Presentations

K-12 PRESENTATION CAPABILITIES:

• High energy presentations that engage our audience
• Observation hive available for live bee interaction in a safe environment
• TEKS focused learning on topics relevant to the age group
• For Smaller Groups or a single classroom:
  • Interactive game on the role of bees within the hive – this is a great cooperative learning experience for smaller groups
  • Honey tasting for smaller groups
  • Bee-centric arts and crafts

PRESENTATION TOPICS FOR ANY AUDIENCE:

• The Basic World of Bees – This is a general presentation about the fascinating honey bee. 
• Friends of Bees – A discussion about man-made problems for bees and how we can all help make better decisions for honey bees and other pollinators. This is an exploration of things great and small that we can do to help ensure the health and safety of pollinators. 
• Making Honey – How is honey made? We will explain the process from nectar collection to being collected by a beekeeper. This talk can be modified for children but by default explains the science behind honey. We’ll also explain why it’s important to buy real honey, shop local and know your beekeeper. 
• Beekeeping for Landowners – This talk explores how bees can be used for agricultural gain. 
• Bee Communication – This is a little more of a deep dive into how bees communicate through pheromones, vibrations, dancing, etc.
• What Bees Have Taught Me – Bees are full of lessons that go beyond beekeeping and into every day life. This talk is perfect for businesses and motivational purposes.
• Native Pollinators – Honey bees and other insects are great indicators for the state of the environment. Although honey bees are non-native, they’ve been a staple in our agriculture and culture. This talk takes a closer look at the truly native bees and pollinators of the region. Learn how you can be more in sync with nature with pollinators as our guide.

PRESENTATION TOPICS FOR BEEKEEPERS:

• Just Begin (Keeping Bees) – This is a basic outline for those who are just getting started in beekeeping. We’ll discuss the basics of setting up an apiary, how to install, and how to get through your first year in confidence.
• Apiary Set Up – Learn how to set up an apiary for optimal performance. We discuss keeping bees in urban vs. rural environments and so much more!
• Beekeeping Equipment – Learn about necessary equipment for successful beekeeping including market cost, hives, protective gear, smokers, and more.
• Annual Management – This is a good outline to understand what activities are seasonal and why.
• Bee is for Biology – This is a basic overview of beekeeping biology. Understanding biology of bees can lead you to be a better beekeeper by giving you a better understanding of “how bees work”.
• Top Bar Beekeeping – The basics of top bar beekeeping and hive management.
• Managing Your Apiary Size – This talk explores the steps and activities you’ll take to grow or maintain your apiary size. This includes the basics of swarm management so you can “keep your bees” as well as splits for growth.
• Hive Inspections and Trigger-based Management – We discuss the basics of hive inspections as well as basic management techniques. This is a reactionary discussion of what you can do as a beekeeper when you see things that are out of the norm.
• Fall & Winter – How to prepare your bees for survival during the winter dearth. This is an exploration of the prep work it takes to keep your hive healthy prior to winter rather than during.
• Catching and Keeping Swarms – We’ll discuss how to be prepared for swarm season, easily capture swarms and keep them alive.
• Removing and Relocating Bees From Structures – From the materials needed to remove bees to tips and tricks for how to remove them with ease, this talk will also discuss steps to take to make sure your bees stay alive after you’ve relocated them.
• Bootstrap a Bee Business – How to do more with less money and start a beekeeping business while keeping your day job. This is a sideliner’s journey into commercial beekeeping with innovative ideas on how to grow with less.
• Bees Apothecary – Products of the Hive – Bees collect nectar to turn it into honey, they produce wax, they gather propolis and pollen. We’ll evaluates these products and how they’re used in Apitherapy and beyond.
• Homemade Products from the Hive– We’ll discuss the products of the hive and how they can be used to make cosmetics such as lip balm, lotions, and face scrubs. This is how honey, wax, and propolis can be put to work outside the bee hive. 
• Agricultural Valuations and Beekeeping – We’ll discuss the basics of keeping bees on property for agricultural valuations in Texas. This talk discusses how to determine the standards for your county as well as how to turn it into a win-win for the beekeeper and landowner.
• Honey Bees as a Superorganism – This talk discusses the hive and how it behaves as a superorganism in order to survive. No part survives alone – it takes the hive as a whole. The mechanics of honey bee behavior, pheromones, and hive communication as they work within the colony.
• Practical Application of Space Management – This is a tips and tricks approach to “how” to manipulate frames and manage bees. We briefly discuss the difference in various hive types in this talk as well as the more general “space” and “management” practices that apply across all beekeeping.
• Learn from Mistakes – A Hive Autopsy Class – Learning from yours (and others’) mistakes is a great way to get ahead of the game on quality beekeeping. Common mistakes and hard lessons that beekeepers often learn the hard way in their first few years.
• Top Bar & Foundationless Beekeeping – We do keep top bar hives in addition to our more numerous Langstroth hives. In this talk we discuss management practices and tips that are important for top bar and foundationless beekeeping. From getting started to annual management of an established colony, we’ll cover the bases.
• Beekeeping on a Budget – how to start keeping bees without breaking the bank. This class evaluates everything from sourcing bees, equipment, how to acquire and negotiate for used equipment, and creating a financially sustainable apiary.
• Honey Bee Communication – We evaluate the smells and vibrations of the hive in this deep dive into bee communication.
• Pests and Diseases – How to keep healthy bees through preventative practices. Understanding pests and diseases – how to recognize them and what to do about it!
• Stepping Into Pollination – how to get started keeping bees for pollination, securing contracts, and best practices as a growing commercial beekeeper.
• Making Splits – How do you grow your apiary without buying more bees? Splits, obviously! We’ll discuss the how and why to splitting as well as different techniques for the season and situation.
• Basic Queen Rearing For Yourself – How to raise your own queens for a more sustainable apiary.
• Bee Behavior – A fun look at bee behavior to better understand honey bees and their unusual and telling behaviors.