2025-2027 Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program

THE APPLICATION PERIOD FOR THE 2025-2027 BEEKEEPING APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN EARLY JANUARY 2026 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE 2026-2028 PROGRAM.

Have you ever thought about becoming a beekeeper but were afraid to go it alone, especially since it can easily cost hundreds of dollars to get started (including the purchase of hive components, a bee suit, beekeeping tools & bees)? The San Francisco Bee-Cause Two-Year Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program is an exciting and unique chance to learn beekeeping in a group setting. Participating in our Program is of "no charge" as long as you fully and actively complete the entire two years.

Why participate in our two-year program?

First, we offer an unequaled learning experience in which you fully participate in the management of honey bee colonies throughout all four seasons, over a two-year period including two winter seasons. As the seasons change, so do the floral resources and a honey bee colony's activities and biological objectives. Beekeepers need to understand seasonal colony dynamics and how colony management actions at certain times of the year can mean the health and prosperity, or the irreversible decline and death, of a colony in the months ahead. Since the introduction of the varroa mite into the US in the 1980s, keeping a honey bee colony alive and healthy is "the" challenge. Monitoring and managing varroa mite levels and associated diseases are key parts of our Program because colony health is the #1 objective of our beekeeping.

Second, we provide guided solo and group learning. On a monthly basis, we provide you with assigned book/internet reading and video-watching assignments on a specific topic and related discussion questions ("homework"). We then hold a Zoom meeting focused on the discussion questions. Periodically, the "homework" is a written test (ungraded). At the following Zoom discussion meeting, we discuss the answers together. These tests enable you to confirm areas of knowledge you have mastered and areas for self-improvement.

Third, in the first year ("YR1"), you learn essential "hands-on" beekeeping skills from different mentors while inspecting the different colonies in our Apiary. Different mentors have different teaching styles from whom you may learn different things or expand your knowledge in different ways. By inspecting different colonies, you learn the range of what is "normal" and observe different conditions within different colonies. During your second year ("YR2"), you rely on and expand your YR1 knowledge and experiences. You continue to learn by managing a specific colony within our Apiary from one Spring through the next, and by serving as a "mentor" to help teach our new group of YR1 apprentices. In our experience, you never learn a subject better than having to teach it.

Fourth, our organization is not-for-profit and run entirely by volunteers. You become part of a beekeeping community with the same beekeeping values and goals. Beekeeping with others in an interactive learning environment is very rewarding . . . and lots of FUN! You make a difference by ensuring the continuation of a program that trains new beekeepers based on science and ethical stewardship. Without our YR2 participants, our Program could not survive.

Fifth and finally, as far as we can tell, there is no other beekeeping apprenticeship program in the U.S. that is remotely like ours. By completing the Program, you will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to competently and confidently manage your own honey bee colonies for bee health from year-to-year. You also gain the knowledge to become a well-rounded bee "ambassador” and educator to the public, as well as a competent mentor to other beekeepers in the years ahead.

March 2025 marks the beginning of our 13th beekeeping apprenticeship program!

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

What to expect

Our Program requires a two-year commitment. Each two-year program runs from March 1 of one calendar year through March 31 two calendar years later.

Applications for the 2025-2027 Program are accepted only through the February 28, 2025 deadline. If you miss this deadline, you will need to wait and apply for a future Program.

During YR1 of the Program, we make a substantial investment in you. You will participate in extensive discussion and hands-on learning. You will also participate in the full range of beekeeping and related activities as well as special learning activities and events. See below for more details and initial dates for YR1 of the 2025-2027 Program.

During your required YR2 of the Program, you "give back" to the Program by serving as a "mentor" to the new group of YR1 apprentices during hive inspections. Importantly, you continue to learn while serving in that role, and by being responsible for managing a specific honey bee colony within our Apiary. See below for more details and dates for YR2 of the

2025-2027 Program.

Program communications are by email via our groups.io account. Monthly discussion meetings are via Zoom. Therefore, you must have internet access to participate in discussion meetings and to regularly review and promptly reply to Program emails.

Every January, we meet as a group to plan for the upcoming calendar year and the upcoming 2-year Program that begins on March 1. Each year, we make improvements to the Program by implementing Participants' ideas and recommendations.

Read what some past participants say about their experience in our Program

Watch a short video, Sweetness & Light, about our Program created by a past participant, Isabella S.

