With all the reading I've done in my spare time and the movies I've watched, I'd say that I have a pretty good start with my new hobby. April seems incredibly far away at this point and the wait may or may not kill me. But until then, I will keep reading and studying up, so that I can be the best beekeeper I can be. Below summarizes the second day of events.
Saturday, February 8th: Day #2 Workshop Topics & Discussions
- A morning "regroup" with a Question & Answer session (coffee and donuts, yesssss!)
- A Beekeeping Video Presentation: 'An Introduction to Beekeeping' by Edward Weiss
- A presentation by Beekeeper Jerry Styczynski entitled, 'What Does It Mean to be a Beekeeper and What is Entailed?' The First Year in Beekeeping
- A presentation by Beekeeper Tim Scheer entitled, 'How to Obtain Honey Bees: Nucleus Colony, Packaged Colony, Swarm Colony'. This presentation also focused on the different types of honey bees available between races and breeds, as well as what type of hive one should own.
- A presentation by Beekeeper Eugene Makovec entitled, 'Basic Hive Inspection & Solving Common Beekeeping Problems'. This presentation also covered topics such as how to light and use a smoker, how to use other basic beekeeping tools, and how to make syrup to feed your bees during times of drought or during slow nectar periods.
- A presentation by Beekeeper Tim Fredricks entitled, 'Basic Honey Bee Pests and Diseases'. This presentation discussed the different types of diseases affecting honey bees such as Nosema virus, American and European Foulbrood, and Chalkbrood. We also discussed different pests and mites common to the honey bee such as varroa mites, tracheal mites, small hive beetle, wax moths, skunks, bears, etc.
- A presentation by Beekeeper Joe Copeland entitled, 'Managing a Nucleus Colony and Basic Components of Your First Year of Beekeeping'.
- The workshop ended with another Q&A session, followed by some open discussions.
This workshop was a pretty awesome experience. I highly suggest any person even considering keeping honey bees attend a Beginners Workshop, if you can. Most workshops come with a moderate fee, but I assume that's pretty standard ($75 TRB Two-Day Workshop).
However, there were a few things I didn't necessarily like. First off, if you plan to attend a Beginners Workshop, don't do any type of reading beforehand. Before I stepped into this two day workshop, I have read three beekeeping books, researched several websites, watched several movies and YouTube clips, purchased most of my equipment including my hive, and even ordered my honey bees. I felt I would have gotten more of my money's worth if I hadn't done all of that beforehand. I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but I basically taught myself everything they discussed over the last couple of days. However, I did get to hear and learn several other techniques and different beekeeping perspectives. Every beekeeper will tell you, "If you ask ten different beekeepers their opinion on something, you will get eleven different answers."
Secondly, I wish more beekeeping clubs held their Beginners Workshops in either late Fall or early Spring. I think it would have been very beneficial to walk out to a live honey bee hive and see the many different responsibilities of the honey bee. Everyone certainly could have benefited from seeing a basic hive inspection as well. Even with all the studying and reading that I've done, I've only ever seen a live bee hive in movies and YouTube clips. I guess I'll just have to wait to see my own colony to get the full experience.
But, with all that being said, I still very much enjoyed myself. It was really awesome to get to speak with other people interested in the same weird hobby you're interested in. It makes you feel less like a Freak of Nature, and more like a normal person! So overall, it was a very splendid experience.
~Nick
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