Marshall host to hundreds of beekeepers for conference

HUNTINGTON -- About 300 beekeepers gathered last week at Marshall University for the Heartland Apiculture Society's seventh conference.

It was hosted by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and the Cabell Wayne Beekeepers, and it was the first national beekeepers conference in West Virginia since the 1950s.

The three-day event featured courses on everything from raising queen bees and how to move bees safely to swarm control and how to build a honey house. There were sessions on cooking with honey, how to landscape your home to protect bees and scrapbooking for beekeepers. It also hosted a session on tips for beginners.

One-third of the food that Americans eat has been pollinated by bees, the society reported. Nationally, bees affect fruits such as apples, melons, blueberries and cranberries. They also pollinate squash and even almonds.