Beekeeping Curriculum and Training for Texas Agricultural Extension Agents and 4-H Youth Leaders

The objective of this funding request was to ensure that a streamlined curriculum developed by Texas beekeeping experts was made available electronically, and free of charge, to better equip those in a position to teach, train and mentor new and youth beekeepers. The curriculum will continue to be hosted by AgriLogic Consulting, with links on the Texas Beekeepers Association website as well as Texas Agrilife Extension sites for each county. The long-term objective involves strengthening the apiculture industry in Texas, which in turn strengthens the ag industry as a whole since managed honey bees are the most valuable pollinators in terms of agricultural economics; in fact according to USDA, one honey bee colony is worth 100 times more to the community than to the beekeeper.

The target audience for this project were (1) agricultural extension agents serving the 254 Texas counties; (2) 4-H extension agents and other youth leaders wishing to offer beekeeping contests, clinics or competition options to their 4-h youth; and (3) existing beekeepers wishing to serve as mentors to youth and new beekeepers.  

While much information exists regarding beekeeping in general, the information does not regularly apply to Texas (climate, threats, best practices); there are vast differences of opinion within the beekeeping community which can leave a new beekeeper confused; and format of such information is not always streamlined, organized, electronically available, nor free of charge.  Currently, when questions are received at the local extension office regarding beekeeping, callers are directed to the Entomology department at Texas A&M or referred to one of two IPM agents in the state who work to provide apiculture and related education. Local extension agents also routinely refer inquisitors back to the local beekeeping community because they have not been trained/equipped to answer these questions. Specifically, the project seeks to cut down the number of calls being transferred to the Entomology department and the two IPM agents located in San Antonio and Austin by 50% over a three-year period. This would also mean that there would be a 50% increase in the number of questions being answered at the county agent level with the project website acting as a backup resource for both agents as well as the individuals asking the questions.

This curriculum will also allow 4-H leaders as well as local club volunteers to offer a beginning beekeeping opportunity for interested youth ages 3rd -12th grade and allow them to compete in local as well as potentially district and state contests in the future. Specifically, for 4-H, the goal is to have at least 25 (10%) of the counties in Texas charter a beekeeping club or contest by the end of year 3. According to the Texas 4-H State office, there is currently a Beekeeping Essay contest held annually as well as one youth club in Brazos County which is not officially chartered as a 4-H Club. Outside of that, they are not aware of any other specific youth beekeeping clubs or activities in the state, as part of the 4-H program. An investigation of the existing 4-H curriculum and bookstore found two resources available free of charge through the 4-H website, neither of which were intended for our target audience and which were not comprehensive in content.  We were unable to find any other bee-specific resources from the following 4-H curriculum website at this time, further justifying the need for a streamlined, free of charge curriculum.   As part of this grant, a 4-H Explore Guide for Beekeeping was drafted and submitted to the state 4-H office in an attempt to initiate work on a published guide which can be edited and approved by the Texas 4-H leadership and included with other existing Explore Guides on the main 4-H website.

Finally, the website curriculum can be used in local beekeeping clubs to guide mentors wishing to start a youth beekeeping club (not part of 4-H), of which there has been increased interest and requests per the Texas Beekeepers Association in recent years.  A press release was drafted and shared with project collaborators and others which can be shared throughout the various targeted audience communities.