UF Spring Bee College 2025
Every year the University of Florida hosts several “Bee Colleges”. This year World of Honey attended the Spring Bee College in Gainesville, Florida.
What is Bee College?
At Bee College beekeepers and enthusiasts come together to learn about beekeeping, honey production, and other related topics. It is a great opportunity for people to network with others in the industry and gain valuable knowledge and skills. The Bee College typically offers workshops, lectures, and hands-on demonstrations to educate attendees about the latest research and best practices in beekeeping. It is a must-attend event for anyone interested in beekeeping and honey production.
The Bee College also features several vendors from around the country. This year’s vendor lineup included MannLake, Dadant, and of course World of Honey!
Where was Bee College Spring 2025?
This year’s Spring Bee College was held at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (HBREL). The HBREL Building is located on the beautiful UF Campus at 1881 Natural Area Drive, Gainesville, Florida.
Spring 2025 Topics
This year’s topics included Hives and Insulation by Dr. Mitchell, Honeybee Biology by Dr. Yarborough, Bees of Thailand, Urban Beekeeping, and Varroa Biology by Dr. Cameron Jack. Of course, there were many other classes offered that are too numerous to list.
I found the students’ Research Updates lecture particularly interesting. Kaylin Kleckner reported on her findings in South Africa where she located and studied honey bee colonies in the wild. These wild colonies were located using bee-lining and mapped onto a grid. I learned that in South Africa many honey bee colonies are located in the ground in areas where there are few trees. The honey bees make use of abandoned Aardvark boroughs for nesting sites.
Dr. Petit also shared her research on the toxicity of chemical residues in beeswax. She found that one of the threats to honey bee health is residues from Apivar treatments because they are commonly found in the old beeswax in hives in the USA.
Hive Insulation
I spoke with Dr. Mitchell briefly concerning the topic of Hive Insulation. He has been conducting extensive studies utilizing the HiveIQ system. One of these studies involves using a supercomputer in Leeds, England to analyze data concerning the fluid dynamics of honey bee hives.
In conclusion, attending events like the Spring Bee College can provide valuable information and resources for beekeepers, whether they are just starting out or have been in the industry for years. It’s a great opportunity to network with vendors and other beekeepers, and learn about the latest products and techniques in the industry. If you have the chance to attend a beekeeping event like this, I highly recommend it.
