The 13^th East Kentucky Winter Beekeeping School was held virtually again in January 2023.

     A virtual School, like this one, is challenging but the committee, made up of local Beekeepers, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture state Apiarist and Extension Agents from Perry, Harlan, and Letcher Counties, as well as other County volunteers, worked extremely hard to pull off another successful virtual event.

     Even with the virtual event, this was once again one of the highest attended schools to date. More than 160 people registered for the 2023 school with well over 100 people online at any given time. Based on registration, there were people that attended from over half of the Kentucky Counties. There were also people attending from four states other than Kentucky.

     Attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback from the school through an online evaluation. One surprise from the evaluations were respondents didn’t care if the school was virtual or in-person, just as long as we had one. This was the same response we received from last years’ virtual school. Considering the resources and time involved in putting on an in-person school, this response will most likely lead to continuing the school as virtual. The cost savings exceeded well over $5000.00 per school and countless hours of preparation.

     The evaluations showed most attendees have never been involved in beekeeping or have just been involved for 1 to 5 years. That’s very positive to have that level of interest in beekeeping from beginners. The evaluations showed an overwhelming positive response for the school with the majority of respondents rating the school as excellent. Attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback for what they had learned at the school on the evaluation form, they filled out more than four pages of knowledge gained.

     Classes this year included Hive Health Sampling, Honey Testing Lab and its Services, Beginner Beekeeping Equipment, The Role of Genetics and Purdue Lab Services, Beginner Beekeeping II, and Question/Answer Session.

      The Cooperative Extension Service continues to be seen as playing a vital role in resources for bee production and to beekeepers. This school continues to provide valuable education to beekeepers and is a platform to increase public awareness of the potential in Beekeeping in Eastern Kentucky and the entire state.