Kennebec Beekeeper’s Association 4-H Mentorship

 

The Kennebec Beekeepers Association in Augusta is offering to sponsor two 4-H students in the Kennebec County program for the 2023 school year. The Kennebec Beekeepers Assoc. is a regional chapter of the Maine State Beekeepers Assoc. that serves the Kennebec Valley Area. Our goal is to educate and inform the public about the benefits of beekeeping in the state of Maine.

Our student scholarship program combines educational and hands-on teaching in the art of beekeeping. This consists of class work and working with live hives at Viles Arboretum and various club member apiaries. The students will attend our 5 week beginner beekeeping course on Saturdays, Feb 18- March 18th from 9am- noon at Viles Arboretum and help monitor the hives we maintain at Viles, as well as having the opportunity to visit club member apiaries to learn different styles of beekeeping.

 

We ask that the two students are at least 14-15 years old and have no known allergies to insect bites/stings Stings are going to happen!!

We ask that the parents are completely committed to the endeavor the students undertake.  The classes are on Saturday mornings for 5 consecutive Saturdays (weather dependent) for the month of Feb-March. Any classes postponed due to weather will be made up on the next available Saturdays. The students will attend all five classes for free and be provided with educational material for free.

Once we are able to work the hives in early spring, each student will be provided with all appropriate clothing and gear for them to work with bees as safely as possible, for free, and are able to keep said equipment for their own personal use after. Students will be expected to attend open hive days to work the hives with club members. These are usually done on Saturdays but can be scheduled on a Sunday due to weather.

Once honey harvesting time begins in late summer the students will be able to assist harvesting and bottling of honey. They will learn how to prep frames for extracting and operate the extractor, then bottle the honey.

The students and their parents are also encouraged to attend our monthly meeting every 2nd Thursday of the month at Viles Arboretum, 6:30 pm, but not required as part of the scholarship. Students, once approved for the scholarship, may start attending the meetings before they take the class if they would like to join in.

The members of the Kennebec Beekeepers Assoc. are excited to be able to offer this scholarship to two 4-H students as an opportunity to learn the art of beekeeping and open up the fantastic world of bees to the next generation.

To apply for the scholarship:

  1. Email iloveireland2005@gmail.com with subject line “Beekeeping Mentorship” and in the body of the email please provide the following information.
    1. Name of youth interested
    2. Age as of January 1, 2023
    3. Address
    4. Phone number
    5. Email address for youth and adult
    6. Please confirm that you are able to attend the 5 Saturday classes in Feb-March 2023
    7. Please confirm that you are able to attend any required meetings, events, caretaking, harvest, bottling, etc. for the coming year.
    8. Tell us about your interest in bees and beekeeping.
  2. Deadline for application is February 1st.
  3. Applicants will hear the following week if they have been accepted.