Are you interested in learning about bees and beekeeping?

If you have little or no experience, the 'Getting Started with Bees' Certificate Program is a great place to start. It is a stand-alone program that satisfies the curiosity of those who want to know more about bee biology and backyard beekeeping through online learning and discussion forums. No waiting list - join at any time!

Take your beekeeping to the next level!

Are you interested in learning how to become a better beekeeper? Have you experienced problems in the past that you'd like to remedy? Do you want to help others learn about bees? The Oregon Master Beekeeper program is for you!

Participating beekeepers gain experience at three successive levels: ApprenticeJourney, and Master. Each level provides opportunities and support for additional learning, practice in the field, and community service.

All of our beekeeping programs represent a cooperative effort between the Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab and the Oregon State Beekeepers Association to contribute to both the health of honey bee colonies and the integrity of the practice of beekeeping.


https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mb

Sign up for COAREC emails

For more information, contact Heike Williams at heike.williams@oregonstate.edu


Establishing pollinator-friendly habitats and food sources for bees, butterflies and birds https://pollinatorpathwaybend.org/

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19 Nov 2024 6:00 PM • The Environmental Center - 16 NW Kansas Ave, Bend, OR 97703

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November in the Central Oregon Apiary

Ah, the killing frost has come and gone, so no more running outside barefoot in your pajamas after dark to cover the tomatoes. The leaves are changing and falling, and many of us are starting to salivate as the mountains turn white.

At this point, your hives should be ready for winter. You can no longer feed with syrup—only honey-filled frames and emergency sugar. Most other tasks will need to wait until either a very warm day or next spring. Sometime this month, if you haven’t already, you should have any honey you’ve harvested extracted and packaged (remember the old saying about molasses in January).

What I really like to do in November is twofold: look back over the season and think about what you did that worked, what didn’t, and what you’d like to change. This can be quite a wrenching mental exercise if you have well-entrenched habits, techniques, or theories that aren’t working or have been disproved. But the only one who’ll know about your thoughts is you. Also, we can’t improve unless we acknowledge that what’s currently happening either isn’t working or isn’t optimal. And remember to celebrate your successes! Beekeeping as a hobbyist should be FUN and SASTISFYING.

On a lighter note (cue the pumpkin-spiced tea and holiday music), if bee-related gifts (or any other craft-style gifts) are in your plans for any of the holidays, now is an excellent time to get started on them. There are many possibilities for bee-related gifts, including honey, infused honey, creamed honey, candles, hand lotion, lip balm, propolis tincture, pollen for your cereal, wax wraps, and more. For some of these, if you didn’t have a bumper crop this year, you’ll need to plan ahead or work with another beekeeper to get the raw materials. I find joy not only in the giving but also in the creating and silently thank my bees for providing for us.

Allen Engle


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OUR MISSION

The Mission of the Central Oregon Beekeeping Association (COBKA) is to promote effective, economic and successful regional beekeeping through education, collaboration, communication and research in the spirit of friendship.

ABOUT US

We are a diverse bunch of individuals who share a fascination for the honey bee and its workings. Our members range from full-time beekeepers and pollinators with hundreds of hives to hobbyists involved in backyard beekeeping. 

Some members do not even keep bees, but are fascinated by the six legs and four wings of Apis mellifera.

    

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