Application & Important Dates

* Before you apply, check your calendar for all mandatory dates and requirements listed below.

Wednesday, February 12 @ 7-8pm. SF Bee-Cause held an optional informational Zoom meeting to allow prospective applicants the opportunity to meet Program leadership, learn more about the Program's opportunities, structure, requirements, etc., and ask any questions about the Program. That meeting was recorded and can be found here. The passcode is: H!P%m0N%. The recording will be available until the end of the application period (i.e., February 28, 2025 at noon).
No later than Friday, February 28 @ 12pm (noon). Submit your application This is the Application Deadline.
Through Saturday, March 1. Make yourself available for a telephone interview/discussion to complete the application process. Note: As applications are received, they will be promptly reviewed and interviews will be conducted for select applicants, so don't delay applying!
Saturday, March 1. No later than on this date, you will have been interviewed and informed via email if you are invited to join the Program.
Sunday, March 2 @ 10-11:30am at the Apiary. If you have been invited to join the Program, you will be required to attend the Program Introductory Meeting at our Apiary (directions will be provided). See the next page for details.
- The "rain date" for this meeting is Tuesday, March 4 @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom (access information will be provided).
No later than Monday, March 17 @ 12pm (noon) via DocuSign. This is the Acceptance Deadline for invitees to accept the invitation to join the 2025-2027 Program.
Wednesday, March 19 @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom. You will participate in your first educational Discussion Meeting. See the next page for details.
Sunday, March 23 (or March 30 "rain date") @ 10am-3:30pm at the Apiary. You will participate in a Hands-On Training: Basic Beekeeping Skills.
Wednesday, March 26 @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom. You will participate in your second educational Discussion Meeting. See the next page for details.
Every Sunday beginning on Sunday, April 6 (weather permitting) @11:30am-3:30pm at the Apiary. You will participate in Every Sunday Hive Inspections until you have had four inspections (tentatively, Sunday, April 6, 12, 20 and 27) together as a group. After that, your group will be divided into two groups with each group assigned to an every-other Sunday inspection schedule. You should also set aside the first few Sundays in May, too, because inclement weather may require cancelation of some of the April inspections, which means the entire group of new apprentices will need to inspect together until the group reaches the four required "Every Sunday Hive Inspections." You will need to bring your beekeeping suit and tools to the apiary for these initial hive inspections.
Wednesday, April 9 @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom. You will participate in your third educational Discussion Meeting. See the next page for details.
As early as Sunday, May 4 @ 11:30am-3:30pm at the Apiary. (Possibly on a later date, depending on cancelations due to weather). Every-Other-Sunday Hive Inspections will begin once your entire group has had 4 Sunday inspections together.

Return here in January 2026 to apply for the next apprenticeship class.

Year 1 - Activities & Requirements

(March 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026)

INITIAL MEETINGS (March-April 2025) As a condition of being admitted into the Program, you must be able to participate in each of the March meetings and the first four weekly hive inspections during April (or into May, if necessary, due to canceled inspections in April because of inclement weather). Note: You need formally accept the invitation to join the Program as of the March 17 deadline to participate in meetings and activities thereafter.

Program Introductory Meeting. This meeting will be on Sunday, March 2 @ 10-11:30am at the Apiary and is for applicants who have received our invitation to join the Program. The rain date will be Tuesday, March 4 @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom. At this meeting, we will discuss Program participation requirements, expectations, and schedules and we will review each of the Admission Documents. We will respond to all questions and concerns you may have. You will see the book we will be using for baseline reading, Keeping Honey Bees, Sanford & Bonney, Storey Publishing, 2nd Ed. 2018, and the type and sizes of personal protective clothing and beekeeping tools you will be required to buy for yourself. You also will get to meet and ask questions of at least one new Year 2 mentor and a Returning mentor.
Hands-On Training: Basic Beekeeping Skills. This training will be held on Sunday, March 23 @ 10:00am-3:30pm at the apiary. The "rain date" will be held on the same time and place on Sunday, March 30. We will review site security, and entry and exit procedures. You will rotate through four "practice stations" managed by mentors. At each station, you will learn and practice fundamental beekeeping skills that you will master during your first year as an apprentice.
Discussion Meetings. Three group discussion meetings will be held on the dates set forth below @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom.

