Beginning Beekeeping course returns to NICC

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Bill Johnson of Johnson Honey Farm in Guttenberg, Iowa, will teaching the courses at NICC. Since 1993, he and his wife, Louise, have run their own farm that now produces more than 20 different flavors of honey.

CALMAR & PEOSTA, Iowa—Beekeepers can make a beneficial impact on our environment, and a Beginning Beekeeping course at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) will teach newcomers how to get started.

Students in the six-session course will meet every Tuesday starting Feb. 21 at the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety at the NICC Peosta campus. The course will also be offered every Thursday starting the same week, Feb. 23, at the Wilder Business Center, NICC Calmar campus. Participants will learn about the industry through demonstrations with basic equipment while practicing the methods used in beekeeping.

Honey bees pollinate approximately 30 percent of the nation’s crops that we rely on for food, explained Mary Rose Williams, Ph.D., an avid beekeeper, master gardener and environmental advocate. Bringing new beekeepers into this important industry makes an impact on the well-being of plants and animals.

“The plants and flowers in our yards bloom better because of honey bees. If the flowers are blooming well, that brings insects that birds can eat. Healthy birds scatter seeds that contribute to more plants, and this influences the health of our environment,” Williams explained.

All pollinators are endangered due to weed killers, pesticides, lack of habitat, genetically modified organism (GMO) crops that self-pollinate and mono-cultures, according to Williams. “Honey bees in particular are threatened by varroa mites, which weaken their resistance to viruses, pesticides, lack of habitat, monoculture and pressures put on them from commercial production,” she said.

Bees and pollinators in general serve a critical purpose, agreed Paul Kimball, an NICC science instructor who teaches environmental sciences courses.

“Prairies, marshes, tundra and forests rely on sources of pollinations for survival. Bees, and beekeepers to some degree, are an integral part that forms the basis of our ecological system. Pollinators support plants, and plants support all other organisms including humans,” Kimball said.

Bill Johnson of Johnson Honey Farm in Guttenberg, Iowa, will teaching the courses at NICC. Since 1993, he and his wife, Louise, have run their own farm that now produces more than 20 different flavors of honey.

Sessions will run from 6-9 p.m. The course costs $109, which includes the textbook. For more information and to register, contact Shara Sparrgrove, NICC program developer, at sparrgroves@nicc.edu.