Success Stories By MajorProgram FY2025Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025
MICA STEM and HEALTH Camp
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation.This event offered middle-school students a chance to try honey from New Zealand, Switzerland, Greece and Kentucky as well as have a chance to wear a bee veil and get into beehives. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). The response from the participants was enthusiasticProvide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Target Audience. 25Provide a Statement of Outcomes or Program Impact. Please n
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Submitted 1890s Capacity Building Grant proposal
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation. I wrote a grant proposal to purchase diagnostic kits for Kentucky & Ohio beekeepers. These kits are currently unavailable in the U.S. The grant proposal request funds to buy kits, antibiotics for veterinarians and fund workshops. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). The partner is Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay, Central State University (Ohio). The grant also lists as partners local be
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September Beelines "Combining Hives for Winter Success"
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation. Beginner Beekeepers may feel sympathetic about their first-year hives and not want to combine a colony that has too few bees, thinking he or she may be able to coax it through the winter. My article encourages the beginner beekeeper to think of the entire hive, that it takes a lot of bees to produce a lot of young bees in the spring. Instructions are included in the article.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if
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August Beelines, "Fall Requeening"
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation. In advance of the Fall KY Queen Bee Breeders Annual Meeting, I wrote an article about the benefits of requeening a hive in July or August. At the annual meeting, I demonstrated all of the techniques described in the article. The primary benefit is that the colony does not go queenless in the spring because it has a new young queen. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). Kentucky State Be
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FLOYD COUNTY BEGINNING BEEKEEPER'S SCHOOL
Author: Chad Allen
Major Program: Beekeeping
Honeybees are valuable animals. They pollinate about $10 billion worth of U.S. crops and produce about $150 million worth of honey each year. Unfortunately, they face serious new problems. Two kinds of mites that are parasites of honeybees were brought into the United States and have spread rapidly. Tracheal mites live in air tubes inside bees, making it hard for them to breathe. Varroa mites live in bee colonies and feed on developing bee larvae (brood). Both tiny pe
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Autoclave Service
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation.Beekeepers have difficulty being able to manage diseases, and the KSU autoclave makes it possible to sterilize beekeeping equipment. For over two years, the KSU autoclave has not been used, but beginning Nov. 2024, the autoclave is now operable. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). The autoclave has been able to sterilize equipment for three beekeepers (two commercial, one researcher). T
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KY Queen Bee Breeder Association vaccine demo grant
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation. Currently, there is a disease that affects honey bees called American foulbrood, for which there is no cure. In 2023, a company released a vaccine made from dead American foulbrood bacterium with conditional approval from Environmental Protection Agency. In working with the KY Queen Bee Breeders Association, I was able to apply for funds to purchase this new vaccine and demonstrate to beekeepers how they can use it to protect their hives.Describe the
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Bee Book Review
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation.I have written a review for Albert Chubak's illustrated book, Do You Speak Bee. Chuback's book is an enchanting illustrated explanation of the division of labor among honey bees. He is going to Europe to promote the book. My review will be included in the manuscript, reaching many general audiences and schools.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). This book will have a global reach. Sch
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American Bee Journal article
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation. March is prime time for beekeeping swarms. In addition to writing my monthly article for the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association newsletter called The Beelines, The American Bee Journal (a national trade journal) featured a swarm-catching method used in my five apiaries. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). The American Bee Journal is a trade journal that has been in print since the 1880s. &
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Beginner Beekeeping School
Author: Carrie Spry
Major Program: Beekeeping
