For the past five years, local beekeepers have been teaming up with the provincial government to host a beginner beekeeping course. And for the second straight year, courses in Regina and Saskatoon have sold out.
Dean Bauche has been on order and hives on the way. Now, he needs to learn how to take care of his new charges.
“This is one of the only opportunities that you have in the province, if you’re an amateur beekeeper, to come out and actually learn from the professionals,” Bauche said.
Bauche might be ready to take on his beekeeping role, but others just wanted to see what all the buzz was about.
“I’m interested in honey extraction maybe as a hobby, or maybe as a job if I really get into it,” said Michelle Goudy. She hasn’t bought any bees yet, but took the weekend to get a glimpse into what the beekeeping world had to offer.
The Saskatchewan Beekeeper’s Association, the Regina and Saskatoon Bee Clubs and the Ministry of Agriculture have been working together to put on the course, which grows in popularity every year.
“The courses and the meetings that we have, they’ve doubled from last year. Last year was double from the year before, so it’s really taken off,” said Regina & District Bee Club president Yens Pedersen.
Beekeepers are encouraged to take the annual course to learn more about the potential risks of beekeeping.
“If you’re not properly managing your bees, not properly managing diseases and pests, they can actually spread to other bee populations,” Pedersen said.
For Bauche, the decision to head out to the course was a simple one.
“To bee or not to bee, that’s the question here,” said Bauche. “We decided to bee.”
Based on a report by CTV Regina’s Jessie Anton
