Back to Basics: Training the Trainers at the Eastern Apicultural Society Conference

View the project final report

• 2010 annual report

Commodities

• Animals: bees

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
• Pest Management: biological control, chemical control, cultural control, economic threshold, genetic resistance, integrated pest management, physical control, prevention, traps

We successfully conducted a training event at the Eastern Apicultural Society short course for extension agents and master beekeepers. The purpose of this training was to disseminate the latest knowledge and technologies to promote bee health to those who will further deliver them to beekeepers. This training was held at the 2010 annual conference of the Eastern Apicultural Society, which holds the largest yearly gathering of beekeepers on the eastern seaboard. Our objective was to train extension agents, Master Beekeepers, and other outreach officials at the week-long conference in key issues concerning the industry. For agents or other inexperienced officials, we offered trainings on basic beekeeping at the Introductory Short Course during the first two days of the conference. For experienced Master Beekeepers or agents, we offered advanced trainings on varroa IPM, queen rearing and bee breeding, CCD, and the Africanized honey bee. For all participants, we provided a series of presentations and workshops from relevant experts during the latter part of the week.

Objective 1: Educate novice extension agents in basic beekeeping techniques to create new conduits for apiculture outreach.
Objective 2: Provide hands-on training to participants in applying new control methods for varroa mites so that they may further teach varroa IPM strategies to beekeepers.
Objective 3: In conjunction with other ongoing extension projects, provide workshops on queen rearing and clinics on bee breeding (including instrumental insemination) to advanced beekeepers.
Objective 4: Hold a break-out session on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), including updates from the leading researchers and a round-table discussion involving apiculture officials, academics, and commercial beekeepers.
Objective 5: Develop and deliver a comprehensive plan for public education of Africanized honey bees (AHB), the so-called “killer” bees, in preparation of their predicted invasion and spread along the eastern seaboard.
Objective 6: Consolidate slide sets, handouts, and other materials for each participant to utilize in their own outreach efforts for delivery of learned information to their local beekeeper clientele.