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Lewis & Clark County

Native Bees and Beekeeping

Published: 2019
By Kara Tangedal
This year the Lewis & Clark County Extension Office was proud to partner with and host two Department of Agriculture hives in addition to one Extension Hive at the People’s Garden at the Fairgrounds. These hives are used to educate youth and adults on beekeeping methods and allow exposure to equipment, techniques, and hands-on learning. Our first workshop was in October and welcomed 26 youth and adults to a demonstration on preparing hives for winter using tar paper and the mountain camp method to feed the honeybees and keep them warm through the winter. We expect to continue to develop this program to include citizen science and youth development opportunities in the coming year. In addition, the Extension Office conducted three home visits to address honeybee questions and assist with swarm removal. During the summer months, 30% of natural resource calls concerned honeybees, bumblebees, or wasps/hornets. With 2019 being a great summer for bumblebees, there were many learning moments as Kara explained the difference between honeybees and bumblebees and suggested best practices for living with bumblebee nests and understanding their importance as native pollinators to Montana. It turns out, bumblebees make great neighbors!
Honeybee Package/Kara Tangedal