“Bee-Engaged: An Average Joe Beekeeper’s Guide to Getting Ready for Winter” will be presented at the Davidson County Beekeepers Association monthly meeting on Monday, October 20, 2025 at the Davidson County Cooperative Extension Center (Auditorium), 301 E. Center Street, Lexington, NC 27292. This FREE seminar is open to all attendees whether you are a beekeeper or just interested in learning more about beekeeping.

Here is an overview of the presentation:

Bee-Engaged – An Average Joe Beekeepers Guide to Getting Ready for Winter – Oct 20, 2025, 7pm ET

Over the past 15 years, annual beekeeping surveys have shown that overwinter colony loss averages between 30 to 40% in the US with the 2025 winter losses exceeding 60% nationwide. Most folks consider this unacceptable and want to know the “secret” to overwintering success.

In this presentation, the Average Joe Beekeeper will talk about getting your bees ready for winter to improve your colony survival rates.

As an introduction, he’ll discuss why beekeeping shouldn’t be done via the calendar but rather by the various bee “seasons” that sometime differ from the human four seasons. He’ll talk about simple actions and activities that can improve your management for overwintering success.

Included in the presentation is how to improve bee health so that your bees can build a larger cluster. Average Joe will cover the mechanics of clustering and how bee activity during winter warm spells can quickly use up the colony’s food stores.

This leads to how to build up the food stores of both honey and bee bread (pollen) prior to the colony’s dormant period and how to “plus up” food if needed once your colonies are in winter. The talk will culminate with some information on storing your equipment to fend off some common pests and getting ready for the spring buildup.

This presentation is intended for newer beekeepers but will provide information applicable to all beekeeping levels. Hopefully, by attending this presentation you’ll be able to “Bee Calm and Buzz Along” through this winter!

Hope to see you there!