The Central Ohio Beekeepers Charitable Foundation and OSU Extension are hosting a program to help central Ohio veterans get up and running as beekeepers.
How Does it Work?
Year One
Students will receive a combination of classroom and hands-on training at no cost to them.
- Four (4) in-person classes will be taught by experienced beekeepers from the Central Ohio Beekeepers Association (COBA) and will be held at the OSU Extension at Waterman Farms at the OSU Main Campus.
- Classes will be followed by 25 (twenty-five) weekly, hands-on sessions in the apiary beeyard. Instructors and mentors will assist students in learning how to become great beekeepers.
- Students are required to purchase protective clothing (jacket with veil costing approx. $100). Scholarships are available if needed.
- Hands-on sessions will continue from late April to late September 2024.
CLASS SCHEDULE & LOCATIONS 2024-2025
2024 Indoor Sessions: Saturdays, March 16, 23; and 30, and April 6, at the Kunz-Brundige OSU Franklin County Extension Building, 2548 Carmack Road, Columbus, Ohio.
2024 Outdoor Sessions: begins Wednesday April 10 and most Wednesday evenings (6:00 – 8:00 p.m.) from mid-April through end of September, at the Ohio State University Apiaries, 2490 Carmack Rd., Columbus.
The Wednesday outdoor sessions include hive inspections and a potluck dinner. Students and mentors collectively tend the hives. Featured speakers and Q & A sessions are included.
Attendance: a minimum of 3 indoor sessions and 18 outdoor sessions is required for satisfactory course completion.
Year Two
In April 2025, participants who successfully complete Year One will be given a hive, smoker, hive tool, and feeder. The hive includes a package of bees and woodenware (hives) to house them. This hive can be setup at the student’s site (apiary) or in an apiary maintained by COBA.
The student’s assigned mentor will help guide them, and the students are expected to continue joining the weekly apiary meetings.
How Much Does This Program Cost?
Students are required to purchase protective clothing (jacket with veil) costing approx. $100. Scholarships are available for protective clothing if needed. Bees, woodenware, and equipment (valued at $900) will be provided free of charge to students who complete the first-year program. All class sessions are free.
How Do I Apply?
To apply, submit an application online. Thirty (30) applicants will be chosen for an in-person interview to be held on February 17, 2024. Location will be announced.
Eligibility Requirements
1. Honorable Discharge. Please bring your DD-214 to the interview.
2. Applicant must reside in the following Central Ohio counties; Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Hocking, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway, Ross, Union.
How Do I Get More Information?
For more information, contact Claudia Khourey-Bowers at 330 353-2315.
