PUHI — Honeybees don’t like rain, said Foster Brown III, a Kauai Community College apiary student. “And the thing they don’t like even worse is wind,” Brown said. “They’re going to get agitated.” The Kauai Apiary Program and state Department
PUHI — Honeybees don’t like rain, said Foster Brown III, a Kauai Community College apiary student.
“And the thing they don’t like even worse is wind,” Brown said. “They’re going to get agitated.”
The Kauai Apiary Program and state Department of Agriculture’s Apiary Program will be hosting beekeeping classes Thursday to Saturday at KCC conducted by state Apiary Chief Lauren Rusert and Hawaii Apiary Program Entomologist Noelani Waters.
“These are the same people who are encouraging Kauai to become certified as a source for queen bees,” said Dr. Georgeanne Purvinis, head of the KCC apiary program. “It is illegal to import queen bees, and with hives being lost each year, there is a demand for certified sources of queen bees.”
There is a fee associated with the three presentations — Beginning Beekeeping and Bee Biology, Honey Bee Health: Pests and Diseases, and a Combined Apiary Day. Participants are invited to take part in all three presentations, or any of the single presentations. In order to participate in the Combined Apiary Day on Feb. 25, attendance at one of the lecture days is required.
On Thursday, the Beginning Beekeeping PowerPoint lecture will cover honey bee biology, history of beekeeping in Hawaii, techniques to control pests and diseases, and hands-on management techniques. The lecture will take place from 5 to 8 p.m.
The Friday PowerPoint presentation will take beekeeping to the next level, focusing on learning what makes a bee colony healthy and how to identify and take action on pests and diseases that may be present.
On Saturday, the Combined Apiary Day offers hands-on experience in the KCC apiary. Participants meet at the KCC Bee Lab from 8 a.m. to noon.
Information: noelani.waters@hawaii.gov, or (808) 339-1977.
