The Walker County Beekeepers Association was began around the late 1980's in Jasper, Alabama. Many of the early members , unfortunately have passed away. The Association formally adopted its constitution in 1996. We do know that historically it has been a club with older members passing their knowledge of beekeeping and honey production to the younger members. The current WCBA varies from the beginner to those with years of experience. Monthly meetings offer a speaker or educational program with open forum opportunities to ask questions about any topic. They say if you ask ten beekeepers a question, you will get ten different answers. The WCBA invites anyone with an interest in honeybees to drop by and attend a meeting. We love having guests!
The main goal of the class is for the beginner beekeeper to learn hive components and how to handle honeybees. During this class we will have live demonstrations.
Keeping your bees healthy is very important in a post varroa area, you will learn how to feed and supplement their daily forage.
Varroa is the biggest pest to your hives but there are other pest like small hive beetles and wax moths. You will learn how to prepare yourself for managing these pest.
And of course the best part of the class.... Eating fresh honey from the hive. Learn the tools to help you better extract your honey.
Typically, there is only one queen in a hive. She is also the only fertile female in the hive. It is thought that much of the behavior of the hive is dictated by her. There was some thought early on that this larger bee was actually a male and some called it the King bee...
Drones are the male bees in a hive. Like the queen their goal in life is to reproduce. Drones are easily spotted because they are larger than worker bees but not as long as queens. Drones also have larger eyes than the rest of the bees in the hive. Drones are raised in wider cells...
These busy bees are the backbone of the hive. Most of the bees in a hive are worker bees. They are all female but are not fertile. There can be up to 50,000 worker bees in a hive. They are the smallest bee in the hive. Today we split them into 2 groups, but they do more than these...
The Walker County Association is growing. The beginner beekeeper classess has really drawn new interest into the association. New people join every year. If we grow any bigger we may have to start looking for a new place to meet. It is nice to see an organization like this in Walker County, Alabama.
Being a member of the Walker County Beekeepers association has been a wonderful experience! It allows me to talk with more experienced beekeepers, find out the latest information and determine best practices. Everyone is welcoming and knowledgeable; but they are so willing to share and teach us newer members. Even if you are just considering getting bees, this is a wonderful group to gain information.
When I first decided to get into Beekeeping, I knew nothing. I took a beginner’s beekeeping class and that spring purchased my bees. Someone told me Walker County had a beekeeper’s club so I looked them up and started going. I knew no one that keep honey bees, so I had a lot of questions. I loved getting there early so I could ask questions. The members were always so eager to help me out. I would sometimes just sit there listening to their conversations about the honeybees and make notes. With the knowledge from the meetings and the members, I am teaching others.
