For the Bees

Scott Nikaido (pictured) and Ethel Villalobos (both PEPS) were featured in a Ka Leo article about the class on beekeeping that they teach, Beekeeping in the Tropics: Introduction to Honeybee Health and Management. It is offered through the UH Manoa Outreach College, though Scott hopes to offer classes for credit at UH in the future. The continuing education classes are a mixture of classroom instruction and hands-on learning at the Waimanalo Research Station and teach non-professionals about the biology and health management of bees, as well as how to collect and use honey and beeswax. Scott says that the classes, and beekeeping in Hawai‘i, are growing in popularity; he estimates that there are now about 6,000 to 7,000 beekeepers in the state.