FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Krystin Dean
(706) 379-5310, email@example.com
Young Harris College to Host Beekeeping Institute, May 10-12
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Young Harris College and the University of Georgia will co-host the 21st annual Beekeeping Institute, Thursday, May 10-Saturday, May 12. Held on Young Harris College’s campus, the Institute is a three-day event featuring lectures and workshops by leading authorities on honey bees.
Since 1992, the Beekeeping Institute has represented the single most comprehensive opportunity in the Southeast for concentrated training in all aspects of practical beekeeping. There are separate curricula for beginners and more experienced beekeepers, as well as fun optional activities such as a competitive honey show, gadgets display and practical examinations.
Besides offering classes for beekeepers at all levels of experience, the Institute sponsors the Georgia Master Beekeeper Program (GMBP) and partners with the Welsh (U.K.) National Beekeepers Association to provide North America’s only licensing program for honey judges.
Thursday is dedicated to training and certification examinations for the GMBP Journeyman, Master and Master Craftsman levels, as well as the Welsh honey judge qualifications. The Institute proper, held on Friday and Saturday, features a two-track system, one for experienced beekeepers and another for beginners, as well as an open demonstration room that displays various aspects of bee biology.
One of the most rewarding opportunities of the Institute is the annual Honey Show. Besides categories in honey, the Honey Show also includes categories in photography, art, candles, section comb honey, mead and beekeeping gadgets. Students are urged to participate and compete in the Honey Show.
Paul Arnold, Ph.D., YHC professor of biology and dean of the Division of Mathematics and Science, is a co-founder of this event, along with Robert Brewer, Towns County extension director, and Keith Delaplane, Ph.D., professor of entomology at UGA.
Admittance to Institute lectures, classes, dinner and activities is limited to registered participants with name badges. Participants should plan to arrive early at the registration desk early on Friday or Saturday mornings.
For more information about the Beekeeping Institute, contact (706) 379-5131 or visit www.yhc.edu/beekeeping.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private, baccalaureate degree-granting college located in the beautiful mountains of north Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through the highest quality liberal arts education. Long known for nurturing students during the first two years of college, Young Harris College received accreditation in 2008 to grant bachelor’s degrees. The College currently has approximately 900 students across four divisions—Fine Arts, Humanities, Mathematics and Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences—and plans to increase enrollment to 1,200 over the next few years. The historic campus in Young Harris, Ga., is currently undergoing major campus improvements to accommodate the College’s growth, including recent completion of a 200-bed, LEED Silver-certified residence hall, Georgia’s first higher education facility north of Atlanta to achieve this certification, a 57,000-square-foot, LEED-certified recreation center, the second higher educational recreation facility in Georgia to achieve this certification, and a 148-bed, apartment-style residential village. In 2011, the College was granted candidacy for NCAA Division II athletics. For more information, visit www.yhc.edu.
Beekeeping Institute Instructor Cindy Bee (center) holds an informational session during the 2011 Beekeeping Institute at Young Harris College. An expert in bee removal, Bee is a Georgia Master Beekeeper and active member of the Metro Atlanta and Georgia Beekeepers Associations.