BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — The Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association will host a Bee School this Saturday, Sept. 25 at the First Baptist Church Bryan to teach Brazos Valley youth the importance of beekeeping.
Chairman of the Brazos Valley Bee School Chris Barnes said they will do some academic work with kids who register, let them learn about beekeeping and take them on field trips.
“Then in the spring, as long as they've done everything,” Barnes said, “We give them their own bee suit, a hive of bees and assign them an adult mentor to help them learn how to be beekeepers.”
Barnes said if the kids continue the program for a second year, they get another hive of bees.
“The Bee School itself is a regional thing,” Barnes said, “We have people coming from all over the state, as far as why as Dallas and San Antonio, quite a few people from the Houston area too, to expand their knowledge on beekeeping.”
Attending a beekeeping school is how Barnes and his wife began their beekeeping journey.
“There was a beekeeping school in Brenham, that she signed us up for and we got kicked off with beekeeping,” Barnes said, “Today we have 60 hives.”
What makes the Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association’s Bee School different from other schools is the time of the year that it's held, in the fall.
“It gives you a chance to do all the education and learning, and absorb some of this knowledge,” Barnes said, “You can get your equipment set up and be is ordered ahead of time, so that in the spring when you're ready to start you’re not rushed.”
Besides the Bee School this weekend, Barnes said the best way to get started in beekeeping is to join a local beekeepers club.
“That's where you're going to meet somebody that you can get one on one help with, and advice from and meet other beekeepers,” Barnes said, “That's why we started the club here in Bryan/College Station.”
Registration for September 25 is still open here.