NDB Course 2025

BLOG – NDB COURSE 2025

The Examination Board for the National Diploma in Beekeeping was established in 1954 to meet the need for a beekeeping qualification above the level of those awarded by the British Beekeepers Association and is the highest level beekeeping qualification available in Britain.

The NDB Board holds an annual 5-day advanced beekeeping residential course at Pershore College.  Around 12-15 students are accepted on the courses which run on a 3-year cycle. Up to 4 NDB qualified tutors are always on hand, plus visiting lecturers from a range of disciplines who are all recognised experts in their fields. This was my second course, having attended one in 2023.

The examination for the diploma takes place every 2 years and consists of a series of tests including:

• a written assignment
• a 3-hour written paper
• preparation of a portfolio of beekeeping experience
• a portfolio of plants and insects of relevance to beekeepers
• a practical assessment involving bee handling, disease recognition and general biology
• a viva voce including a presentation on the assignment and a short spontaneous presentation.

The course is intensive with sessions in the classroom, laboratory and apiary all day and into the evenings. Each attendee has to give a presentation on a subject decided by the directing staff on an unusual or obscure topic for which a lot of research in scientific papers is needed. My studies at Cornell University were a big help in shaping my approach to my allocated topic.

The participants are people of all ages, from all parts of the country and different walks of life and are either Master Beekeepers or, in my case, have completed all the BBKA Modules and hold the Advanced Theory Certificate and the General Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry.  I will take the Microscopy Certificate in November and the Master Beekeeper Assessment next year.

The old saying that the more you learn the less you know certainly applies to the NDB Programme;  when you are used to being one of the most knowledgeable people in your local or county beekeeping association, you come down with a bump when you meet a dozen or so people who know much more than you.

Whether you decide to take the exam or not is up to the individual candidate. The decision depends on the amount of time you are prepared to spend on building the portfolio, which involves many hours of meticulous collecting of insects, flowers, pollen and honey bee dissections – all beautifully mounted and presented to a high professional standard.

One of the benefits of attendance is the opportunity to meet like-minded people from all over the country and to share knowledge and experience with them. The contacts I made last time proved very useful on a number of occasions when I need help or a contact in another part of the country.

Overall, an intensive, demanding course that stretches your mind and opens new horizons in your beekeeping life.

For more information visit https://national-diploma-beekeeping.org