The hobby of beekeeping has gained considerable popularity in recent years. As such, the Apalachee Beekeepers Association is offering a beginning beekeeping short course on February 24, 2024.
The class will be held at the UF/IFAS Extension Office in Crawfordville, located at 84 Cedar Avenue. Topics will include the fundamentals of beekeeping, beekeeping equipment, hive management and harvesting honey.
The Apalachee Beekeeping Association is a community driven organization dedicated to promoting education, conservation and sustainable practices.
This course will include class sessions and oven hive demonstrations. It is hoped that participants will uses this session to develop a better understanding and knowledge of the important part pollinators play in everyday life.
Short-course participants will get the opportunity to examine firsthand the workings of honeybee hives.
The large grouping of insects commonly known as pollinators is currently busy collecting nectar and pollen for their own use. By doing this necessary task to survive, they greatly assist the plants and trees which are just beginning their bloom cycle with successful pollination.
European Honeybees are the most well-known pollinators and are considered by many to be the most efficient. As the name suggest, European Honeybees are not native to North America.
There is some historical record indicating European Honeybees were brought to the New World in 1607 aboard the 38-foot English ship Discovery. The Discovery was one of three ships used to found Jamestown, Virginia, and its likeness is displayed on the 2000 quarter dollar coin’s reverse.
Life for the early settlers was harsh and devoid of pleasures. Food, when it was available, was bland in appearance and flavor.
Honeybees provided the one sure option for improving the paltry diet. Additionally, in the early 17th Century they required much less work than other livestock.
In addition to adding much needed flavoring to the settlers’ diet, honey had numerous other uses. It was the basis for alcoholic beverages and a wound dressing, just to name a few.
European Honeybees are currently seeking the early spring blooms in search of nectar and pollen. Thanks to these imported insects that have been here for several centuries, fruit and vegetables are able to provide excellent yields.
Soon, likely the next spring in Jamestown, some of the European Honeybees escaped into the wild and located new sites for hives. Hollow trees were quite popular, offering the colony room and protection from animals which preyed on insects.
The hive splitting process is normal behavior for honeybees in the spring, especially when they have outgrown their current residence. A new queen is produced, and she leads some of the swarm to a new home.
Sometimes the departing swarm will temporarily stop on a tree bough. If the area offers shelter and promise, they will stay. Commonly, it is just a rest stop to assess the area and the swarm moves on after the rejection.
The European Honeybees are complete oblivious to human occupation when selecting an area to assess for colonizing. The rest stop may be in the forest, a yard within a subdivision, or a parking lot full of cars.
For the uninitiated, the seemingly sudden visit by European Honeybees may be a bit disconcerting. These insects will closely buzz by anyone or anything venturing too close to the swarm. Perfumes and colognes will attract some additional attention from the bees.
But the purpose of the feral swarm’s rest stop is to assess the area, not terrorize the vicinity’s human residence. Their objective is to collect pollen and nectar, and by default improve the pollination process for all the plants in the area.
While the early Jamestown residents did not recognize the value of their honeybee’s pollination services, modern agriculture does. Millions, if not billions, of European Honeybees are trucked cross country to pollinize such diverse crops as almonds, blueberries, watermelons and many others.
For more information on the short-course or to register, go to www.apalacheebeekeepers.com. Registration can also be done on Eventbrite.
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