Beekeeping in Northern Climates Online (UMN Bee Lab)

Category: Learning Also called: BINC Online; UMN Beekeeping in Northern Climates; University of Minnesota Bee Lab online course; Bee Squad beekeeping course; beelab.umn.edu/binc-online Last checked: 2026-09-29

What it is

Beekeeping in Northern Climates Online is a first-party University of Minnesota beekeeping education course run through the UMN Bee Lab, Bee Squad, and UMN Extension in the Department of Entomology. Its official page (beelab.umn.edu/binc-online) describes it for people with “little or no prior experience keeping bees in our cold climate” and says it teaches “essential skills for successful beekeeping, including honey bee biology, colony management, colony handling tips, wintering bees, and common diseases and pests.” The course is self-paced online with instructor Q&A, and a comparable in-person BINC course is offered separately each winter/early spring. It is not a county club and not a hive-equipment retail shop.

Who it’s for

Would-be and early-career beekeepers—especially those in cold / northern climates—who want a fee-printed university Bee Lab course they can take online on their own schedule. Printed tuition is $175.00 per person (credit card), which includes a mailed copy of the Beekeeping in Northern Climates, Third Edition manual. Access for current registrants runs through December 31, 2027; registration for this cycle stays open through December 31, 2026. 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 written refund policy, named UMN Entomology / Bee Squad instructors (including Emeritus Professor Dr. Marla Spivak), dated registration/access windows, a mailed third-edition manual, and St. Paul campus contact blocks. It is curriculum- and fee-first, not a blog and not an affiliate landing page.

• Course format & inclusions (BINC Online page, checked 2026-09-29): 14+ hours of video (pre-recorded, revisit anytime). Comprehensive written/visual resources. Two Q&A channels: monthly Zoom Q&A on the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00–7:00 p.m. CST (recorded/archived), and online discussion forums with instructor replies every Monday. A printed Beekeeping in Northern Climates, Third Edition manual is “mailed to you within three weeks of registration” (free PDF preview linked from the manuals page). Official note: if your goal is only supporting pollinators, planting diverse flowers may be a better first step than keeping bees.
• Fees, access & refunds (same page, checked 2026-09-29): Cost: $175.00 per person payable with a credit card. “All students will have access to the course until December 31, 2027.” “Registration for the course is open until December 31, 2026.” Registration begins each winter; registering early in January maximizes the nearly two-year window. Refund Policy: refunds are not available once a student has begun the course or after 60 days from registration; approved refunds take a $30 processing fee to cover the shipped manual. Registration checkout is on UMN’s learning portal (learning.umn.edu courseId 26214229).
• Instructors & campus contact (same page + BINC Classes hub, checked 2026-09-29): instructors listed include Dr. Marla Spivak (Emeritus Professor), Gary Reuter, Dr. Katie Lee (Apiculture Extension Educator; course questions: [email protected]), Jessica Helgen, Jenny Warner, Brooke Nikkila, and Nelson Williams. Mailing address: University of Minnesota Department of Entomology, 1980 Folwell Ave. Ste 219, St. Paul, MN 55108. Physical: U of M Bee Research Facility, 1634 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, MN 55113. Companion in-person BINC dates on the classes hub: Saturday–Sunday, March 13–14, 2027.

Fees, access windows, Zoom cadence, manual shipping, and instructor names above are what the official pages showed on the check date. Use the live UMN Bee Lab page before treating any seat or figure as available. No registration was attempted from Beekeeping Plaza.

Official URL

BINC Online (description, $175 fee, access windows): https://beelab.umn.edu/binc-online

BINC Classes hub (online + in-person overview): https://beelab.umn.edu/binc-classes

Beekeeping manuals: https://beelab.umn.edu/manuals

UMN learning portal registration (courseId 26214229): https://learning.umn.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=26214229

UMN Bee Lab home: https://beelab.umn.edu/

Location

Online (self-paced), with optional monthly Zoom Q&A (Central Time). Program home: University of Minnesota Department of Entomology / Bee Lab, mailing 1980 Folwell Ave. Ste 219, St. Paul, MN 55108; Bee Research Facility 1634 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, MN 55113. A separate in-person BINC course is listed for March 13–14, 2027 on the classes hub (confirm venue on the live registration page).

This is a Learning / university Bee Lab course address, not a Local club hall and not an Equipment retail counter.

Notes

• Category is Learning. This is a curriculum- and fee-first UMN Bee Lab / Extension online course ($175; access through Dec 31, 2027). It is not Equipment and not Local clubs. It is distinct from the Learning programs already listed (Montana, Cornell, UF IFAS, Penn State, Oregon, Texas, CSU Extension, Purdue, California/UC Davis, Tennessee Master Beekeeping): a different university, a northern-climate curriculum, and its own fee/access schedule. Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association is a separate Local clubs listing; BINC Online is the university course, not the Twin Cities club.
• The $175 tuition, Dec 31, 2026 registration close, Dec 31, 2027 access end, 14+ hours of video, first-Tuesday Zoom Q&A, Monday forum replies, three-week manual mail window, $30 refund processing fee / 60-day rule, Spivak–Reuter–Lee instructor roster, Folwell / Gortner addresses, and March 13–14, 2027 in-person dates are transcribed from official beelab.umn.edu pages checked on 2026-09-29 and may change. The registration button goes to learning.umn.edu; it was not used, and no registration or payment was attempted.
• First-party documentary image saved beside this listing as umn-beekeeping-northern-climates.jpg (UMN Bee Lab honey-bee header photo from landing HB Header 2.jpg on beelab.umn.edu; resized/compressed only to keep the file under ~500KB, no other edits).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: What does the UMN Beekeeping in Northern Climates Online course cost?
A: Official BINC Online page (checked 2026-09-29): $175.00 per person by credit card. The fee includes the mailed Beekeeping in Northern Climates, Third Edition manual. Refunds are unavailable after you start the course or after 60 days; approved refunds take a $30 processing fee. Confirm https://beelab.umn.edu/binc-online before paying.

Q: How long do I get access, and is it only online?
A: Registration for this cycle is open until December 31, 2026; enrolled students keep access until December 31, 2027. Content is self-paced video plus monthly first-Tuesday Zoom Q&A (6–7 p.m. CST) and Monday forum replies. A separate in-person BINC course is listed for March 13–14, 2027 on https://beelab.umn.edu/binc-classes.

Q: Is this a local bee club or a supply shop?
A: No. This listing is Learning: the University of Minnesota Bee Lab / Bee Squad / Extension online beekeeping course. For a Twin Cities meeting club see Local clubs (Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association). For hive and gear retail see Equipment (e.g. Beez Needz, Beeline Woodenware).