Honey bee Hobbyists Can Get Free Training From CSU

BROOMFIELD, CO -- Disease-free honey bee husbandry is the goal of a new three-year program in select Colorado counties, the Colorado Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.

Honey-bee hobbyists are increasing across the state, but with new beekeepers comes a danger that hives may harbor communicable diseases or mites that can spread to other pollinators, including wild hives.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a grant for $132,000 to teach apiary newbies the best ways to keep their buzzy little darlings disease-free.

About 946 native bee species in 66 genera buzz around the state of Colorado. New beekeepers who don't get mentoring from beekeeping clubs or other experts are more likely to have hives that carry diseases and other health issues that spillover to other honey bees and native bees, the Ag Department said in a statement.

The training programs will be offered in Adams, El Paso, Chafee, Mesa Counties and the San Luis Valley. Beekeepers will be educated on "scientific beekeeping practices and monitoring for honey bee health, specifically addressing re-emerging diseases, their prevention and control."

To become an expert in honey bee husbandry, you must:

1. Commit to the training program;
2. Volunteer to help train other new beekeepers; and
3. Agree to allow monitoring and inspection of hives for mite levels and other health metrics by state apiary inspectors.

“The goal of the project is to educate new beekeepers and decrease disease and parasite presence in apiaries managed by hobby beekeepers across Colorado by helping them to recognize honey bee pests and diseases and to adopt integrated pest management practices,” said Kurt Jones, county director for Chaffee County Extension.

Instruction will be provided by researchers, beekeepers and apiary inspectors, the department said.

The program will be administered by the Colorado State University Extension, CSU College of Agricultural Sciences and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA).

To apply and for more information please contact: Kurt Jones, CSU Extension 719-783-2514, Arathi Seshadri, CSU Department of Soil and Crop Sciences 970-491-6804, or Laura Pottorff, Colorado Department of Agriculture, 303-869-9070.

Image via Shutterstock