Central Kentucky has seen rising interest in beekeeping among the landowner population. Fortunately, the region has a rich history of beekeeping with a wealth of knowledge and expertise among members of the community. The Powell, Montgomery, and Clark County Extension offices partnered to present the Beginner Beekeeping School. The program’s target audience were new or just started their beekeeping journey. In addition to a crash course in beekeeping, the class so
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Beginner Beekeeping School
Author: Jason Vaughn
Major Program: Beekeeping
Central Kentucky has seen rising interest in beekeeping among the landowner population. Fortunately, the region has a rich history of beekeeping with a wealth of knowledge and expertise among members of the community. The Powell, Montgomery, and Clark County Extension offices partnered to present the Beginner Beekeeping School. The program’s target audience were new or just started their beekeeping journey. In addition to a crash course in beekeeping, the class so
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"Let's Celebrate the 'angels of agriculture' during Pollinator Week in the Bluegrass"
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation. Pollinator Week will be celebrated from June 16-21st. As the former recipient of the 2010 Pollinator Advocate of the Year (this is an international award), I was asked to help coordinate pollinator activities to celebrate this week in Lexington and Frankfort. I wrote an article to distribute, also highlighting the 2024 Pollinator Highway Management winners (the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet). This article was published in the Lexington Herald-
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East Kentucky Winter Beekeeping School
Author: Charles May
Major Program: Beekeeping
The 2025 Eastern Kentucky Bee School, held at the Perry County Extension Office and Annex Building, was a resounding success, drawing over 100 participants from 15 Kentucky counties and neighboring states including Virginia, Tennessee, and West Virginia. This milestone event marked the fifteenth edition of the school, which began in 2009 with a mission to educate the public on the vital role of pollinators and to support both budding and seasoned beekeepers.Driven by the Perry County Beekeepers
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Beekeeper's Meeting
Author: Emma Lee
Major Program: Beekeeping
Estill County had a Beekeeper's Association in the past, but it was no longer active. Our county beekeepers had been attending the Clark and Powell Beekeeper Association meetings instead. I held a Bee School for two consecutive weeks on Thursday nights, and there was a common request of starting our own Beekeeper Association in Estill County. I worked closely with a local beekeeper, who has attended the Clark and Powell meetings for years, to schedule an interest meeting for a Beekeeper'
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Beginning Beekeepers
Author: Cheyenne Lamb
Major Program: Beekeeping
Interest in beekeeping has surged among Central Kentucky residents, especially small-scale producers, gardeners, and families eager to support pollinator health and explore honey production. Fortunately, the region has a rich history of beekeeping and several community member have been stepping up to teach the next generation about beekeeping. Many of the new individuals lacked the foundational knowledge needed to begin keeping bees successfully. Barriers such as startup costs, hive management c
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Garrard County Beekeepers Association’s Growth and Training Impact
Author: Casey Byrd
Major Program: Beekeeping
Overview:The Garrard County Beekeepers Association has seen impressive growth and engagement within the community, thanks to the active involvement of local beekeepers and their collaborative efforts with the University of Kentucky Extension. The Garrard Beekeeper Association has successfully fostered a community of passionate beekeepers who actively share knowledge and resources, creating an engaged, informed network for beekeeping enthusiasts in the region, while allowing farmers to supplement
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Buzzing with Headstart Beekeeping Program
Author: Kennedy Cannon
Major Program: Beekeeping
Young Children in the Head Start program often have limited exposure to agriculture and healthy food systems. At two-three years old it is crucial for children to have sensory-based learning experiences for developing early cognitive and language skills. Beekeeping is just one of the key components of our ecosystem, this program offers an excellent opportunities to introduce young learners to the concept of pollination and our food system.To address this need, children learned how pollinat
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https://nkytribune.com/2025/06/kentucky-by-heart-former-state-apiarist-dr-tammy-horn-potter-provides-the-buzz-on-kentuckys-bees/
Author: Tamara Potter
Major Program: Beekeeping
Describe the Issue or Situation.With many losses affecting migratory beekeepers, the Northern KY Tribune wants to call attention to the importance of the Kentucky state insect, i.e., the honey bee. This article helps educate the general audience about the importance of honey bees. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). The Northern Kentucky Tribune is an online newspaper, reaching many of the northern counties. This area repre
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