Building Capacity for Regional Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program Educators, Mentors, and Teaching Apiaries

Commodities

• Animals: bees
• Animal Products: honey

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health
• Crop Production: pollination
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, workshop
• Farm Business Management: apprentice/intern training
• Pest Management: chemical control, cultural control, physical control, prevention
• Production Systems: agroecosystems
• Sustainable Communities: community development, community services, leadership development, partnerships, social networks

The Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program (GPMB) serves ~4,200 participants across eight states (NE, KS, MO, IA, OK, WY, IN, MI), including men, women, veterans, and beekeepers seeking structured, hands-on apicultural training. This project targets educators, mentors, extension professionals, and volunteers who lead teaching apiaries and support participant advancement, providing them with the skills and resources to train new and intermediate beekeepers effectively. The project will achieve three main outcomes: (1) increased educator and mentor capacity to deliver consistent, high-quality instruction; (2) enhanced teaching tools, including new hands-on kits for queen rearing and evaluating hive pest control methods, to improve practical learning; and (3) to evaluate novel hive management strategies to improve overwintering success and to develop new sustainable hive management approaches for the region. Behavioral change, such as improved self-efficacy and communication skills, is expected as educators engage in peer learning, apply these methods, improve mentorship, and facilitate participant advancement through GPMB levels. To accomplish these outcomes, the project will conduct in-person train-the-trainer field sessions at teaching apiaries, host monthly webinars reviewing curricula and hive management practices, evaluate and distribute teaching kits, and implement a demonstration AŽ (Alberti‑Žnideršič) or "AZ Hive" system with Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA-accessible modifications to increase safety and accessibility for all learners. Peer-networking opportunities and end-of-season evaluations will reinforce collaboration, assess learning, and guide continuous program improvement. By strengthening the educator and mentor network, this project amplifies GPMB's regional impact, increases beekeeper and educator proficiency, and promotes evidence-based, sustainable practices in Midwestern beekeeping.

Outputs

Objective 1 - Train-the-Trainer Support

• Field Training Sessions: Conduct 1 field day per state in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri each year, for a total of 9 sessions over 3 years, reaching approximately 10 educators/mentors per session (≈90 total participants). Attendance will be tracked to measure engagement.
• Monthly Webinars: Offer 12 webinars per year for 3 years (36 total), open to all educators, mentors, and volunteers. Target participation is at least 10 per session, with a goal of 10% annual growth in engagement and participants who feel more connected and supported, measured through attendance and post-webinar feedback surveys.
• Evaluation and Reporting: Compile end-of-season evaluations and summary reports from field sessions, teaching apiary events, and webinars to assess learning outcomes. Annual reports will be distributed to GPMB participants, partners, and educators, while biannual updates will be provided to the Governing Council and subcommittees (Feb-Mar and Nov-Dec) to obtain program feedback and guide improvements.

Objective 2 - Refine Teaching Tools

• Teaching Kit Evaluation: Produce summary reports evaluating the use and learning outcomes of each existing kit (#1-4) and the new kits (#5-6), with findings included in biannual leadership reports.
• New Kit Development and Distribution: Develop and distribute two new kits: "Kit #5: Miticide Success" and "Kit #6: Queen Rearing Basics", targeting roughly 15 apiaries per kit type (≥30 new kits total), providing educators and mentors with hands-on tools to enhance practical training.

Objective 3 - Develop Novel Management Approaches

• AZ Hive Demonstration: Establish a demonstration AZ Hive system housing 8-10 colonies and maintaining the same number of colonies managed in the traditional open apiary setting at the same location for comparison.
• Peer-reviewed research publication: Collect performance and overwintering survival data from the AZ Hive system vs. traditional apiary, culminating in a one peer-reviewed research publication.
• Extension Materials: Develop and disseminate at least one additional guides per year, may include overwintering success and management strategies using AZ Hive systems or other relevant topics, providing practical resources for educators and participants.

Summary of Specific Measurable Outputs/Goals

Output 1: 9 field training sessions (3 per year in NE, KS, MO) for ~90 educators/mentors (Obj 1)

Output 2: 36 monthly webinars over 3 years, targeting at least 10 participants each (Obj 1)

Output 3: End-of-season summary reports from field sessions, teaching apiary events, and webinars to assess learning outcomes (Obj 1)

Output 4: Teaching kit evaluations with findings included in biannual leadership reports (Obj 2)

Output 5: Development of "Kit #5: Miticide Success" and "Kit #6: Queen Rearing Basics", targeting roughly 15 apiaries per kit type (≥30 new kits total) (Obj2)

Output 6: AZ Hive Demonstration system housing 8-10 colonies to assess functionality (Obj 3)

Output 7: At least 1 peer-reviewed publication reporting performance and overwintering survival data from the AZ Hive system vs. traditional apiary related to teaching apiaries (Obj 3)

Output 8: At least 1 extension publication per year on various hive management strategies providing practical resources for educators and participants (Obj 3)