Ontario Beekeepers Learning

In late May, NOD Apiary Products in Frankford, Ontario hosted two beekeeping courses on behalf of the Quinte Beekeepers Association. Alison Skinner and Janet Tam from the Ontario Beekeepers Association Tech Transfer Program were the instructors. We also welcomed Melanie Kempers, a brand new employee of the Tech Transfer program who was taking the courses along with the other students. We are so lucky, here in Ontario, to have the Tech Transfer Program. Alison and Janet provide invaluable instruction and are a resource that as Ontario beekeepers we should be very proud of. Ontario is a leader in beekeeping research and technology development within North America. These courses would be very difficult and time consuming to develop at the local association level, so as a club, we didn't hesitate to sign up when the courses for 2006 became available. Local associations promote beekeeping and have a responsibility to their members to access resources such as Alison and Janet.
On Saturday, an Introduction to Beekeeping course was held. It was a great day and a good time was had by all. Luckily, we had a rain free weekend for the courses. We were able to go into the hives behind the NOD building and look for the queen, look for eggs, learn what a good brood pattern is, do a split and much more. Classroom instruction was also a big part of the day.
On Sunday, it was time for the Introduction to Queen Rearing course. Again, students got a chance to create cell builder hives right in the bee yard. They also grafted eggs and had ample classroom time to learn about different queen rearing techniques, proper mating of the queen and other important topics.
Each student received the brand new Ontario Beekeeping Manual or the Ontario Queen Rearing Manual, both compiled by the OBA Tech Transfer Team.
Attendees for these courses came from as far away as North Bay and Barrie.
Thanks again to Alison and Janet. Keep up the good work!

Liz Corbett
President
Quinte Beekeepers Association