The Cumberland County Beekeepers Association will host a class Saturday morning designed to guide aspiring beekeepers into the hives of the hobby.
Cumberland County Beekeepers Association’s Ed Siefker said newcomers can be challenged by all the information available. He said the upcoming class provides structured guidance to ensure long-term viability for new hives.
“There’s a lot of information out there on YouTube and Facebook, but a lot of the people who are providing this information don’t really know what they’re doing, or they have their own way of doing it that may not work for somebody else,” Siefker said. “So, it’s what we try to do with the class is to provide kind of a high-level amount of information so that beekeepers – potential beekeepers can understand what they’re getting themselves into and then we provide a lot of support after they get their bees to help them be successful.”
The event takes place at the UT Experiment Station between Crossville and Monterey. He said the first step to beekeeping, getting past the fear.
“Probably the biggest skill is to not be afraid of bees,” Siefker said. “One thing that you have to know going in is that bees sting and you will likely get stung at some point. So you just have to not be afraid of that.”
The day begins with a welcome introduction followed by a smoker contest where attendees attempt to keep a smoker lit during a period of inactivity. Educational sessions will cover protective clothing, obtaining bees, essential equipment, and hive inspections.
“One of the things that a beekeeper will do is use smoke to calm the bees or I don’t want to say control them, push them out of the way when you go to put hives back together after you’ve taken them apart to inspect them,” Siefker said. “There will be bees that are in the way and you’ll crush them if you don’t get them moved, so you use a smoker to do that.”
Siefker recalled his own experience taking the course in 2018, initially feeling overwhelmed by the volume of information required to maintain a colony. He eventually shadowed other beekeepers and successfully removed a colony from a tree using the knowledge gained from the class.
Participants can expect giveaways including brand new hives and smaller gifts provided by beekeeping companies.