Last weekend’s Whitley County Small Farms Conference gave farmers, gardeners and conservationists plenty of opportunities to network and learn about a wide range of topics related to agriculture. The two-day event featured numerous guest speakers, live demonstrations, and gave vendors a chance to share information about different products and services.
Event organizer Laura Rogers, Kentucky State University, estimated that about 400 people showed up to the Whitley County Cooperative Extension office in Goldbug between last Friday and Saturday, adding that she heard nothing but good feedback from visitors that she spoke to.
Rogers is a beekeeping specialist, so a big part of this year’s conference focused on that particular topic. Sessions on basic beekeeping hardware, disease prevention and how to approach swarms were all covered, as well as a special presentation from Dr. Tom Seeley from Cornell University, who is a widely respected expert in the beekeeping community.
Also contributing to the programming was local beekeeper Theresa Martin. President of the Whitley County Beekeepers Association, Martin has just released a new book, titled Dead Bees Don’t Make Honey: 10 Tips for Healthy, Productive Bees. Dr. Seeley provided the foreword for the book, saying, “If you are a beekeeper who seeks to pursue beekeeping without heavy reliance on chemicals to control the infestations of Varroa destructor in your colonies, then you will find this book a very valuable read. The author keeps about 25 colonies in Kentucky, and has achieved bot 99% colony survival and respectable honey harvests over the past six years.”
“If you are seeking to improve the survival rate of your colonies, then you will find invaluable the ten tips that are presented in part one of this book,” Seeley added.
Martin provided a condensed overview of these ten tips during her Saturday afternoon presentation at the Whitley Small Farms Conference. During her hour-long talk she informed listeners about:
- Acquiring local bees
- Encouraging more propolis
- Spacing colonies farther apart
- No overly disrupting the brood nest
- Not discouraging swarming
- Keeping colonies smaller
- Leaving more than enough honey for winter
- Feeding for survival only
- Insulating hives
- Practicing integrated pest management
Martin’s book also contains information on temperature sensing equipment, helpful FAQs, several references to other materials, and more. Copies of the book are available now on Amazon.com.
Anyone interested in learning about beekeeping is encouraged to attend an upcoming meeting of the Whitley County Beekeepers Association. Meetings take place at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Whitley County Extension office in Goldbug. Call the Extension at (606) 549-1430 for more information.
