Learning More About Honeybees and the Great Things They Do

The popularity of beekeeping as a hobby has gained popularity in recent years. As such, the Apalachee Beekeeping Association is offering a beginning beekeeping short course on February 22, 2025.

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 apiary education, honeybee conservation and sustainable beekeeping practices. 

This course will include class sessions and open hive demonstrations. It is hoped participants will use this session to develop a better understanding and knowledge about the important part pollinators play in everyday life.

Short-course participants will get the opportunity to examine firsthand the workings of honeybee hives.

A large grouping of insects commonly known as pollinators is currently 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 widely known pollinators and are considered by many to be the most efficient. As the name implies, European Honeybees are not native to North America.

There are some historical records 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 most pleasures. Food, when it was available, was bland in appearance and flavor.

Honeybees provided the one sure option for improving the paltry diet. Additionally, they required much less work than other livestock in the 17^th century.

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.

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 to grow 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.

Smoking beehives has long been a technique to pacify honeybees so the hives can be handled. Students will get a chance to practice this skill during the class.

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 rejecting the site.

The European Honeybees are completely 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 buzz near anyone or anything venturing too close to the swarm. Also, perfumes and colognes can attract the attention of honeybees.

But the purpose of the feral swarm’s rest stop is to assess the area, not terrorize the vicinity’s human residents. Their objective is to collect pollen and nectar, and by default improve the pollination process for all the plants visited.

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.apalacheebeekeeping.com. Registration can also be done on Eventbrite.