This programme prepares you to work as an assistant beekeeper or manage your own hives with confidence while earning your New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3). You’ll learn the practical skills needed to work with bees and beehives, including hive management, honey production, pest and disease control, and safe use of apiculture equipment.
Course Details
You’ll gain practical beekeeping skills you can use for work or as a hobby. You’ll learn how to work safely with bees and equipment, understand bee lifecycles, manage common diseases, and recognise the role of plants in beekeeping. The programme also covers building and establishing beehives, swarm management, feeding bees, transporting hives, and harvesting and extracting honey. As part of the course, you’ll build your own beehive to take home, giving you the confidence to continue beekeeping after the programme.
Course Code | Course Name |
Beekeeping Environment | |
LBTBP3 | Plants for Bees and their Roles |
LBTLB3 | Lifecycle and Behaviour of Bees |
LBTWB3 | Wintering Beehives |
LBTSC3 | Swarming and Swarm Management |
LBRHP3 | Beehive Products |
LBTBF3 | Basic Fencing |
Beekeeping Tasks | |
LBTAE3 | Apiculture Equipment |
LBTCR3 | Constructing and Repairing Beehives |
LBTFB3 | Bee Nutrition and Feeding |
LBTEB3 | Establishing Hives in New Sites |
LBTEH3 | Extraction Process |
LBTPT3 | Transport Beehives |
LBTHH3 | Carry out Honey Harvesting |
Beehive Pests and Diseases | |
LBTAB3 | American Foulbrood (AFB) |
LBTCH3 | Safe Chemical Use in Beekeeping |
LBTPD3 | Pests and Diseases of Honeybees |
Beehive Disease Management | |
LBTRQ3 | Requeen a Beehive |
LBTDM3 | Beehive Disease Management Plan |
LBTVM3 | Varroa Destructor |
This course is Open Entry however you cannot be allergic to bee products or bee stings.
The cost of this programme is $490 inclusive of GST
The following will be required for you to successfully complete this programme however they do not all need to be bought at the start (your tutor will talk to you about what items will be needed when):
Item | Approximate Value |
Complete Bee Suit (standard basic suit) | $170.00 |
Gloves (standard) | $40.00 |
Hive Tool | $15.00 |
Nucleus Hive | $200.00 |
Varroa Treatments | $20.00 |
Smoker | $40.00 |
LEVY (The rate of levy for 2023 is $40 ($46 including GST) per beekeeper and $1.70 ($1.87 including GST) per bee colony owned by each beekeeper as at 31 March.) | $46.00 minimum |
Approximate Total | $531.00 |
Note: These are not fixed prices / cost. LBT has no control over these costs, as they can fluctuate at any time and will not take responsibility for this.
Applicants will require to cover the cost of Programme Fees and Course Related Cost of beekeeping equipment. At the end of the programme graduates can use this equipment to manage their own hive. Applicants can request a copy of the programme Fees and Course Related Cost at any time and this information is also in the Student Handbook. The equipment listed above is required to be purchased or supplied by the student to complete the programme. The approximate values indicated are approximate and for reference only (as prices will vary depending on who and where you purchase the equipment from and all prices will continually change with inflation).
Outcome Statement
Graduates of this programme will be able to:
maintain, manipulate and operate beehives to produce quality
assist to transport beehives and bee products, and establish hives in new sites
apply knowledge of pest and disease control methods to carry out beehive disease management plan.
This qualification is an entry point into apiculture training and may lead on to further study such as the New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 4). On completion, you may also work as an assistant beekeeper for a commercial beekeeping operator.
Duration of Study
40 weeks part time
Course Start Dates
I got my level 3 Dairy Farming through Land Based Training. It was so cool. I met nice people and the tutor is awesome. I class them all as the naki whanau.
Yeah the best course around to be honest. Learnt so much!
I’m a level 2 Horticulture student and the tutors are so awesome and supportive. The other students are cool, we are a fun bunch. I have learnt so much in a short amount of time.
Awesome course, learning heaps & loving it! Free knowledge, a priceless gift I will always be grateful for.
Apiculture (Level 3) FAQs
The workshops are held one day a fortnight, full 8-hour day (mainly weekends).
We do not have the workshops on long weekends unless organized with the tutor and students.
There may be a couple of back-to-back weekend workshops if required (season pending).
With intakes starting from August 2026, this course is available in Hamilton, Te Awamutu, Taupo, Ramarama, Riverhead, Canterbury and Hastings.
By the end of this course you will have completed the New Zealand Certificate in Apiculture (Level 3) which is an NZQA recognised qualification. This is the foundation of beekeeping and is sought after in the Apiculture Commercial Sector. If you have this certification, you have a much higher chance of being employed by Apiculture Companies.
Kitset single box hive and frames
Practical book
Supplementary guide with the key information you need to complete the course
Access to our online learning platform (Canvas)
You cannot miss any more that three workshops over the duration of the course, you will fall behind and miss out on vital information.
Let your tutor know if you are unable to attend a workshop and they can help you out.
You have additional ‘Self Directed Learning’ hours required to complete assessments, assignments and practical hours in yours/other’s beehives. These hours must be documented in a Hive Diary.
Each workshop runs for 8 hours. Around 5 hours of theory and 3 hours of Practical work in the hives.