This past week the annual Bee College was held at the new Bee Lab in the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Visiting for the first time at this new facility, I was pretty ecstatic on what I was going to see and learn. Having a background in horticulture that has led to a journey in apiary, my growing affection for pollinators and its importance to our native natural habitats has become everlasting. The University of Florida has awaken and guided me to nature and bees. At first glance of the new facility, you are greeted with yellow hexagons up against the wall... I liked it here already.
The FDACS (Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) inspectors were present as well to help out the Bee Lab with Bee College, teaching beekeepers the most up to date news on laws and regulations in the industry. Whether you are beekeeping commercially or in your backyard, proper bee keeping practices are vital to the ecosystem (and humans ofcourse). I’ve attended Bee College for the last 2 years and I will be a continuous student; not only to refresh myself on proper beekeeping basics but to also network with this wonderful community of beekeepers that we are fortunate to have nearby and meet new faces that are eager to start beekeeping either as a hobby or business.
I attended the ‘How to control a swarm’ course and I was impressed on how the instructor was very involved with the course. This was by far not just another boring lecture, I really felt the connection and the need to learn, whether I knew it or not. I’ll be going there for years to come.