Bees in Lewis & Clark County

Published: 2020
By Kara Tangedal

This year, Lewis & Clark County MSU Extension was proud to partner with and host two Department of Agriculture hives 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. Kara Tangedal and Alyssa Piccolomini, the Montana Department of Agriculture Entomologist, co-taught a beekeeping basics course in the spring of 2020 to 22 students. One of those students enrolled to volunteer in 4-H in the fall and another of those students enrolled her family in 4-H as well. This year, we welcomed four 4-H youth to the group and they attended a beekeeping overview activity, a honey extraction meeting, and a honey tasting. Piccolomini led a workshop for the group in November and welcomed 23 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 winter. In an effort to understand best practices for hive winterization in Montana and determine educational needs of hobbyist beekeepers, Tangedal created a survey that has initially garnered over 50 responses. She hopes to use this information to meet beekeepers where they are and to determine any trends in hive survival.