Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Scott Strawn, 806-435-4501, Scott.Strawn@ag.tamu.edu
PERRYTON – Three days of beekeeping information will be offered July 24-26 at workshops hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Ochiltree County.
“With a growing number of people interested in becoming beekeepers at a small, hobby level, we wanted to offer this series of introductory beekeeping workshops,” said Scott Strawn, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Ochiltree County.
The workshops will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon each day at the Ochiltree County Expo Center, 402 Expo Drive, Perryton. The cost is $10 per person to attend one, two or all three sessions. No preregistration is required.
Beekeeper researchers from the Texas Invasive Species Institute at Sam Houston State University will be the speakers. They have a grant to teach new audiences about the benefits of bees to the environment and agriculture, and are encouraging residents to become beekeepers, Strawn said.
The agenda July 24 will cover Benefits of Bees in Our Environment, Benefits of Bees to Farmers, Roles of Different Bees in Hives, Bee Life Cycles, Bee Research and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Beekeeping Enhancement Programs.
July 25 topics will be Intro to Beekeeping, Hive Assembly and Identification, Bee Anatomy and Life Cycle, Where to Buy Bees and How to Place Them, Using Various Tools to Check Hives and Pest Management.
The final day will include a site visit, and discuss hive setup and splitting hives.
For more information, contact Strawn at 806-435-4501.
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