someone thinks they know everything and they’ve passed all the tests, you still need that time limit to gain the notches on your belt and understand working with bees,” Brummel said.

Participants in the Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program engage in a variety of learning activities, consisting of online lectures, in-person lectures, volunteering in one’s local beekeeping community, and field learning at open apiaries.

Video and in-person lessons cover a wide range of topics, beginning with the history and biology of the honeybee itself to understand how bees’ physical functions and caste systems operate. Land stewardship is another large focus. Because honeybees cannot be fenced in like other animals, it is essential to provide enough food and pollination material for bees in areas surrounding a hive.

There are also lessons within the program’s higher ranks about making beekeeping a profitable business and how to inform others about beekeeping while combating misinformation.

Participants must also work at open apiaries to gain hands-on experience handling honeybee colonies. Field learning is an important step because students can ask any questions to more experienced beekeepers, touch and handle bees, and practice using tools of the trade such as smokers. There is no cost required to attend open apiary sessions, and apiary locations span the central United States with partnering facilities in Michigan, Wyoming, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.

“You can be an apprentice and take everything online for free. You don’t even need to purchase your own bees to go do field learning in an open apiary, so there is no cost requirement for participating in the program,” Brummel said.

The Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program has about 1,800 participants currently, at various levels throughout the program. It is self-paced, so there is no set requirement on how quickly participants must move through learning materials. However, to move up through the competency levels, all participants must engage in a field skill check test with a beekeeper who has already achieved their master rank.

Ultimately, the program’s goal is to provide a reliable, comprehensive framework to develop proper beekeeping knowledge and skill that is relevant to the Midwest environment.

“This is actually curated by the university, by scientists, and by beekeeping professionals who have been in the industry for decades,” Brummel said. “There is a lot of info on YouTube, but it may be misinformation, or it may not be relevant to the Central US ecosystem.”

While new beekeepers are developing their skills, they can interact with a multitude of other localized groups to explore a wider variety of beekeeping tactics and form a tight-knit community with fellow beekeepers.