by Chantel Rhodes

Created on: September 25, 2008

As beginner hobbyist beekeepers, my tweenage daughter and I have discovered a wealth of information about bees that we never even knew to ask. A lot of what we have learned (and continue to learn) comes from experience and from other experienced beekeepers we've met. Since other beekeepers in your area are the best resource for beekeeping information, searching online should be localized and specific.

Obviously the major beekeeping suppliers around the country have great information on bees and beekeeping in general. I'll list those I've browsed a bit later, but the first place to look on the Internet is for local beekeeping associations. When our beehive first descended on us (we got into it purely by accident - or serendipity, if you prefer) we knew nothing about keeping bees. So right away we joined the Utah County Beekeepers Association and went to our first meeting. We found out about them via the Internet.

Most states have an extension service provided by a state university. Do a search for your state's extension service. You should be able to find contact information like a list of registered beekeepers or associations within your state. If not, just call the extension service and ask about it. That's what the extension services are for. They are there to answer questions about all sorts of things.

Once you have found some local resources, you're ready to dive in. Chances are someone can answer your beekeeping questions via e-mail, telephone or association meeting. Local strengths and weaknesses are frequently discussed. And beekeepers LOVE to share their experience. After all, they are usually big fans of honey bees and want to do everything they can to encourage others to take up beekeeping.

Because honey bee populations are in serious decline, and because they are a significant contributor to pollination of crops we rely on, beekeepers are more than happy to share information.

Hobbyist beekeepers frequently blog about their experiences. These are sometimes helpful, but can unintentionally mislead or misinform new beekeepers. Differences in location, climate and other factors are significant in the types of problems beekeepers may encounter and the solutions that work best. For example, capturing feral swarms is encouraged in some places, but discouraged in other places because of the likelihood that they may be the more aggressive Africanized honey bee. So, by all means, read beekeeping blogs written by others. They are sometimes interesting and may give you some ideas you can research to determine their appropriateness for your situation, but remember to take their suggestions with a grain of salt. What works for one beekeeper may be a disaster for another.

Sources I have found to be reliable for beekeeping information (and contact information)in my area include the following:

www.utahcountybeekeepers.org
www.utahbeekee pers.org
www.honey.com (National Honey Board)
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/beekeeping.htm l (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service)
http://extension.usu.edu

Beekeeping suppliers' Web sites I have used include the following:

www.betterbee.com
www.glorybee.com
www.mannl akeltd.net
www.dadant.com

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