December 14, 2007
Beekeeping series will teach beginners how to start a colony
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service will sponsor a workshop series about beginning beekeeping to teach people how to start a hive of their own.The 2008 Beginning Beekeeping Series will consist of four sessions taking place from January through June, beginning with the IP video "Beehive Basics," which will run from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 15.
The first two sessions will be held as IP video events and may be viewed in central Indiana at the Purdue Extension office in Hancock County and in southern Indiana at the Purdue Extension offices in Harrison and Owen counties.
The final two sessions will be held in apiaries, and participants will interact with beekeepers and work with the bees. The series is intended to introduce new beekeepers to the facts about keeping bees and teach hands-on skills needed to successfully work with and start a bee colony.
"Beekeeping is something anyone can do in their backyard in both the city or country," said Adrienne Held, Purdue Extension educator and co-coordinator for the series. "We want to teach participants the basics of beekeeping and provide resources that will encourage them to continue the learning process even after the sessions are over."
Beekeeping experts from various universities and local beekeepers will co-instruct the first and second sessions, teaching a mix of technical and real-world aspects of beginning beekeeping. In the third and fourth sessions, participants will have the opportunity to meet apiary experts and take part in hands-on activities. Some of these activities include examining and assembling beehives, opening the hive, smoking the bees, and checking for queens and eggs.
Beekeeping is done as a primary income business, secondary income business or hobby, and is useful to agriculture for its ability to pollinate crops, said Roy Ballard, Purdue Extension educator and series co-coordinator.
"From an agricultural standpoint, beekeeping is crucial because of the many fruits and vegetables bees help pollinate," Ballard said. "Approximately one-third of the total human diet is derived directly or indirectly from insect-pollinated plants. Pollination affects not only the yield but also the quality of the crops involved."
The sessions will occur as follows:
* Jan. 15 – Beehive Basics: Phil Craft, state apiarist for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, along with local beekeepers will present information pertaining to basic beekeeping concepts and challenges.
* Feb. 26 – Setting up the hive: Tom Webster, University of Kentucky Extension educator, along with local beekeepers will instruct beginning beekeepers on how to maintain and construct a hive.
* May 3 – Working with bees in the field: Harrison County - Spring Valley Farm in Lanesville, Ind., Hancock County – location to be determined.
* June 14 – Preparing for the harvest: Harrison County - Spring Valley Farm in Lanesville, Ind., Hancock County – location to be determined.
Other IP video viewing locations may be available for the first two sessions. If you are interested in the IP sessions, contact your local Purdue Extension office for additional site information.
Enrollment is limited to 20 participants per session per site. Registration is $15 per session or $50 for all four sessions. Each additional family member is $10 per session. The deadline for registering is Jan. 8 or seven days before each individual session. To download a registration brochure, go online to https://www.ces.purdue.edu/Hancock/Lawn,%20Garden.htm and scroll down to click on the link.
For more information, contact Ballard in Hancock County at (317) 462-1113, rballard@purdue.edu , or Held in Harrison County at (812) 738-4236, aheld@purdue.edu
Writer: Hannah Brescher, (765) 494-8402, hbresche@purdue.edu
Sources: Roy Ballard, (317) 462-1113, rballard@purdue.edu
Adrienne Held, (812) 738-4236, aheld@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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