Purdue Queen Rearing Short Course

Category: Learning Also called: Purdue Bee Lab short courses; Mastering the Art and Science of Queen Rearing; Purdue Honey Bee Extension; Harpur lab extension short courses Last checked: 2026-09-24

What it is

Purdue University’s Honey Bee Extension / Bee Hive program publishes first-party annual short courses on beekeeping and bee breeding at the Purdue Bee Lab (West Lafayette, Indiana). The flagship two-day course listed for 2026 is Mastering the Art and Science of Queen Rearing (June 11–12, 2026), taught principally by Krispn Given (Apiculture Specialist, Department of Entomology), with supporting instructors from Indiana commercial/master beekeeping. Official short-courses copy also lists a separate advanced Instrumental Insemination class (September 3–4, 2026). It is not a county club and not a hive-equipment retail shop.

Who it’s for

Experienced hobby and sideline beekeepers (official prerequisite for the queen-rearing course: at least one year of beekeeping experience) who want a curriculum-first, fee-printed, in-person Purdue Bee Lab pathway covering grafting, starter/finisher colonies, swarm boxes, and mite-resistant selection. Printed tuition for the two-day queen-rearing course is $200 (class limited to 25 students). The instrumental-insemination course is a separate advanced track at $1,000 (with a $200 deposit; class size 3). Not a substitute for a local club meeting or for buying woodenware.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Learning program with printed dollar tuition, a dated 2026 syllabus and hour-by-hour agenda on the official Purdue Agriculture short-courses page, Bee Lab / Entomology contact blocks, and open registration contact — curriculum/fee-first, not a blog and not an affiliate landing page.

• Program overview (Purdue Bee Hive short courses — checked 2026-09-24): Mastering the Art and Science of Queen Rearing | June 11–12, 2026 at the Purdue Bee Lab. Cost of the two-day course $200; limited to 25 students; register by contacting Krispn at [email protected]. Official status banner on the check date: FULL FOR 2026. Students receive a video and queen-rearing manual; bring your own veil and protective suit. Course ends on the first day of The Beekeepers of Indiana summer field day (field-day registration separate on the TBoI site). Extension hub contact: [email protected]. Bee lab phone printed on the II course block: (765) 496-1299. Campus footer address: Purdue Agriculture, 615 Mitch Daniels Blvd., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2053; (765) 494-8392.
• Queen-rearing curriculum bullets (same page — checked today): Introduction to Queen Rearing Systems; Biology of Queens & Drones; Advanced beekeeping techniques; Selecting Winter-Hardy Mite-resistant bees; Commercial Queen Production; Preparing finishing colony (queenright vs queenless); Preparing Swarm Box; Double Screen system; Grafting (hands-on); Alternative methods; Procedure from Egg to Queen; Queen Mating; Marking Queens. Thursday agenda sample: registration 8:00 a.m.; lectures and panel through noon (Papa John’s lunch provided); colony manipulations / starter-finisher / swarm-box work 1:00–4:00 p.m. Friday: grafting practice from 9:00 a.m.; Jimmy John’s lunch; graft placement and special guest field lecture on drone congregation areas; adjourn 5:00 p.m. Saturday optional return to check graft acceptance.
• Related 2026 card (Advanced Techniques in Instrumental Insemination — checked today): September 3–4, 2026; also FULL FOR 2026; $1,000 with $200 deposit; instrument rental $150 / microscope rental $50 if needed; sponsored by the Indiana Queen Breeders Association (IQBA). Prerequisites: successful queen and drone rearing plus advanced skills.

Dates, fees, fullness flags, and section details above are what the official pages showed on the check date. Catalog offerings change. Use the live Purdue short-courses page and contact Krispn before treating any figure or seat as available.

Official URL

Short courses (queen rearing + II): https://ag.purdue.edu/department/entm/extension/beehive/short-courses.html

Honey Bee Extension / Bee Hive hub: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/entm/extension/beehive/index.html

Purdue Agriculture campus contact block (footer): https://ag.purdue.edu/department/entm/extension/beehive/short-courses.html

Location

Primarily in person at the Purdue Bee Lab, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. Program footer printed on short-courses / Bee Hive pages: 615 Mitch Daniels Blvd., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2053; (765) 494-8392. Bee lab line on the II block: (765) 496-1299. Register / questions: [email protected] or [email protected].

This is a Learning / university Extension short-course address, not a Local club hall and not an Equipment retail counter.

Notes

• Category is Learning. Curriculum- and fee-first Purdue Entomology / Honey Bee Extension short course (queen rearing $200; related II $1,000). Not Equipment and not Local clubs. This is not a multi-year “Master Beekeeper” certificate pathway like UF IFAS or Texas Master Beekeeper; it is a dated two-day university lab short course.
• Printed queen-rearing $200 / 25-seat limit / June 11–12 2026 dates / FULL FOR 2026 banner, II $1,000 / $200 deposit / Sept 3–4 2026, one-year prerequisite, Krispn Given instructor, [email protected] and [email protected] contacts, and West Lafayette Bee Lab venue are transcribed from official ag.purdue.edu pages checked on 2026-09-24 and may change. Seat availability on the check date was listed full — confirm with the instructor for waitlists or future years.
• First-party Purdue Agriculture College of Agriculture wordmark saved beside this listing as purdue-queen-rearing.png (from the official ag.purdue.edu CoA_H-Full-RGB.png asset used on the short-courses page).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: What does the queen-rearing course cost, and when is it?
A: Official short-courses page (checked 2026-09-24): Mastering the Art and Science of Queen Rearing is June 11–12, 2026 at the Purdue Bee Lab; tuition $200; limited to 25 students. The page banner stated FULL FOR 2026 on the check date. Register / questions via [email protected]. Confirm the live page before planning travel or payment.

Q: What is taught, and who is it for?
A: Short-courses page (checked 2026-09-24): grafting, starter/finisher setup, swarm boxes, double-screen method, queen/drone biology, winter-hardy mite-resistant selection, commercial production notes, and marking queens, with Thursday lecture/setup and Friday hands-on grafting. Prerequisite: at least one year of beekeeping experience. Bring your own veil and suit. A separate advanced Instrumental Insemination course ($1,000) is listed for Sept 3–4, 2026.

Q: Is this a local bee club or a supply shop?
A: No. This listing is Learning — Purdue University Department of Entomology / Honey Bee Extension’s short-course program. For a county/regional meeting club see Local clubs (e.g. Cabarrus County Beekeepers, Tri-County Beekeepers); for hive/gear retail see Equipment (e.g. HillCo, Rossman Apiaries).