2012 Kentucky Regional Beekeeping Schools
Between January 21 and March 10, six regional, one-day beekeeping schools will once again be held in Kentucky. These schools all have multi-session classes with topics of interest for all levels of beekeeping experience, including beginner classes for the new beekeepers. Vendors displaying and selling beekeeping equipment will set up at all the schools.

For more information on these schools, including programs, pre-registration forms, directions, lists of vendors present, etc., go to the webpage of the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association. Please note that more information for each school will be posted as it is passed on to me. I’m including some details on some of the schools in this newsletter, especially the Hazard Beekeeping school which will take place in less than two weeks.

• Eastern Kentucky Beekeeping School, Hazard – January 21, 2012
• Allen County Beekeeping School, Scottsville – February 4, 2012
• Southeast Kentucky Beekeeping School, Corbin – February 11, 2012
• Northeast Kentucky Beekeeping School, Morehead – February 25, 2012
• Audubon Beekeeping School, Henderson – March 2, 2012
• Bluegrass Beekeeping School, Frankfort – March 10, 2012

Eastern Kentucky Beekeeping School, Hazard – January 21, 2012
The Eastern Kentucky Beekeeping School will again be held at the Hazard Community and Technical College. The college is located just east of Hazard off Kentucky route15 on One Community College Drive. This year the school will include both a beginner track of classes and a QUEEN REARING TRACK FOR ADVANCED BEEKEEPERS. In addition there will be many other classes of interest for beekeepers, including numerous hive management topics and sessions on producing value added products such as making beeswax candles and pollen trapping.

You can download the complete program and pre-registration form at the KSBA webpage. Pre-registration is not required, but it will save you $5 and help us with meal planning (pre-registration fee $20 or $25 at the door – includes lunch).

Bluegrass Beekeeping School, Frankfort (at KY State University) – March 10, 2012
While this school will not take place until March, I want to talk about it briefly to reassure everyone that it will take place as usual (some people have been concerned about this school due to my heavy involvement in school planning as the Kentucky State Apiarist) and to let everyone know that our special guest speaker this year will be Dr. Dewey Caron, Emeritus Professor of Entomology at the University of Delaware. Some of you know Dewey from his past appearances at the 2007 Heartland Apicultural Society Conference in Frankfort and the 2008 Eastern Apicultural Society Conference at Murray State University. Dr. Caron will give the opening talk at the bluegrass school this year and do two breakout talks. In Dr. Caron we have a presenter who will share with us extremely practical beekeeping information in a manner that is very dynamic. We are in for a treat! So mark your calendar for March 10th and make plans to be in Frankfort that day.

January Beekeeping Activities
This is the time of year Kentucky beekeepers move their beekeeping activities inside (for the most part – I have promised my wife I will clean up my beekeeping equipment junk pile outside this winter). This is, of course, a great time to repair old equipment and assemble and paint new woodenware. But we also need to start placing orders for package bees and queens. Suppliers are taking orders and it is on a first come first serve basis. This is especially true if you want queens or package bees in April; those early April dates will fill up fast. All the companies should have catalogs mailed out, if you have not received 2012 catalogs from vendors you might check their webpages to learn when they will be mailed or to request one if you are not on their mailing list.

My retirement transition and future plans
I was employed as the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s State Apiarist in 1999 by Commissioner Billy Ray Smith. This position was a non-merit or non-classified position, which means it had no protection from immediate dismissal, and continued employment was always at the pleasure of the current commissioner of agriculture. My services were continued by Commissioner Richie Farmer upon his election in 2004. On January 3rd, 2012 I was informed by letter that my services as the Kentucky State Apiarist were no longer required by the newly elected commissioner (who had taken office the day before).

My future plans?
My long term professional plans are not yet formulated and I’m not in any rush to seek future employment. However, I will continue, as much as possible, to provide information and assistance to beekeepers, especially Kentucky beekeepers – hence this newsletter. I always said that I had a great job, spending most of my work days talking with beekeepers on the telephone and via email, writing beekeeping articles, working one on one with beekeepers in their apiaries and attending beekeeping meetings. I had always hoped that upon retirement I could keep on doing many of the parts of the job that I most enjoyed. I still have that desire, so I will continue to produce a beekeeping newsletter, perhaps even on a more regular schedule than I did as state apiarist. After all, I just eliminated a two hour commute to and from the office. At this time I’m not sure what I will call the new newsletter, so watch for a new name on the next edition. (More on my email list below). I also have plans to create a NEW beekeeping information webpage which will contain even more information than my old webpage at KDA (I‘ll let you know when this webpage goes up, hopefully SOON, via email). Until the new webpage goes up I will use the KY State Beekeepers Assoc. webpage to keep beekeepers informed on upcoming beekeeping events, including the schools. Beekeepers can continue to ask me questions and request information at my new email address at philcraftbeekeeping@windstream.net. I hope you use this email address as you have my KDA email address in the past. I do plan to attend and speak at all of the 2012 beekeeping schools, as I have in the past, and hope to see many of you there. So I’m not gone, I’m just starting my reorientation flights!

To have THIS NEW NEWSLETTER sent directly to you!
If you received this newsletter directly from philcraftbeekeeping@windstream.net, then I already have your email address and have tentatively added you to my new newsletter email list. If someone has forwarded you this issue of my new newsletter and you would like to have future issues emailed directly to you, send me an email to the above email address. I organize my email list by name, so PLEASE sign your email list request with first and last name. Also, if you are a Kentucky beekeeper, I very much appreciate knowing where you live so I can pass along regional beekeeping information from time to time (such as local beekeeping meetings and activities), so PLEASE let me know the town where you reside or get your mail. (Any other information is optional, but I do enjoy knowing something about your beekeeping experience and just more about you). If you are not from Kentucky I need only your full name and home state; any other information is optional. (If you are not interested in receiving future emails from me also just let me know via email.)

Note: A version of this newsletter more suitable for printing (Word or Adobe document) is available upon request. And I don’t mind if you make copies and distribute this newsletter.

Keep those smokers lit and your bee veils on!

Phil Craft, Kentucky State Apiarist, retired
PO Box 259
Wilmore, KY 40390

Email philcraftbeekeeping@windstream.net

Kentucky State Beekeepers Association webpage: http://www.ksbabeekeeping.org