What’s All the Buzz with the Greenup County Beekeeping Association?

What’s All the Buzz with the

Greenup County Beekeeping Association?

Gideon Thompson

The Ashland Beacon

Beekeeping has been a part of humanity and cultural history spanning generations from around the world. With some evidence pointing to the likely origin of beekeeping being around 10,000 years ago, we have continued the practice into today. Starting in ancient times and making its way into our current daily lives, the art of beekeeping has been refined and passed down to preserve the presence of bees while benefiting from their incredible existence. As bees produce high amounts of honey, wax, and pollen residue, they contribute greatly to our lives as they carry pollen from plant to plant, pushing farms and gardens to thrive. The honeybee produces not only a wonderful addition to any kitchen or dining table as a sweetener but is also often used for its holistic benefits such as antibiotic nature, antioxidant properties, digestive aid, skin care, allergy treatment, and relief of a sore throat. Numerous applications of honeybee products can be found throughout the globe, bringing with them cultural ties and relationships as farmers and beekeepers everywhere share the greatness of the bees.

As we move into 2026, a new year is placed on the calendar and events are written in with hopes of attending fun activities throughout the months. Here’s one for the calendars: Saturday, Feb. 21, 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m., at the Greenup County High School. The Greenup County Beekeeping Association is hosting their annual Beginner Beekeeping School. Entry for the event is $15 per person or family, $10 for those with a military ID, and reservations are asked for by Feb. 16. Reservations can be made by phone, dialing 606.836.0201, or by email at carrie.davis.kyschools.us. With entry to the beekeeping school event, participants will receive lunch and snacks, including biscuits and locally sourced honey for breakfast; BBQ, slaw, chicken tenders, and beans for lunch; and coffee. A raffle is set up for the event as well, which includes a hive setup, two nucleus hives, tools, equipment, and many other items made available by the beekeeping community. On site, there will be vendors associated with the FFA and Greenup County Beekeeping Association, including Reed’s and Willow Wood, who are expected to bring some delicious baked goods and apiary-related items.

The event will host speakers Richard Timberlake, president-elect, and other members of the Greenup County Beekeeping Association, along with former students and apprentices. Lessons during the schooling will include bee identification, lessons on the history of beekeeping, the current state of bees in Kentucky, hive setups, extraction methods, and use of bee products, as well as their benefits. Students will gain an inside perspective on beekeeping, purchasing hives, colonies, and equipment, while finding out what all of it means and can be used for.

If excitement and humble greatness are part of your agenda this year, the 2026 annual Beginner Beekeeping School may be exactly what you’re looking for. The event will add an extra understanding of why we keep bees, where they come from, how they are worked with, what they produce, and the significance they have in our modern world. From the farm to the dining room, bees have a role to play that many of us never consider. This February, beekeeping school could be the perfect end to a magnificent winter—at least that’s the buzz I heard.