I went back to school last week, in a subject I thought I was finished with after dissecting a cat in high school: biology. Specifically, bee biology for beginners, served up alongside general beekeeping lessons. The class was in a webinar format, and took place over four separate evenings. This being the first live webinar class I’ve taken, I was very pleased with the format, and especially grateful for an opportunity to learn with a live teacher, without having to commute hours away from our remote farm location.
The Stilwills and their neighbors, the Smiths, have previously attempted beekeeping; grand hopes of honey and retirement funding may have contributed to such inspired projects. These days, we’re eager to give it another go in the hopes of enhancing Fair Mountain Farm’s ecological interdependence and health. Honey bees are extraordinarily hard-working pollinators, a service many of our crops require. ‘Wild’ pollinators usually take care of such tasks around here, so we’ll see if we note any improved plant production. Bees remain true to specific flowers, which ensures good pollination since they stay focused on specific crops before flitting off to a dissimilar flower.
I found out about the webinar class through a series of communications with similarly interested friends and our area’s extension agent. Brushy Mountain Bee Farm taught the lessons, and each was divided into half lecture, half question/answer period. This made for two- to three-hour sessions. Despite their location in North Carolina, the teacher was able to address issues found nationwide. I found it all to be highly informative, and enjoyed the format so much as to consider pursuing further classes relating to farm topics. I have found brief videos on YouTube, regarding various farming techniques for smaller growers, as well as several webinars/videos at ATTRA. I’d love to find more. In the meantime, for my continued beekeeping education, I’ll be reading Langstroth’s Hive and the Honey-Bee: The Classic Beekeeper’s Manual
, a volume worthy of many evening reading sessions.
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