More than 160 participants attended the 2020 Eastern Kentucky Bee School that was held in Perry County. This school continues to grow each year with participants coming from surrounding states. This was our tenth school to date. 

     This school was started in 2009 to satisfy a need to educate people on the importance of these pollinators and to provide learning opportunities for beginners as well as advanced beekeepers.  

     The event was sponsored by the Perry County Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Foundation for Appalachia Kentucky. The Extension Service played a vital role in planning and conducting the school. Extension Agents from surrounding Counties also assist with this school. It takes a lot of resources and people to make this school the success that it is. 

     This one day event offered classes ranging from beginning to advanced beekeeping, including some specialty classes like, Mite-Biter Queens, 48 Hour Queen Cells, Chemicals in Honey, KSBA Certified Honey Program, Viruses, Making Lotion Bars and Lip Balm, Top Bar Hives, Honey Bee Anatomy, Beekeeping and Honey Hunting in Nepal, Small Hive Beetle and several other unique classes. In total, 27 educational classes were offered at the school. There was something offered for everyone.

     The number of youth attending the school continues to grow, which is very encouraging. The only way we are going to continue to increase the number of beekeepers is get our youth interested. 

     There were two exhibitors and two Beekeeping supply companies that attended the 2020 school, Walter T Kelly Company and Dadant & Sons.  

One of the vendors reported record sales at the school, of over $500.00. 

  Several other Beekeeping Supply companies provided door prizes or other items for the participants, totaling $1881.47 in giveaways. 

     Local media WYMT television came and covered the school, interviewing participants and vendors. They were not invited they just read about it and wanted to do a story on it.

     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. We are still tabulating the evaluations but this looks to be the highest rated school we have had.  The overall rating was a 9.6 with most of the classes having the same rating as pertaining to knowledge gained from the classes. Evaluations will be updated as when all the results are tabulated. 

     Since the start of this school, Perry County has a confirmed number of 15 new beekeepers with 60 new hives. Perry County now has 4 commercial Beekeepers. 

Two local stores are now carrying beekeeping equipment.

     There has been a dramatic increase in the interest in beekeeping in the County. I use to only receive a call or two a year about beekeeping, now I am receiving one or two a week. 

     This school has also driven enough interest in Beekeeping in Perry County that a beekeepers Association was form in the County in the fall of 2017. Membership in the Association continues to grow.