2017 FCBA Beginning Beekeeping Basics Course

2017 FCBA Beginning Beekeeping Basics Course

The Franklin County Beekeepers’ Association is conducting a five session Beginning Beekeeping Basics course for anyone interested in becoming a beekeeper.  The Thursday evening classroom sessions will be on March 2, 9, 16, & 23, 2017, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Franklin County Ag Heritage Building located at 185 Franklin Farm Lane in Chambersburg.  There will also be a field day at a local apiary on a Saturday in April.  Cost is $40.00 per family.  For information, contact Penn State Extension at 717/263-9226 or by email at FranklinExt@psu.edu.  Subjects that will be covered include an introduction to beekeeping, bee biology, beekeeping equipment; maintaining healthy bees, installing packages and apiary colony management.  Registration is required and is limited to the first 50.  You do not have to be a member of the Franklin County Beekeepers’ Association to register.  Registration includes a beekeeping manual, refreshments and membership in the Franklin County Beekeepers’ Association.

Bee Breeding Around the Globe -February 16, 2017, FCBA Meeting

Bee Breeding Around the Globe -February 16, 2017, FCBA Meeting

 

                Dr. Kirsten Traynor of Flickerwood Apiary in Middletown, MD is the featured speaker at the Thursday, February 16 Franklin Co. Beekeepers' Assoc. Quarterly Meeting.  The meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Franklin County Ag Heritage Building, 185 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, PA (next to the extension office).  Dr. Traynor will speak on “Bee Breeding Around the Globe.”  Dr. Kirsten Traynor & Michael Traynor of Flickerwood Apiary have met with bee breeders in many parts of the world to learn unique techniques to improve the qualities of their bees. Her presentation will describe how a club in Denmark teaches all new beekeepers how to rear their own queen, so they can start their first hive. She will also talk about her visit to Buckfast Abbey, where Brother Adam bred the unique Buckfast bee. Dr. Kirsten Traynor highlights some of the best aspects of bee breeding they’ve studied in their world travels.

                Dr. Traynor received the prestigious German Chancellor Scholarship from the Humboldt Foundation in 2006-2007, annually awarded to ten American leaders in their field. She and her husband drove over 50,000 miles throughout Western Europe to study the differences between European and American beekeeping, reporting their findings through 50+ published articles in national and international magazines. At the same time she interviewed scientists and medical doctors, gathering information for her book: Two Million Blossoms: Discovering the Medicinal Benefits of Honey.

                Fascinated with the social complexity of a honey bee hive, Kirsten earned her PhD in biology from Arizona State University. While a grad student, she spent almost a year in Avignon, France in the lab of Dr. Yves Le Conte as a Fulbright Fellow. She currently investigates how pesticides impact honey bee health for the University of Maryland in the lab of Dr. vanEngelsdorp and is the editor of Bee World, published by the International Bee Research Association. Follow her on Twitter @FlowersLoveBees.  Flickerwood Apiary:  http://www.mdbee.com/flickerwood/index.html