University of Florida Bee College

What's the difference between the Master Beekeeper Program and the Bee College?

Date and Location

About

Bee College the most extensive educational honey bee event in the state of Florida. Everyone is welcome to attend Bee College: beekeepers, naturalists, farmers, gardeners, county agents, and anyone interested in honey bees! This two-day event offers lectures in the morning and hands-on workshops in the afternoon. There are llive honey bee colonies on site for open hive demonstrations and protective gear for everyone. This event won’t leave you hungry either, we serve morning and
afternoon snacks, lunch both days, a full banquet dinner on Friday evening and an ice cream social following the
Awards Ceremony. At the Awards Ceremony we announce students who have entered or advanced in the Master
Beekeeper Program, Welsh Honey Judges, and the place winners and Best of Show in the UF Bee College Honey
Show, as well as give out door prizes. Bee College is simply the best time you could have learning about honey bees! We hope that you and your family decide to join us for this fun-filled weekend.

Registration

Registration for Bee College will open in December 2013. ALL ATTENDEES MUST REGISTER ONLINE for admission to the event. Payment will be accepted through credit card online, mail-in by check. All HBREL events, including Bee College, will have registraion through Eventbrite. Please visit HBREL's ticketing page - http://hbrel.eventbrite.com/

Admission and Scholarships

Discounts are available for youth (<18), college students (with ID), county agents, Master Beekeeper Program Students, Fl. Master Gardeners and Fl. Master Naturalists. Discounts are also available for families (parents and dependent children) and kids under 5 are free. Please see registration page (on eventbrite.com for prices). NEW! discount price now applicable for Caribbean citizens. Meals are included in the price.

Bee Club Discount

We welcome local bee associations to purchase ONE 2-day ticket at a discounted price of $150, then raffle it off at your discretion. For example, if you purchase the dicount ticket, and raffle it off for $10 a ticket, you could fundraise for your club in just 15 people! Please email jklopchin@ufl.edu for more details. What a great way to encourage enrollment in your club, with a chance to win a ticket to Florida's largest beekeeping educational event! Start your raffle early!!!

Special Guests

Special Guest Speakers for 2014 Bee College:

We have someone super-special lined up this year!! We will be unveiling later this summer!!

Some of our past Keynote Lecturers:

Dr. Wyatt Mangum - Author, Top-bar hive Expert, Bee Scientist

Randy Oliver - Author, Commerical Beekeeper, host: scientificbeekeeping.com

Michael Young, MBE - Chef, Artist, Welsh Honey Judge, Chairman - Northern Ireland Institure of Beekeepers

Dr. Larry Conner - Beekeeper, Queen Rearing Expert, Author, owner - Wicwas Press

Dr.s Niko and Gudrun Koeniger - Veteran Honey Bee Researchers, Authors, discovered new bee species, Apis cerana nuluensis

Dr. Tammy Horn - Author, Beekeeper, Activist

Dr. Vaughn Bryant - Pollen Identification Expert

Dr. Keith Delaplane- University of Georgia

Dr. David Dejong - University of San Paolo, Brazil

Schedule

During Bee College there are 7-8 different classes that run over 6 periods during the day. This totals to over 50 courses that you could take over the college.

Beginner topics: There is a beginner track, listed in orange on the schedule. It is repeated both days, so that if you come only Friday or only Saturday you can attend these crucial courses. If you attend the whole event, then it gives you the opportunity to fulfill the beginner track over two days and still attend other interesting classes that may coincide with the track.

Advanced Topics: We host a number of courses in a workshop-like setting where you gain experience using microscopes, building equipment, bee identification, diesease identification, honey bee anatomy and more.

Hobbyists and Craft-lovers: We have fun DIY classes like candle making, honey exhibitions, wax painting, honey marketing and much more.

Something for Everyone: We try to create the classes so that they are directed toward either beginners or advanced beekeepers but can accommodate anyone interested in the subject. We also have timely keynote addresses given by some of the world's leaders in honey bee research, advocacy and literature.

Jr. Bee College: On Saturday we host Jr. Bee College for kids 6-16 that runs all day. We have special guests and tons of activites to keep the kids busy while you enjoy more advanced topics. Parents and teachers welcome. There is no additional fee for Jr. Bee College.

  • The 2014 Bee College Schedule will be posted here in December 2013.

Accommodations

Accommodations are the individual responsibility of each guest. Accommodations in St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach, or Palm Coast are acceptable locations. There are no hotels in Marineland. Our guests typically find there is a 20-30 minute drive to/from the college daily. Please plan accordingly. There are several camping sites in the area and they tend to book quickly, so reserve ahead of time. Typically HBREL will reserve blocks of rooms at hotels at a discounted price. These blocks expire one month prior to the event, so book early. These listing will be posted by December 1, 2013.

Vendors

Despite our relatively small vending space, we have several top of the line vendors who sell beekeeping equipment, supplies, accessories, books and more. In the past, we have had endors such as: Deb's Bee Supply, Mann Lake, Walter T. Kelley, and Dadant.

There are 5 indoor vending spots available. If you are interested in becoming a vendor at Bee College please send a letter of interest by November 1st, 2013 to Jeanette Klopchin at jklopchin@ufl.edu. All requests will be reviewed by the Bee College committee.

Specialized Training Courses

Bee College offers specialty training courses for Emergency First Responders, beekeepers, teachers, agricultural professionals, Pest Control Operators and other similar professions. Courses include

  • Epi-Pen Certification (Insect Emergency Sting Treatment)
  • Africanized Bee Training for First Responders
  • Africanized Bee Training for Pest Control Operators
  • Live Bee Removal for Pest Control Operators
  • Live Bee Removal for Beekeepers NEW!
  • Welsh Honey Judge Training (click for more info)

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