Introduction to Beekeeping

What: Introduction to Beekeeping

So you think you want to be a beekeeper? This workshop will give you a snapshot of what it is all about from your backyard hive to the wide world of apiculture. We’ll look at a brief history of bees and beekeeping, then consider what you might expect, how much you might spend, best hints on getting started, and answers to the most-asked questions about bees. Also covered will be details on some of the major beekeeping challenges and ways you can meet them as well as the mindset of successful beekeepers today. Whether you are already keeping bees, aspiring, or just curious, this session will give you insight and a straighter path to success and enjoyment.

Presenter: Dr Evan Sugden has been a beekeeper most of his adult life. His experiences span all aspects of the trade, including commercial, hobby, research, teaching and solitary bee management. Evan was intimately involved in honey bee research during the calamitous late 1980’s and early ’90’s and had a first hand perspective of how beekeeping has changed since before that time. This has influenced his continued involvement and has inspired him to constantly strive to be a better beekeeper and to teach good practices to others as a new generation of beekeepers evolves.
Evan currently teaches Entomology and Beekeeping in the Biology Department at the University of Washington, Seattle campus. He is faculty advisor for the UW Bee Club and an internship advisor with the UW Farm, through which the beekeeping course (a.k.a. “Science with Bees”) is taught.