Bee College

The first annual University of Florida Bee College was held on Friday, March 14th, and Saturday, March 15th at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) in Apopka, FL. It was an educational event geared toward anyone interested in honey bees — from the total novice to the experienced commercial beekeeper. No prior bee knowledge was necessary! The Bee College consisted of two days of lectures in the morning and workshops in the afternoon.

There were two tracks happening at the same time — the beginner’s track and the experienced track. For example, on Friday at 8:15 AM in the beginner’s track lecture, Dr. Jim Tew spoke on honey bee biology; meanwhile, also at 8:15 AM in the experienced track lecture, Dennis van Engelsdorp spoke on CCD. The rest of the detailed schedule is available from this website:

• Beginners Track
• Experienced Track
• Speaker Notes & Handouts from 2008 Bee College
• 2008 Photos
• "Sam Champion: Dares to Be a Human Beehive" (Good Morning America visits the Bee College). Read Article and view Video.

The Bee College is not part of the Master Beekeeper Program — they are separate entities with separate purposes.

• What's the difference between the Master Beekeeper Program and the Bee College?

Coming soon... speaker handouts, powerpoint presentations, and pictures from the 2008 Bee College. We are in the process of planning this year's dates; stay tuned for further details.

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