Learn responsible husbandry
£85 online theory, with optional £300 Manchester/Cheshire supervised practical training for selected learners.
Explore beginner training
BeeEducated · Beekeeping Standards
Practical BeekeeperStandard
Responsible husbandry. Demonstrated competence. Continued learning.
Support honey bees to thrive through knowledgeable, responsible care. Demonstrate your practical husbandry against the BeeEducated Standard and work towards a verifiable credential, with continued professional development recorded separately.
Choose your route
Starting out or ready to demonstrate your competence?
BeeEducated offers separate pathways for new beekeepers and experienced practitioners. Choose the right one for you.
Prove practical competence
Build authentic evidence against 16 competencies and undertake independent End Point Assessment. 2027 founding cohort applications are planned.
Explore certificationApplications close 1 April 2027 · experienced beekeepers
2027 Founding Cohort: demonstrate responsible honey bee husbandry.
For suitable experienced beekeepers ready to plan, gather and submit authentic evidence from April to November 2027. There is no deferral to the 2028 beekeeping season. Successful Gateway candidates can work towards independent EPA between November 2027 to before 31 March 2028.
No joining fee. The £345 EPA fee is paid only following successful Gateway and EPA booking. Assessment still covers the full approved Standard; places and outcomes are not guaranteed.
BeeEducatedBeekeeping StandardsPractical competence. Independent recognition.
Practical Beekeeper Standard
Sixteen competency areas
From colony inspection and biosecurity through queen management, health, honey production, safe apiary practice and regulatory traceability.
C1Colony inspection, records and management decisions
C2Biosecurity
C3Seasonal colony management and overwintering
C4Nutrition, feeding and stores management
C5Swarm prevention, control and colony reproduction
C6Queen status, queen failure and colony recovery
C7Selective breeding, queen rearing and queen introduction
C8Varroa and parasitic mite management
Evidence-led Standard
Build evidence from real activity
Authentic inspections, colony manipulations, records, products and reflective commentary build a defensible picture of competence over time.
Independent assessment
Evidence first, not exam first
Professional discussion and End Point Assessment draw on the candidate’s own evidence rather than relying on a single test event.
BeeEducated Beekeeping Standards
View example credentialA credential attached to a clearly defined Standard.
See how the Practical Beekeeper Standard can be presented as a public, verifiable BeeEducated credential.
