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Buzzing about bees

Beekeeping classes start Thursday at Iowa Valley Continuing Ed.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Those interested in learning more about bees and their life cycles, can enroll in a six week course at Iowa Valley Continuing Education, taught by Phil Ebert of Ebert Honey Company. Classes are held every Thursday night from 7-9 p.m., starting Jan. 26, running through March 2, inside IVCE room 612.

“Beekeeping seems to be one of the hottest hobbies around,” said Phil Ebert, who has been raising bees for more than 30 years.

Ebert teaches a yearly six-week long beekeeping course at Iowa Valley Continuing Education (IVCE) in Marshalltown, with the course kicking off Thursday from 7-9 p.m in IVCE room 612. Ebert has seen many changes in the beekeeping industry, noting there are more challenges in raising these creatures than ever before.

The first four weeks of the course will focus on how to raise bees, giving general information about the biology of bees. Topics will include learning about diseases, pests, year-round care, splitting bee colonies in the springtime, small-scale queen production, comb honey production and the history of beekeeping.

The final two weeks will focus on the problems and hardships populations of bees face in the modern world.

“There are four factors that have decreased the number of bees,” Ebert said. “Parasites, viruses, lack of food supply and the wide-spread use of insecticides. They are creating a toxic cocktail. Bees are like people and need diverse diets, and it can be hard for them to find high-protein nutrition in Iowa. And while I don’t advocate for getting rid of insecticides entirely, they are being used at a sub-lethal dose for bees.”

Last autumn, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave endangered species status to seven yellow-faced bee species, native to the Hawaiian islands.

Ebert said bees are susceptible to varroa mites, external parasites that go after the honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera, shortening the bees’ lifespan.

Ebert, who runs Ebert Honey Company out of Lynnville, said it’s not unusual for his company to lose 15-20 percent of their bees to viruses and an additional 10-15 percent of bees through queen failure.

“There are horror stories out there about people losing 70 percent of their bees,” Ebert said.

For those in the class interested in raising their own bees, Ebert can connect them with resources. However, he will not be bringing in live bees to the classroom.

The cost of the course is $49, for both children and adults interesting in participating. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Register for the course, # AGR 4500, either online or by calling 641-752-4645.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com

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