A new organization to support and educate beekeepers is forming with plans to hold their first meeting this month. Anne Meats, Pittsburg, co-founded the Heartland Beekeepers Association of Southeast Kansas with friend and neighbor Linda Russell. They had split off of a larger group in Missouri, the Joplin Area Beekeepers Association.
“It was getting too big, and we’ve got a bit of a problem finding a place to meet because of the room capacity,” Meats explained. “We average 70 to 100 members at every meeting.”
The Heartland Beekeepers Association of Southeast Kansas will meet at 1 p.m. June 21 in 102 Yates Hall on the Pittsburg State University campus.
Meats said this corner of the state is underserved by beekeeping associations and that she hoped to draw at least 20 people to the first meeting. They expect to see mostly backyard or hobbyist beekeepers, or people who are considering becoming beekeepers. The Joplin group was very good at providing educational programs for new and novice beekeepers and they hope to continue that tradition, Meats said.
Robert Moore of Hawley Honey Company, 220 N. Elm St., Iola, said this is a good area for a beekeeping organization. He agreed the area was lacking.
Moore said there was an organization in Iola many years ago, but it died off. Now, they have seen a recent surge in interest, especially among younger people and families. This especially strikes a chord with Moore because it’s how he got started. After he got married years ago, he accepted a job at Hawley with his father-in-law, Raymond Cooper. Working together at Hawley for years has made them especially close, and he loves working in the outdoors, he said.
“Every time someone spends time with nature, spends time with family, it’s going to bring you closer to whoever you’re with,” Moore said. “It’s a real good thing.”
Moore said he has considered restarting a local beekeeping club in Iola. He was glad to hear there would soon be an organization serving southeast Kansas. Moore and Cooper belong to a number of organizations in the Midwest, and right now the closest ones are in Missouri and northeast Kansas.
Bees faced crisis in 2006 when Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was identified. Since then, bee populations have suffered losses across the country and in response there was a surge of interest in beekeeping. According to surveys by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bee populations are still in decline but not as badly as they were a few years ago.
According to the University of Missouri Extension, about 10 percent of soybeans and 50 percent of alfalfa crops are pollinated by bees. They are also necessary for most fruit crops, berries, cucumbers, melons and more.
For more information on the Heartland Beekeepers Association contact Ann Meats at 620-231-2998 or email dmeats@pittstate.edu
