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Beekeeping Basics

 Join us for this three-part series on the basics of Beekeeping!

Class 1: Saturday, February 5th 

Into to Honeybees and How They Work

Our first class will cover the basic characteristics of honey bees and their food sources, bee biology and how the colony works, as well as a discussion about beekeeping equipment.

Class 2: Saturday, February 12th

Beekeepers as Guardians for the Bees and What's Involved  

Our second class will cover obtaining and preparing for bees, including packages, nucs, feedings bees, and swarms, as well as spring and summer management, fall management, harvesting and extraction. 

Class 3: Saturday, February 19th

Bee Diseases and Parasites and How to Control Them

Our third and final class will cover diseases, parasitic infestations & viral challenges, special management challenges, and integrated pest management. 

Each class will be taught by a member of the NWA Beekeepers Association, including Ed Levi, Winfridus Bakker, Jim Pickett, Steve Aust, and Earl Rowe. 

Ed Levi began his beekeeping career in France where he graduated from a college beekeeping program and kept bees there for five years in the 1970s. He continued his beekeeping business in Arkansas and became the Apiary Specialist and Inspector for the Arkansas State Plant Board, where he served for 25 years. He is also an Eastern Apiculture Society Master Beekeeper. His teaching covers all levels of beekeeping and often involves Integrated Pest Management in bees. During much of the last 20 years Ed has volunteered as a consultant for USAID, teaching beekeeping in many developing countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, consulting on more than 40 assignments. In the Spring of 2019, with the assistance of a grant, Ed organized and runs a queen breeding cooperative in NW Arkansas where the goal is to develop queens with high levels of hygienic behavior. This co-op continues with this goal. He still maintains a few colonies in the Fayetteville area and served as the 2021 President of the NWA Beekeeping Association. Ed has worked with the library to set up a display area and a small apiary on the roof.

Winfridus Bakker has degrees in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and is presently a poultry specialist for Cobb/Tyson. Win started with bees in 2009 and presently is managing 20 colonies at 2 locations in NWA. Both locations were setup for quality honey production. Win is also managing a bee garden.  He is all the time experimenting with which plants do well in NWA for high volume production of nectar and pollen. Win travels extensively for his work and has had contact with beekeepers worldwide.  He is currently serving his second year as the Vice President of the North West Arkansas Beekeepers Association.  Win also participates in the Queen Breeding Cooperative in NWA to produce more hygienic queens whose offspring are demonstrating gentle behavior, a high reproduction rate and a low swarming instinct.

Jim Pickett is the founding President of the North West Arkansas Beekeepers Association.  He is a retired physician and has been a hobby beekeeper for 30 years. Jim is the facilitator of swarm removals in NWA and heads up the swarm catching committee of the association.  His committee coordinates the removal and housing of 50 to 100 swarms each year.  Jim also is a participant of the NWA Queen Breeding Cooperative.

Steve Aust is the 2022 President of the North West Arkansas Beekeepers Association.  Steve has been keeping bees for 20 years and has been a commercial beekeeper for more than 3 years.  In that he ran a queen breeding and queen cell production business in Texas overseeing the production of over 20,000 queen cells a year. 

Earl Rowe is a retired teacher and superintendent of schools in NWA.  His occupation with beekeeping started in 2011.  Earl has been active with the Northwest Arkansas Association’s outreach program by playing an important  role in educating the public about the importance of honeybees and their management.  In that regard he is well known to have presented lectures in the public schools and other venues and set up information tables at local functions.   Earl initiated and coordinated the association’s apprenticeship program.

This event is made possible by the Northwest Arkansas Beekeepers Association (NWABA). NWABA provides area beekeepers with the opportunity to share information with others interested in beekeeping. The association also promotes the benefits of bees and beekeeping for Northwest Arkansas whether you are involved in backyard gardening or large scale agricultural operations. With over 225 members, our association has grown to become one of Arkansas's largest regional clubs for beekeeping. We have open membership, meaning anyone can join whether they keep bees or not. Find out more at https://www.nwabeekeepers.com. 

Classes will also be available virtually. At start time, click here to access class: https://vimeo.com/event/1778764

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