Wednesday, March 19: Honey Beekeeping Basics.
Wednesday, March 26: Review of Selected Policies and Procedures and the Program's groups.io page.
Wednesday, April 9: Basic Honey Bee & Colony Biology.

You will be expected to complete any assigned homework and discussion questions prior to each class and actively participate during each discussion.

INITIAL HIVE INSPECTIONS (tentatively April 6, 13, 20 & 27, and/or into May, if necessary) Under the guidance of a YR2 (second year apprentice) or a Returning Mentor, you, as a YR1 (first year apprentice), will participate in hive inspections every Sunday @ 11:30am-3:30pm at the Apiary. These weekly hive inspections will allow you to become comfortable working with bees, required apiary and hive inspection procedures, and basic beekeeping skills. As weather permits, these weekly inspections will continue through at least the end April or into May, as needed, until all Year 1s have participated in 4 inspections as a group. Once your group has four inspections under your belt, each of you will be assigned to one of two "every-other-Sunday" inspection schedules.

ONGOING HIVE INSPECTIONS (May 2025-March 2026) Except from Sunday, November 23, through Sunday, January 11, when we traditionally give ourselves and our hives a break, you will inspect hives every other Sunday with a YR2 or Returning Mentor. Sometime in August 2024, on a specific date to be determined, your schedule will switch to the opposite Sundays. This will enable you to work with a different set of YR2s (or, perhaps, Returning mentors) whose schedule is on the opposite Sundays.

MONTHLY DISCUSSION MEETINGS (April-October 2025) Beginning with the Wednesday, April 9, 2025, discussion meeting, you will participate in regular discussion meetings on the second Wednesday of every month @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom, i.e., April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9 (no meeting), August 13, September 10, and October 8. In advance of each discussion meeting, you will be given and will be required to complete "homework" on some aspect of honey bee and/or pest/disease biology relevant to beekeeping. All YR1s are required to prepare for, attend and actively participate in each discussion meeting. YR2s are also encouraged to attend and participate these Discussion Meetings.

We are all volunteers and the Program Co-Managers and Returning Mentors who lead these Discussion Meetings put a lot of time and effort into creating useful homework, including discussion questions and tests. By providing the homework assignments in advance, we expect you to do the reading and answer the discussion questions in advance and then come to each Discussion Meeting prepared to actively participate. We cannot emphasize enough how important diligent preparation for, and active participation in, these discussion meetings are -- for you and for the group. Over the many years of our Program, we find that the YR1s who are diligent in doing the reading, answering the homework questions and participating in the Discussion Meetings become our very best YR2 mentors and, later, the best at managing their own honey bee colonies.

In addition, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, @ 7-8:30pm via Zoom, you will participate in Training: Honey Extraction, Part 1, during which you will learn what honey is; how hive equipment choices control the extracting options and methods; the tools and equipment used in the harvesting, extraction and bottling process; safety and cleanliness rules; what honey crystallization is and what to do when honey crystalizes, etc. Then, at one or more points during the year, you will participate in Hands-On Training: Honey Extraction, Part 2, which will give you actual hands-on experience extracting honey harvested from the Program's own hives. Fore more information, see the "Periodic & Seasonal" section below.

JANUARY - MARCH 2026 Following our 2026 Annual Planning Meeting (on January 18, 2026), you will prepare for and participate in a series of Zoom discussion meetings to help you prepare to move into your YR2 mentor role. Weather permitting, hive inspections resume on the Sunday following the Planning Meeting (i.e., January 25, 2026).

PERIODIC & SEASONAL See below after the "Year 2 - Activities & Requirements."

Beekeeping Grows in San Francisco - NYTimes.com.jpg

Year 2 - Activities & Requirements

(April 1, 2026 - March 28, 2027)

DISCUSSION MEETINGS You will prepare and actively participate in select, scheduled discussion meetings to reinforce self-identified areas of weakness in your knowledge and skillset and to help YR1s with their education.

HIVE INSPECTIONS In partnership with another YR2 mentor or a Returning Mentor (together, "hive partner"), you will be responsible for managing an assigned honey bee colony in our Apiary. Our primary objective is always the health and overall wellbeing of our honey bee colonies; honey production is always secondary. But, not surprisingly, honey production is often tied to colony health and queenright status.

