Extension

Welcome to the Extension section of the UF HBREL website. Our efforts are varied, yet focused into three distinct areas: beekeeper extension, African bee extension, and general honey bee extension.

UPDATES: > The 2010 4-H beekeeping essay topic has been announced - see our 4-H link for details

> Dates have also been set for the 3rd annual Bee College to be held March 12-13, 2010 at the Whitney Marine Laboratory. See our Bee college link for more info. Schedules and speaker bios will be up shortly so check back often!

UF Bee College

Under beekeeper extension falls one of our most popular programs, the UF Bee College: Florida's most extensive honey bee educational event!

The third annual Bee College will be held March 12-13, 2010 at the Whitney Marine Laboratory in Marineland, FL. The 2009 Bee College was a huge success, with over 200 participants, including people interested in becoming beekeepers, people who have been beekeepers for 50+ years, pest control operators, and first responders. We doubled the number of classes and workshops offered.

In 2010, we are again expanding our class selection and are offering classes in regional hive management, gardening for bees, queen rearing, equipment assembly, honey house standards, mead making, and many, many more. We will also be offering a brand new Jr. Bee College for kids 6+ on Saturday, March 13, and of course our always popular Welsh Honey Judge training.

We even offer African bee training for Pest Control Operators and first responders. We have over 50 participants in 2009.

Check back often as our 2010 schedule and speaker bios should be up on the web shortly!

If you would like to be included on our first-to-know mailing list for the 2010 Bee College, contact czettel@ufl.edu.

Florida Master Beekeeper Program

The Florida Master Beekeeper Program is aimed at beekeepers with some beekeeping experience (at least one year to enter the program). This program features four levels of advancement:
Apprentice—Advanced—Master—Master Craftsman. Completion of the Master Craftsman Beekeeper level is comparable to the completion of a Master’s degree from a university!

We recently held both Apprentice and Advanced level training and examinations on November 5th, 2009. Thirteen new Apprentice Beekeepers and four new Advanced Beekeeperswere added to our list, bringing our program total to over 100 people! If you are interested in learning more about the program, see our Master Beekeeper Program link to the left.

The Melitto Files

* We are now also publishing the Melitto Files and all it's contents online. If you want to help save some trees and receive the newsletter by email, please email czettel@ufl.edu to be added to our online list!

We publish a quarterly beekeeper’s newsletter called the Melitto Files (a pun on Melittophile, meaning lover of bees) which features articles written specifically for Florida Beekeepers, announcements of upcoming beekeeping events, and a management calendar divided into regions. If you would like to receive a copy of the Melitto Files, or be added to the list, contact czettel@ufl.edu.

The AFBEE Program

Members of the HBREL have partnered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to create the African Bee Extension & Education (AFBEE) Program which serves to educate every Florida citizen about the presence of African bees in Florida. The AFBEE Program website is a clearing house of information about the African honey bee in Florida.

We are always happy to facilitate speakers to present at your event. If you would like to arrange a speaker to talk about beekeeping, African bees, or any other bee topics, please contact czettel@ufl.edu.

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