Program Details

A Program Built By Veterans For Veterans

Program Description

Heroes to Hives is a free 9 month beekeeping education course for Service Members that runs from March - November of every year. Over the last 9 years Heroes to Hives has trained over 10,000 Service Members and their dependents in the art and science of beekeeping. We see beekeeping as an opportunity to address personal and financial wellness of Service Members through honey bees, and the course is designed to expose you to beekeeping as a hobby/business/career path and as a therapeutic activity to work through the traumas of service and life.

For a full description of what to expect from the 2024 Heroes to Hives program watch our Program Preview video below:

Link to 2024 Heroes to Hives Program Preview Video

View the 2024 Heroes to Hives Online Program Syllabus below to see what you will be taught in the course:

2024 Heroes to Hives Online Course Syllabus

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Heroes to Hives is designed to take you through your first year of beekeeping and provide you with an educational pathway to complete your Master Beekeeping Certificate through our partnership with the Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program, offered through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We will be training you in the art and science of beekeeping with some of the nation's premier beekeeping experts in a Service Member focused environment.

Lectures on honey bee biology, beekeeping fundamentals, resources for Service Members, small business development, and more.
Instructional videos on specific tasks in the apiary: Inspections, mite monitoring, therapeutic beekeeping, and more.
Handouts from experts to support your beekeeping: Inspection sheets, mite treatment references, integrated pest management plans (IPM) and more.
Certificate issued for those successfully completing the course final exam.
Those receiving certificates can transfer all credits to the Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program.
On-ground training is an optional portion of the program and is available in Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Indiana, and North Carolina (participation may be limited)

ELIGIBILTY CRITERIA
This program is only open to Veterans, Reservists, Active Duty, or National Guard members of the US Armed Forces, dependents of participating service members (children, spouses, partners, and caregivers), Gold Star family members and surviving spouses. Dependents must be registered by the participating Service Member during their registration. Dependents must be 18 years or older.