As a YR2 mentor, you will inspect your assigned colony every other Sunday and actively supervise, guide, and engage one or more YR1 apprentices through each inspection. Your "hive partner" also will inspect your colony with YR1 apprentices on the opposite every-other-Sunday schedule. Following your inspections, you will timely enter your inspection observations, actions, conclusions, and “to do’s” into our "HiveTracker" inspection record-keeping spreadsheet. Use of HiveTracker enables you, your "hive partner" and others to be timely informed of your colony’s development and needs. It also enables you to understand the changes to your colony as a "super-organism" through the seasons. Because you rarely, if ever, will inspect your assigned colony on the same Sunday with your "hive partner," you are encouraged to actively collaborate as a "hive team" via phone calls or email. Some colony management decisions are best made collectively by both hive partners.

PERIODIC & SEASONAL See below.

Wiring a hive frame before installing wax foundation

Year 1 & Year 2 - Periodic & Seasonal Activities

(Upon Your Confirmation of Participation in 2025 - March 28, 2027)

Except as noted, participation in periodic and seasonal activities listed below is required of all YR1 and all Yr2 Program participants.

Attend and participate in our Annual Program Planning meeting each January.
Participate in scheduled Apiary improvement and maintenance activities and sessions, whether scheduled before or after Sunday inspection times or for a separate date.
Before hive inspections (on a rotating schedule), water our pollinator-friendly plants not covered by our irrigation system.
Help load and unload, inventory and organize hive components at the Apiary, and honey frames at our offsite honey extracting location.
Help extract honey produced by our colonies. We schedule honey extractions as needed throughout the year. While we try to schedule extracting sessions on Sundays (for those not scheduled to inspect on that particular Sunday), it is not always possible and an extracting session may need to be on a Saturday. YR1s are required to attend the group extracting training session via Zoom, and then make themselves available to extract on one or more occasions as needed.
Sell, on behalf of the Program, at least a case of 24 half-pound jars of honey produced by our colonies and/or other items made by the group from hive products.
Participate in special learning activities. Depending on Program needs, these would include melting and cleaning our wax for later use, cleaning wax & other debris from wood frames, wiring frames, and installing/embedding wax foundation into wired frames.

Optional:

Participate in and/or lead special learning activities based on your and/or the group's interest. These may include:
- using our cleaned wax to make personal care items (lip balms, lotions, salves), and
- using our cleaned wax to make other items (wax foundation, tea lights, votives, candles, wax food wraps).
Participate in mead making and/or tasting.
Participate in a field trip to a pollinator garden.
Participate in microscopic dissection and examinations of worker, drone & queen (virgin vs. mated) honey bees.
Participate in pollen and honey analysis (melissopalynology).

Testimonials

2025 marks the beginning of our 13th beekeeping apprenticeship Program! Read what some of our past and current participants are saying about their experiences.

Kevin L, Berkeley

2017-2019 Program graduate

Returning Mentor, 2019 - present:

Being in the Program has given me the knowledge, skills and confidence to set up my own hives and become a successful beekeeper. It introduced a whole new community of awesome people into my life, and furthered my connection with the natural world.

The Program is no small time commitment but it is worth it. You get both "classroom" and hands-on practical experience on a regular basis and you can't get this anywhere or, if you can, you’d pay a lot of money. I took the California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) Apprentice level written and field tests in September 2019. I was well-prepared and easily passed the tests.

Some people like to garden. Others like to keep backyard chickens or rabbits. I prefer to keep honey bees. Unlike gardening, you don't get your hands dirty. Since you don't do your hive inspecting until conditions are bright and sunny, it is perfect for a non-morning person like me.

I also find that beekeeping is very meditative. Looking through a colony of honey bees helps me quiet my mind, almost like doing tai-chi. All that matters in the moment are myself and the sights, sounds and smells of the bees.

Being in the Program started a lifelong passion. I hope to continue to serve as a mentor for future aspiring beekeepers.

Sarah M, Alameda

2018-2020 Program graduate

Returning Mentor, 2020-present:

Being involved in the Program has helped to solidify my interest and general knowledge of bees in coastal California. The Program has curated a community of like-minded individuals who are engaged in newly-emerging science around honey beekeeping as well as the historical perspective. I have enjoyed my experience reading, researching, discussing, and inspecting with a group where no question is silly, and Program participants are excited to share and expand their own knowledge about the subject matter of bees! My participation in the Program enabled me to easily pass the California Master Beekeepers Program, Apprentice Level, with flying colors in September 2019.

