Beekeeping Classes
Beekeeping for Certification Class Enrollment is Open
As of February 11, 2025, enrollment is open for the Beekeeping for Certification Class, though seats are limited. Seats are offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. To reserve a spot, please email Martin Ventura at mkventura@wisc.edu.
Become a Certified Beekeeper
The Beekeeping for Certification course is designed to equip beginning beekeepers with the knowledge, practice, and systems thinking skills required to successfully and sustainably manage honeybees in the Upper Midwest.
The course theme, ‘sustainable beekeeping in Wisconsin,’ is reflected in the techniques and approaches modeled by instructors, including rigorous, research-based strategies for managing Varroa destructor, a serious honeybee pest.
Four classroom lectures cover essential background topics on ecology, honeybee biology, and management. Once the weather warms, students practice beekeeping techniques over the course of 12 Saturday morning hands-on lessons in the Extension bee yard.
Throughout the course, students will also engage with the science of bees and other pollinators as members of ecosystems, including discussions of insect decline, native insect species, and ways to support the presence of pollinators in urban landscapes.
2025 Beekeeping Class
Classroom instruction begins in late March and is held Wednesday evenings throughout April at the UW-Extension Milwaukee County Office at 6737 W Washington St, Suite 2250, West Allis, WI, 53214.
Beekeeping practical (in-hive) lessons begin in early May. These hands-on lessons will be held every other Saturday until the end of September at the Extension Milwaukee County Bee yard at Kohl Farm Garden Community Garden in Milwaukee. Address and parking instructions will be provided during class.
The course fee is $380 and does not include protective garments. Enrollment is limited.
The mission of the Urban Apiculture Institute is to promote honey bees and healthy beekeeping practices in Milwaukee County. We train beekeepers in practical, successful, and responsible urban beekeeping practices in the Upper Midwest. We also conduct public outreach to educate the general public about the ecology of honeybees and other essential pollinators present on the Milwaukee County landscape.
Questions?
Martin Ventura
Urban Agriculture Coordinator
(414) 488-7720
mkventura@wisc.edu
