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On Aug 27, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Holbrook invited members of Holbrook and neighboring communities to their free home and garden workshop for a beekeeping segment. Offering education on becoming a beekeeper and the importance of preserving and increasing the rapidly declining population of pollinators and sharing the progress since beginning their own beekeeping experiment back in May.
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Program Coordinator for the U of A Cooperative Extension Meghan Penrod explained that the recent publicity surrounding the shortage of bees was the sole motivation for starting the project. “With some of those statistics we thought it would be interesting to see how we could raise bees and what difference we could make.”
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After proposing the idea to the Extension Strategic Initiative Plan, the group received approval and funding and were able to begin.
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“Last year there was a 40 percent reduction in the bee population, worldwide,” Penrod explained, citing pesticides and relocation as some of the major components that contributed to the substantial loss. “We’ve lost a lot of bees with people using pesticides and people moving bees and trying to grow populations.” Penrod stressed, adding, “We need the bees for pollinating fruits and vegetables and they contribute to making medicines.”
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Penrod said after much research, she and her team located and purchased the equipment needed to maintain a highly efficient beehive, including a colony of bees and a queen. Aspiring to make a larger impact, they not only put one in Holbrook, but they extended their experimentation grounds and placed bee boxes in Pinetop and Taylor as well.
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Penrod and Snap Coordinator Lisa Reidhead gave an in-depth explanation on how to use the bee boxes and how to acquire a stock of bees. They also provided names of local beekeepers who are willing to educate anyone interested in beekeeping, the exception being high school students due to liability reasons. All who attended were given an opportunity to suit up briefly and view first-hand what beekeeping is like up close.
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Penrod and Reidhead demonstrated the care they take for the bees and the maintenance required to ensure that the bees are in the best possible environment.
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“Yes, this is open to the community, that is what this workshop is for. We are hoping to get more people involved,” was Penrod’s response when asked if the community members could come and view the hive. “We will be having more workshops and we hope more people will come out and see what we’re doing.”
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Although Penrod and Reidhead were very clear that they are new to beekeeping themselves, they welcome community members to learn and share the experience. Anyone seeking more information can learn more about the program by calling (928) 524-6271.
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