UF IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory

We celebrated finishing up DAY 2 of our Summer Bee College! Had a great time in the panhandle teaching beekeepers, meeting new beekeeping friends, and catching up with old friends. Great weather, great camaraderie, couldn’t have asked for anything better! Thank you to those who traveled near and far to be with us this weekend. More photos to come. We appreciate you all so much and look forward to the next one!

SAVE THE DATE: our next bee college is MARCH 19 & 20, 2027! Registration will likely be open in January 2027. 🐝♥️

The Entomology and Nematology Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida (UF/IFAS) is excited to announce an opening for an “Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Apiculture”.

This is a 12-month tenured or tenure-accruing position that will be 70% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 30% Extension (Florida Cooperative Extension Service), available at the UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory based in Gainesville, FL. This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. Tenure will accrue in the Entomology and Nematology Department. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program. The faculty member will engage in Extension activities in their program area.

We encourage you to apply or share this opportunity with others who may be interested and qualify. For details on the position and to apply, please visit: https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/540759/assistantassociatefull-professor-of-apiculture

All questions and inquiries can be directed to:
Dr. Bryony Bonning
Chair, Search and Screen Committee
University of Florida, IFAS
Entomology and Nematology Department
1881 Natural Area Drive
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620
Telephone: 352-273-3984

Happy August, beekeepers! It's hot out there, so we hope both you and your bees are staying hydrated.

We'll see you all in two weeks for this summer's Bee College! Registration is still open and can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-2026-ufifas-bee-college-tickets-1984779436724?msockid=323d6200a77564273fbe77d9a66f6535

Do you have a copy of our honey bee pest and disease guide? Have you used our 4-H document "Welcome to the Apiary! Honey Bee 4-H Project Book" for your youth programs? If so, you've been using national award winning content! Amy Vu (State Specialized Agent in Apiculture) and Tatiana Sanchez-Jones (Alachua County Extension Commercial Horticulture) received national recognition on these two resources for beekeepers at last week's annual National Association of County Agriculture Agents conference. They also held a seminar about honey bees to Agriculture Extension agents across the nation who are interested in starting their own honey bee programs, along side the UF/IFAS and UGA Honey Bee Extension Education Team.

(Team photo from left to right: Shelby Howell, FL 4-H Gulf Co.; Jessica Sullivan, FL Ag Osceola Co.; Tatiana Sanchez-Jones, FL Horticulture Alachua Co.; Keith Fielder, GA Ag Putnam Co.; Amy Vu, Apiculture SSA,; Luis Rodriguez, FL Small Farms Polk Co.; Andrea Lazzari, FL Indian River Co.; JK Yarborough, FL Ag Orange and Seminole Co.)

Interested in getting your own copy of the UF/IFAS pest and disease guide or buying in bulk for your club? Visit: https://teams.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/evergreen-assets/safelinks/2/atp-safelinks.html

For those who conduct youth programs, you can use this resource for FREE! https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/4H446

Two more weeks left to register for this summer's Bee College in Bristol, Florida!

If you're still looking for accommodations, we recommend checking in either Quincy or Marianna.

Registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-2026-ufifas-bee-college-tickets-1984779436724?msockid=323d6200a77564273fbe77d9a66f6535

The Honey Bee Health Coalition recently released the 9th edition of their Tools for Varroa Management Guide. Check it out below!

Honey Bee Health Coalition Releases Ninth Edition of the Tools for Varroa Management Guide - Honey Bee Health Coalition The Honey Bee Health Coalition today released the ninth edition of its popular Tools for Varroa Management Guide. The guide provides information on the latest tools and options for beekeepers in the United States and Canada to keep bees healthy and manage varroa mites, which spread disease within an...

Happy 250th, beekeepers! We hope you enjoy your weekend and don't forget, the best prices for Bee College registration end this Monday at 5PM!

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-2026-ufifas-bee-college-tickets-1984779436724?msockid=323d6200a77564273fbe77d9a66f6535

Happy National Pollinator Week, beekeepers!

Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership, and in 2008, the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration, promoting the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, moths, wasps, and flies.

The 2026 Summer Bee College course schedule is finally here! Check out our class offerings in Bristol, Florida this August.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-2026-ufifas-bee-college-tickets-1984779436724?msockid=323d6200a77564273fbe77d9a66f6535

Amy and Pierce recently led a beekeeping expedition to Thailand. Thank you to all of the attendees for joining us and thank you to our amazing colleagues across the globe, Beefam Buu! 🐝🌏