MAN’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE HONEY BEE began even before recorded history, man was gathering honey from honey bees living in hollow trees. But honey wasn’t the only reason for keeping honeybees because man soon learned that the honey bee was an interesting and exciting social insect. The story behind what appears to be the casual movement of honeybees from flower to flower is the discovery of an industrious and tireless society. They band together and divide labor. The honeybees’ society is made up of three types of individuals with sharply defined duties and functions. The colony consists of one queen, several hundred drones (males) and thousands of workers (females). The female workers are the laborers of the colony. They gather all the nectar and pollen, feed larva, supply water, secrete beeswax, build comb and keep the hive clean. The male drones do not collect nectar, nor do they make beeswax and do not sting.
Except for mating, the drone is an expendable member of the colony. In fact, they are driven from the hive as winter approaches, and perish. Honey is just the sweet secondary reward that we collect from honeybees. If honey bees ceased to exist today, about one-third of all foods we eat would disappear. WHY? Because of pollination. Hundreds of thousands of people in all walks of life have become enthusiastic beekeepers. Whether it is in your own backyard, apartment rooftop, small community garden or farm, beekeeping can fit in anywhere. Find out first hand what it is all about at:
EASTERN MISSOURI BEEKEEPERS ASSOC. 12TH ANNUAL BEEKEEPING WORKSHOP
Saturday, February 9th, 2019 — 8:00a.m.–5:00 p.m.
at Maritz in Fenton, Missouri.
Spend an entire day learning about bees & beekeeping. There are 2 courses offered at the workshop, the Beginners Beekeeping Course is intended for novice beekeepers and those with no prior beekeeping experience. The instructors will cover all the basics and prepare students to start beekeeping in 2019. The Advanced Course is for experienced beekeepers and will place special emphasis on colony health and behavior. EMBA recruits nationally renowned honeybee scientists, professors, and beekeepers to train attendees on current best practices and share cutting-edge research.
Your learning will not end the day of the workshop, EMBA has an entire year of hands-on workshops that get beginners out in their teaching apiary with experienced beekeepers. As club members, there are opportunities to participate in coop purchasing of equipment and bees from reliable suppliers. You can sign up to have a mentor that will work with you throughout your first year of beekeeping to answer questions as they arise.
What is the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association? Founded in 1939, EMBA is the largest beekeeping club in the St. Louis area. It is composed of a 100% volunteer core of highly dedicated individuals who are passionate about promoting beekeeping and training the next generation of backyard beekeepers. EMBA hosts monthly meetings that offer networking opportunities, Q&A, and high-quality presentations about topics ranging from how to do a hive inspection to how to make lip balm with your beeswax. Members range from experienced beekeepers with 30+ years of experience to “newbees” who are just figuring it out.
More information and registration at:
www.easternmobeekeepers.com