New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3)

Learn online and discover the world of beekeeping. Develop practical skills in hive management, bee health, and honey production while gaining real-world experience with bee colonies. Whether you're exploring a new career or building on an existing interest, this programme provides a strong foundation in modern apiculture.

Campus
SIT Online
Qualification
Certificate
Level
3
Credits
65
Duration

Part-time over 36 weeks or up to two years

Dates
TBC
Tuition Fees

Zero tuition fees

Direct Material Costs

$7.00 per credit (incl. GST)

See list of materials required in Application Criteria

International Fees

Check if this course is available to international students in our International section.

Course Outline

Get into apiculture with a certification to show your skills, knowledge and ability to work safely and productively in a beekeeping environment.

You will learn to maintain, manipulate and operate beehives to produce quality products and pollination services; assist transportation of beehives and products; establish hives in new sites and carry out beehive disease management plans.

Topics that will be covered:

  • Bees and their habitat
  • Bee Manipulation
  • Requeening 
  • Honeyflow
  • Bee and Hive health
  • Bee Feeding

You will be able to manage your own beehive, enter the apiculture industry or progress in your apiculture career with this qualification.

This course is delivered online.

Students will need to have access to at least a dozen working hives (that have been wintered) and be able to take and upload video evidence for assessment purposes. 

Course Content

Assessment information

  • There are unit standard assessments in this programme. Ākonga will be eligible to be awarded all the unit standards associated with a course upon completion of that course.
  • Assessment in this programme is competency-based. Ākonga must successfully complete all specified assessment items in order to pass each course.


AGRI3201 Bee Keeping Fundamentals

Credits: 15

Learning outcomes:

  • Describe bee biology and identify the link between whenua, plants and bees, to support beekeeping operations.
  • Identify regulations, protective safety equipment requirements, and materials for beehive inspection and construction.
  • Construct and maintain boxes and frames used in beekeeping.

Unit standards:

  • 30798: Demonstrate knowledge of bees, the bee life cycle and adult bee behaviour patterns.
  • 30843: Identify and describe beehive construction equipment, and construct and repair beehives.
  • 30788: Demonstrate knowledge of plants that provide feed for bees and harvest declarations.


AGRI3202 Manipulating Beehives

Credits: 20

Learning outcomes:

  • Manipulate beehives to maximise honey production or pollination.
  • Manage hives safely throughout the seasons to optimise honey production or pollination.
  • Operate safe harvesting, transport and extraction of honey.

Unit standards:

  • 30785: Describe re-queening and re-queen a beehive.
  • 30799: Describe swarming and methods for swarm control, control a swarm, and unite and divide beehives.
  • 30792: Carry out honey harvesting.
  • 25894: Extract honey.
  • 30784: Describe and carry out wintering down of beehives.
  • 19892: Describe beehive transport requirements, and transport and establish beehives on site.


AGRI3203 Beehive Disease Management Planning

Credits: 15

Learning outcomes:

  • Implement a disease management plan to control common pests and diseases over an apiculture season.
  • Apply procedures and practices to safely manage pests and diseases over an apiculture season.
  • Record and review implementation of a pest and disease management plan over an apiculture season.

Unit standards:

  • 30795: Carry out an apiary pest and disease management plan over an apiculture season.


AGRI3204 Beehive Disease Management Control

Credits: 15

Learning outcomes:

  • Describe the management of common pests and diseases relevant to managing beehives over an apiculture season.
  • Apply knowledge to monitor beehive health and feed requirements to inform bee feeding.
  • Students must pass the American Foulbrood disease training course.

Unit standards:

  • 30789: Describe American foulbrood, varroa mite, and other bee pests and diseases found in New Zealand.
  • 30790: Assess beehive health, monitor beehive feed requirements, and feed bees.
Career Opportunities

Could include:

  • Commercial apicultural worker
  • Beekeeper’s assistant
  • Junior beekeeping position
  • Starting up a small apicultural business
Application Criteria

Students who apply must be prepared to purchase the following directly from supplier. Details to be emailed to students once enrolled:

  • 1 x Bee Suit & Gloves 
  • 1 x Hive tool 
  • 1 x Smoker 
  • 1 x Base 
  • 1 x FD Box 
  • 2 x 3/4D Box 
  • 10 x FD frames 
  • 20 x 3/4D Plastic Frame 
  • 11 x Wax Foundation 
  • 1kg Beeswax 
  • 1 x Feeder 
  • 1 x Hivemat 
  • 1 x Excluder 
  • 1 x Roof 
  • 1 x Guard inc screws 
  • 1 x Emlock 
  • 1 x Nails, Screws & Wire 
  • Food for bees

Learners will need to buy a nucleaus beehive of bees when the tutor instructs this to happen.

Gear and equipment students must provide or have access to:

  • Access to a camera/phone to take photo evidence to demonstrate practical competency for assessment. Must be able to upload files to Blackboard along with personal identification
  • Access to plants and flowers (for plant collection assessment)
  • Sturdy footwear
  • Trailer or ute and tiedowns
  • Book and pay for your AFB course here: https://afb.org.nz/beekeeping-course/ 
    • Please note that your SIT programme application fee does not cover the cost of the AFB course. If you have already done the AFB course, just send us a copy of your certificate.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

  • NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
  • an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A¬ level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or 
  • Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),orTrinity College  London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL); or
  • Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in  either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
  • Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
  • Successful completion of a Bachelor ‘s Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters’ Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be  from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
  • Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required  of the programme of study and  with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years  preceding the proposed date of enrolment.

Certificate at Level 3

IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5

TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE)

TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14)

Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154.  No less than 154 in each skill. 

OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200  in all sub-tests

NZCEL - Level 3 (General)

Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36

Language Cert – B1 Achiever International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS

Trinity ISE - ISE I with no less than distinction in any band

Additional Information

This course is delivered online. Students will need to have access to at least a dozen working hives (that have been wintered) and be able to take and upload video evidence for assessment purposes

We strongly recommend that you also connect with a local beekeeping club/group or buddy up with a local beekeeper. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are taking the necessary steps and precautions to keep yourself safe while studying this programme.

Please note, the programme requires students to obtain an American Foulbrood (AFB) Recognition Certificate issued through NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity (formerly the National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan). 

This is a New Zealand-specific requirement and forms part of the assessment requirements for that course.

As a result, overseas students should carefully consider whether they are able to meet this requirement before enrolling.

Are you a domestic or international student?

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