Two beginning beekeeping seminars sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension and the beekeeping organizations of Beaver Valley, Armstrong-Indiana, Northwest Pennsylvania, West-Central Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County are being offered to help new beekeepers understand the basics that are necessary to get a successful start.

The first session will be Feb. 7 at the Leslie N. Firth Learning Center of the Mercer County Cooperative Extension, 463 North Perry Highway, Mercer.

The second session will be Feb. 28 at Giannilli's II on Route 30 in Greensburg.

Both sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will cover the same information. The cost for each program is $35 for full participants and $15 for a guest, spouse and youth under 18. Registration includes lunch and an information packet. However, only those paying the full participant rate will receive an information packet.

For more information and a registration brochure, call Butler County Cooperative Extension at 724-278-4761 or visit http://beaver.extension.psu.edu and click on Agriculture, then Beekeeping.

Also, the Western Pennsylvania beekeeping seminar will be held Feb. 20 and 21 at the Beaver Campus of Penn State University in Monaca.

Participants will learn about today's challenges in beekeeping, research and recommendations on several bee diseases including colony collapse disorder, bee sting diagnosis and treatment, promoting their business, creating pollinator gardens, gourmet cooking with honey and more.

The program is sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association, the Beaver Valley Beekeepers and the beekeeping organizations of Western Pennsylvania.

Donna Cox-Foster, entomologist, Penn State University; Ed Levi, Arkansas bee inspector; Grant Stiles, commercial beekeeper from New Jersey; Ginger Pryor, Penn State Master Gardener Coordinator; Gretchen Schmidt, registered dietitian and author; Stephen Murphey, allergist; William Kopar, beekeeper; Craig Cella, bee inspector and entrepreneur; and Jon Laughner, county extension director and agriculture entrepreneur educator for Beaver County Cooperative Extension, are the featured speakers.

The Feb. 20 program will be from 4 to 5 p.m. with a meet the speakers forum, then continue from 7 to 9 p.m., with Beekeeping Overseas and a panel discussion on today's challenges in beekeeping.

The Feb. 21 program will start with registration at 8 a.m. followed by the program from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All participants will attend a special slate of morning sessions. Following lunch, participants will attend their choice of workshops in three breakout sessions. The cost of the seminar is $35 for full participants and $20 for a spouse or guest, and $10 for youth under 18.

Registration includes an information packet, lunch and refreshments; however, only those registering at the full participant rate will receive an information packet. For a registration brochure, call Butler County Cooperative Extension at 724-287-4761 or visit http://beaver.extension.psu.edu and click on Agriculture, then Beekeeping.

Beef producer meetings

A series of meetings for beef producers will be held Feb. 12, 19 and 26 at the Wesley Grange, which is about one mile north of Interstate 80. Each of the three sessions will begin at 7 p.m.

The first session will focus on bovine virus diarrhea and will feature Dr. Travis Van-Anne, professional service veterinarian for Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica. Pasteurella and parasites will be the focus of the second session conducted by Courtney Deacon, Pfizer territory manager. The series will conclude with a discussion on herd health and profit strategies with Dr. Jody Wade, professional service veterinarian for Fort Dodge Animal Health.

Registration deadline for the beef management workshop is Feb 6.

The registration fee is $10 per person per session and includes materials and refreshments.

For a copy of the brochure and registration form, contact the Butler County Extension Office at 724-287-4761.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, Extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complex.