Honey bee lab at UF prepares beekeepers for spring’s arrival

Spring has officially sprung and, as the flowers begin to blossom, beekeepers nationwide prepare their hives for a hopefully productive season.  

In anticipation of spring’s arrival, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is hosting its 18th Annual Spring Bee College Program on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22. The two-day intensive invites more than 500 beekeepers to the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab to share UF’s research with the public, offer assistive resources for accessible beekeeping, and educate beekeepers about the impacts of biological control of invasive plants on honey bees. 

“We get to reach such a wide set of stakeholders and people who are really depending on us for quality information to assist them with their businesses and their endeavors,” said Cameron Jack, Ph.D., one of the lab’s faculty members and an assistant professor in the Entomology and Nematology Department. “The biggest praise I can give to UF is that there is no place like it for students to get hands-on, real-world experience.”

Currently, the lab has 40 active projects in different stages. Some projects involve analyzing results and beginning the process of sharing with beekeepers, while other projects are preparing to launch this spring. Students are prioritized in both the research and the field aspects of the lab, with the majority of students taking one beekeeping class and returning later to get more involved as researchers and volunteers. 

“The most common thing I hear is that students came to work with us because they thought it would be fun to play with bees, and they come out of it interested in research and learning the process of how to research honey bees,” Jack said. 

A student’s honey bee learning experience offers a range of opportunities, focused on personal interests and preferences. Selected undergraduate students even have the ability to pursue personal research projects with assistance from lab faculty members.  

Pierce Barron, a fifth-year entomology and nematology student, started as a volunteer with the lab. He is now a field technician who helps manage the campuses’ hives and researches honey bee colonies, and he will be one of 48 course instructors at the Bee College weekend. 

Barron will be co-teaching a class on the different species of bees in Thailand, based on his study abroad experience with the lab. He is most excited to speak with beekeepers who share his passion.

“I really enjoy outreach and teaching people about something I’m interested in,” Barron said.

For more information, visit the Bee College Program page or the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab website.