We had a great experience last Saturday at the Wakulla County Extension office. There was a full crowd, including several current members as well as a bunch of "newbees" participating in our annual beginning beekeeping course.
Participants began arriving around 8 am, where they were met by several ABA volunteers. (Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who helped!). Each family received a bag of goodies, including a basic beekeeping book, then they ate a hearty breakfast and were off for a full day of learning from a team of some of Florida's finest beekeeping experts.
Topics discussed included learning different parts of a hive, maintaining a healthy hive, what kinds of costs are involved in beekeeping, how to be a good "bee neighbor," how the needs of the bees might change in each season, and many more subjects. LOTS of questions were asked and answered! Participants suited up and went into the bee yard the ABA maintains at the extension office. They were able to see live hives and learn about brood patterns, drawn comb, how to find the queen and more.
Millie Bees was on hand to help all the new (and old) beekeepers purchase hive equipment. Pete and Elmore from Millie Bees kept a steady stream of apiarists amused with their wit and wisdom.
It was another successful Short Course and we're excited to have a large group of bee enthusiasts here in North Florida! Due to the large interest in the Short Course, but with a limited number of spots available, the ABA Board decided to add
for those who were unable to attend last Saturday's "Learning to Keep Honeybees" course. Every Saturday from March 11 till April 1, ABA President Josh Ray and others will be teaching a two-hour session at the Leon County Extension office. It’s just $10/session for two people, and you can RSVP at the link above.
Thank you again to all the participants and volunteers - we'll see you at next month's meeting on March 14, where the topic will be "What's Bugging Your Bees?"