Beekeepers who want to learn more about queen-rearing techniques are in luck.

The UC California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) is offering an in-person Queen-Rearing Techniques Short Course on Saturday and Sunday, May 30-31, at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road at UC Davis. The course will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. 

The E.L. Niño Bee Lab will provide all classroom, grafting and queen rearing supplies, as well as lunch and snacks. The Queen-Rearing Techniques Short Course is recommended for Journey level CAMBP participants.

“Participants will be able to deepen their knowledge on queen biology and breeding programs, practice and hone their grafting skills, understand the basics of a cell starter and finisher system, explore combination methods and mating nuc uses, learn hygienic testing for varroa, and assess personal skill and competency in grafting on Day 2 based on Day 1 grafts,” according to the CAMBP website. 

Participants can take their viable queen cells from the bee lab the following Friday. A single grafting bar can hold up to 15 cells.

Facilitating the course are 

• Bee scientist Elina Niño, UC Cooperative Extension apiculture specialist in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; and founder-director of CAMBP
• CAMBP instructor Lauren Gregory Rusert, a doctoral student in E.L. Niño Bee Lab
• Joe Tauzer, staff research associate and manager of the Laidlaw facility

For more information about the course, see Kathy Keatley Garvey’s story.