Bees

Bees & Beekeeping Short Course...

Gene Robinson initiated the University of Illinois Bees & Beekeeping Short Course in 1997. The course is supported by the department, the new School of Integrative Biology, the Center for Economic Entomology at the Illinois Natural History Survey, and the Illinois Cooperative Extension Service; it is staffed by members of Robinson’s research group, colleagues from the department and other parts of campus, and outside specialists. The course features lectures and workshops on many important topics for beginning and advanced beekeepers including mite control, sting allergies, and queen rearing. A unique feature of the course is the opportunity to learn about the exciting new research on honey as a nutraceutical performed here by a research team led by May Berenbaum. Another feature of the course is the opportunity for participants to join research teams and perform real experiments with honey bees as "citizen scientists." Response to the course has been very enthusiastic, and it will be offered for the third time this summer. The course fits well with a new emphasis on University outreach and we expect it will be just the first of several outreach courses offered by our department.