Parkersburg expo educates those looking to join beekeeper hive
Nichole Kessner, of New Matamoras. looks at equipment such as the woodenware hives needed for beekeeping. Kessner said she lives on a farm and wants to start bee keeping to help with pollination. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)
Caleb Givens, who has three hives, but is still considering himself a beginner beekeeper, lost one of his hives to parasitic bee mites, so he used the lost bees and collected some mites, placing them in little jars for educational purposes. The jars give bee keepers, especially beginners, an idea of what the mites look like on the bees, as well as in general to the human eye rather than an enlarged photo. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)
West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s campus was buzzing with beekeepers new and old sharing stories and tips for good hive productions as well as vendors selling bee equipment and products. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)
Nichole Kessner, of New Matamoras. looks at equipment such as the woodenware hives needed for beekeeping. Kessner said she lives on a farm and wants to start bee keeping to help with pollination. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)
Caleb Givens, who has three hives, but is still considering himself a beginner beekeeper, lost one of his hives to parasitic bee mites, so he used the lost bees and collected some mites, placing them in little jars for educational purposes. The jars give bee keepers, especially beginners, an idea of what the mites look like on the bees, as well as in general to the human eye rather than an enlarged photo. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)
West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s campus was buzzing with beekeepers new and old sharing stories and tips for good hive productions as well as vendors selling bee equipment and products. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)
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PARKERSBURG -- Sixteen years of "pollunating" the Mid-Ohio Valley with knowledge of bees paid off Saturday, with the 17th annual Honey Bee Expo seeing a record number of almost 500 people.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg's campus was buzzing with beekeepers new and old sharing stories and tips for good hive productions as well as vendors selling bee equipment and products.
"Agriculture is important and people take that for granted," said Kent Leonhardt, commissioner of Agriculture for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.
Leonhardt thanked those in attendance for their creation and selling of products such as honey locally.
"When people buy their food locally, everyone benefits. You get to know your farmers, the environment benefits and so does the local economy," said Leonhardt.
Speaking at the expo was Dr. James Tew, a beekeeping specialist. Tew has taught classes, provided extension services, and conducted applied research on honey bees and honey bee behavior. Additionally, he continues to contribute monthly articles for Bee Culture Magazine and other publications he has authored: Beekeeping Principles, Backyard Beekeeping, Bee, Wisdom for Beekeepers, and The Beekeeper's Problem Solver.
Tew focused his speech on healthy colonies, discussing healthy behaviors, production and smells, as well as unhealthy behaviors, production levels and smells.
"A healthy hive is just for the moment, so many factors come and go, it is just the way of life," he said.
Tew also talked about some of the struggles bees face, especially in the winter months.
"You can find some weird hives, or badly placed ones (such as under the hood of a parked old car) when the bees can't find proper cavities to make a hive," said Tew
After Tew's presentation, attendees broke off into different classes. Attendees were able to pick four from a list of 28 classes.
Some classes provided included: Beginning Beekeeping; making bees wax and honey lotion; mites and treatment techniques; second year beekeeping; biology of the bee; flowers to attract pollinators; and swarms and swarm management.
The expo offered a three-part class on Beginning Beekeeping, taught by Shanda King, the owner and operator of Simply Bee, a local honey production company that also specializes in education and awareness. King is also president of Mountaineer Beekeepers and the founder of Women Beekeepers of West Virginia.
King said she wanted to tell prospective beekeepers what to expect and how to prepare for their bees. It's not a hobby someone can start on the spur of the moment and getting the bees to make it through the winter is the first goal. Honey production is, at best, a bonus that first year, but it is possible.
King talked about woodenware and what it is used for, where to put the hive and how to be safe while beekeeping.
"It is so important to get in the hive and observe," said King, "You need to let yourself be a beginner, because that is how you grow," she said.
King said there is not just one way to do beekeeping, but a beginner must decide a plan and be consistent.
"Everything that happens good or bad is a learning experience. It is important to not give up, but learn from it," she said.
Her husband, Justin King, gave the advice to beekeepers to always ask questions, especially with other bee keepers in the area.
"No two beekeepers do things the same way, everyone needs to make adjustments that work with their environment," said Justin King.
For those locally looking to know more about beekeeping, The Mid-Ohio Valley Beekeepers meet the fourth Tuesday each month at 7 p.m. at the Wood County Technical Center. The Mountaineer Beekeepers Club meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Harrisville Public Library.
Madeline Scarborough can be reached at mscarborough@newsandsentinel.com