Beekeeping is extremely important in so many ways to everyone across the nation. As with many other farming enterprises, continued education is key to being successful. For the past 14 years the local cooperative extension services have offered an East KY Beekeeping school for local beekeepers. Since 2020, COVID-19 had forced the school to go virtual for the past 3 beekeeping schools. This year local beekeepers and agriculture agents wanted to get back to in person beekeeping classes and decided to host a mini-beekeeping school for beginning beekeepers. More than 60 participants attended the 2024 Eastern Kentucky Bee School that was held in person at the Perry County Extension Office, Annex Building.

The Annex was at capacity and participants had to be turned away. We had participants from 12 Kentucky Counties and Virginia and West Virginia. This school was started in 2009 to satisfy the need to educate people on the importance of these pollinators and to provide learning opportunities for beginners as well as advanced beekeepers. 

This year’s event was sponsored by the Perry County Cooperative Extension Service and the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association. The Extension Service played a vital role in planning and conducting the school. Extension ANR Agents from Floyd and Knott Counties and Staff from the Perry County Extension Service assisted with putting this school on. It takes a lot of resources and people to make this school the success it has become.  Due to space limitations, we didn’t have exhibitors at this school, but we did have three Beekeeping Supply Companies send items for door prizes, including a local beekeeping supply company, which is a company that started because of this school.   

 At the end of the school participants evaluated the overall school and the classes they attended. With 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. The overall rating was a 9.7 with most of the classes having the same rating as pertaining to knowledge gained from the classes. There has been a dramatic increase in the interest in beekeeping in the in eastern Kentucky the last several years and it’s extremely important to help our beekeepers to be successful.