West Central Ohio Beekeepers Association to host beginning beekeeping school

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URBANA – West Central Ohio Beekeepers Association will hold a beginning/retraining school for folks who are interested in beekeeping and for beekeepers who have kept honey bees in the past but have had issues keeping their honey bees alive.

For the past several years WCOBA losses have been below 15 percent using Ohio Adapted Stock and Modern Best Management Practices. The group is involved in a network of five Land Grant Universities on a honey bee breeding project with honey bee stock that naturally keep Varroa Mite populations at a safe level and treat mites only when necessary. It also traps feral honey bees for the breeding project. The group does not use package bees or commercial bee stock.

The training schedule consists of five presentations that include: What is Beekeeping, Biology & Physiology of Honey Bees, Honey Bee Diseases and Pests, Managing Honey Bee Colonies and Successful Overwintering. The school is centered around using Ohio adapted honey bees.

The date of the Bee School is April 13. The location of the bee school is at the Champaign County Government Center, 1512 South State Route 68, Urbana. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m., and bee school starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Lunch is from noon to 1 p.m. Guests can pack their lunch or visit local fast food in the area.

The cost of the school is $45, which includes the reference book “Honey Bee Biology and Hive Management” plus light refreshments, snacks and drinks. Additional people in the same household are $10; this fee does not include the book.

To RSVP, individuals should contact Rick Creech at [email protected].

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