As a first-year apprentice, it was a beneficial experience to work with second-year mentor-apprentices and returning mentors. It greatly informed how I have behaved as a second-year mentor-apprentice and how I will engage in my third-year as a returning mentor and beyond.

Thank you to SF Bee-Cause for contributing to my lifelong learning, my continued love of bees and pollinators, as well as continually engaging my brain with new and interesting information.

Selena F, Oakland

2018-2020 Program graduate:

Becoming part of the SFBC Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my path of supporting sustainability and land-based resilience in the Bay Area. With 2 years of hands-on beekeeping apprenticeship and mentoring under my belt, I’m confident in my ability to effectively share my knowledge with members of my community, and to manage honey bee colonies for health, pollination and honey production.

Upon completion of my second year on March 31, 2020, I plan on tapping the modular, focused approach of the SFBC Program to support educational programming for multi-generational families in my immediate neighborhood in Oakland.

Roxane G, Long Island NY (formerly San Francisco)

2013-2015 Program graduate:

I really enjoyed my time in the apprenticeship program as I was able to learn so much about these amazing creatures. Still to this day, I love sharing what I learned in the program with friends and family. One of the things I loved about the program was spending time and learning with new people while building wonderful relationships with my fellow apprentices. Some of my fondest memories were of sharing a snack with my hive partner after inspecting our colony and taking notes about what we learned about our colony that week. We both particularly enjoyed doing our hive inspections at the same time other teams were inspecting their hives in the apiary. We were able to learn what was happening inside other hives – what was the same, similar or different due to colony differences.

The time commitment of the program is significant but worth it. It is very important to see and feel what is going on inside different hives over the course of two years. You learn so much by looking for the queen, finding her or not, looking for eggs and brood in various stages of development, assessing food stores and the health of the colony while looking for pests and diseases. The program teaches you available IPM remedies and best practices. I highly recommend it!

Kasey W, San Francisco

2014-2016 Program graduate

Returning Mentor, 2016-2018:

The San Francisco Bee-Cause beekeeping apprenticeship program was way more valuable of an experience than I ever could have imagined. As a garden educator and science teacher, I am always looking for ways to deepen my connection to and understanding of the natural world. Through the program, I became an experienced and confident beekeeper, but I also gained more insight into San Francisco's ecology and my place within it.

The program provided hands-on experience on hive inspections, honey harvesting and extraction, and preparing beekeeping equipment. It also provided readings and research on practical honey bee biology and the nuances of colony development and management through the seasons over two years. I especially appreciated having different mentors for the first year to guide me, and then growing into the mentor role myself--you do learn the most when you teach others!

The program also is unique in the opportunity work with multiple hives. Most beekeepers initially keep 1 maybe 2 hives, whereas we experienced up to 7 different colonies over a 2-year period, exponentially increasing our exposure to potential issues a honey bee colony might experience.

As a result of participating in the program, I gained enough experience and confidence to start a successful beehive in a middle school that is still buzzing today. The program connected me with new and existing friends with similar passions, a sense of stewardship for the place I live, and an even deeper reverence for the amazing world we call home. I highly recommend the program!

Lauren Chandrika L, San Francisco

2015-2017 Program graduate

Returning Mentor, 2017-2019:

My participation the beekeeping apprentice program prepared me for having my own hives. The program teaches colony beekeeping inspection skills as well as colony management through different seasons. Having the opportunity to develop hands-on skills with individual attention and mentoring was incredibly valuable. The emphasis on honey bee biology and discussion of different situations within the apiary gave me a well-rounded education that complemented my hands-on experiences. Beekeeping in a group also provided ongoing bonds of support and friendship for which I am grateful.

The 2-year commitment was useful as there is so much to learn about honey bees and colony management, and the scheduled commitment provided consistency. After graduating from the program, I continued my participation for another two years as a “returning mentor.” Through that additional opportunity -- to continue to share with others my knowledge and experiences – further reinforced my knowledge, skills and mentoring abilities.

I recommend the program. It provides a unique learning opportunity that will give you all you need to continue beekeeping with skill and confidence.