| SOUTHERN OREGON BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association is a non-profit organization committed to education about honeybees and beekeeping and sharing this passion with our community in Southern Oregon's Jackson County and Josephine County. |
Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association
Spring Bee School
May 2, 2026 ~ 8am - 4pm
Bee school is crucial for beginning beekeepers because it provides essential knowledge on hive management, bee health, pest/disease control (like varroa mites), seasonal needs, and equipment use, preventing costly mistakes and colony loss, ensuring success by teaching the delicate science behind beekeeping, and fostering continuous learning for long-term thriving operations. It transforms a potentially harmful hobby into a successful practice by teaching skills for survival, responsible stewardship, and navigating environmental challenges.
Key Purposes of Bee School & Learning:
- Colony Health: Learn to manage seasonal care (feeding, ventilation), identify pests (Varroa mites), and treat diseases, vital for hive survival.
- Practical Skills: Get hands-on experience with hive inspections, handling bees, building equipment, and harvesting honey and wax.
- Pollination Support: Improve local gardens and agriculture through effective bee management and understand beneficial insects.
- Life Skills: Develop patience, responsibility, teamwork, problem-solving, and attentiveness to nature's signs.
- Community & Environment: Contribute to pollinator health, learn about sustainable practices, and connect with local beekeeping groups.
- Beyond Honey: Harvest other products like beeswax and propolis and understand the complex social structure of the hive.
Why it's Essential Today:
- Gone are the "Good Old Days": Modern threats (pesticides, mites, habitat loss) require dedicated, educated keepers, not just passive hive owners.
- From Hobby to Passion: Education turns a simple interest into a deeper understanding, potentially growing into a business or lifelong passion.
Beginner Beekeeping Education Topics Topics will be discussed in the classroom in the morning then practiced in the afternoon during a Hands on Hive Education Experience.
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Second Year Beekeeping and Beyond Continuing Education
Continuing education for beekeepers is essential to stay updated on best practices, new research, and techniques for managing bee health and hive productivity. This ongoing learning helps beekeepers avoid common mistakes and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Topics that will be discussed in classroom in the morning
and practiced in the afternoon during a Hands on Hive Education Experience.
- To Feed or Not to Feed - beekeepers often feed bees willy nilly because someone told them to or because they panic about starvation. Learn why, when, what to feed sugar syrup (with ratios depending on what you see from your bees) pollen supplements, etc. Avoid being the reason you kill your own hive slowly by excessive feeding.
- Queen Basics - How to use various queen cages and requeening with your own bees.
- How to do splits and combined - how to read the frames and use the best ones for
creating nucs or grow your apiary. Will show outside on club hives.
Meet the Teachers
Wild Everlasting is 30 acres devoted to exploring the relationship between People, Plants and Pollinators through our shared landscape. Through this practice Flora tends 40 hives, produces over 1500 pounds of biodiverse multi-floral honey from the abundant gardens her husband manages for forage, food and medicine. Wild Everlasting is an Oregon Bee Project Flagship Farm for conservation and preservation of native bee health and habitat. Wild Everlasting is also the home of Sun Queen School of Apiary Arts where Flora teaches students of all ages the art and science of bioregional beekeeping. Bee-yond her work at the farm Flora manages 2 school apiary programs and tends bees at the Food for Lane County youth Farm.
the Oregon State Beekeepers Association Regional Rep for South Willamette Valley. When’s she’s not buried in bees and botanicals she’s busy digging for old records and vintage paper ephemera at her local thrift stores and rummage sales. To learn more about Floras work Visit her website www.wildeverlasting.com or on instagram @beekeepingbotanist |
Leslie has had the most fun during her time as Outreach and Education coordinator for Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association (SOBA) where she loaded bees into her car and traveled to many local events, schools, festivals, and tours to talk about bees. This gave her the opportunity to share at Josephine County Fair, Jackson County Fair, and Oregon State Fair. Her all time favorite is the annual Storytelling Guild's Children's Festival at Britt Gardens in Jacksonville where she can let her inner child out under the guise of educating about bees. Seeing the light of wonder and curiosity shining on the faces of people as she talks about bees gives her more reason to keep talking! Leslie enjoyed the opportunity to be the cover girl for the Rogue Flavor Guide 2024 edition. It was a serendipitous moment on a blistering hot July day when the picture was taken during the Rogue Farm Tour in 2023. Partnering with small local food producers to promote education about honeybees gave Leslie the opportunity to expand her connections and make wonderful new friends. Leslie currently serves as president of SOBA as well as secretary with Oregon State Beekeepers Association. She is a mentor with the Oregon Master Beekeepers Program.. Her favorite student is her 7 year old granddaughter who loves bees and has accompanied Leslie on many educational events dazzling others with her knowledge of bees. |
Fonta “Flora” Molyneaux is a professional beekeeper, organic farmer, herbalist and educator living in the Pacific Northwest where she co-owns Wild Everlasting Farm with her husband Matthew and 3 children. 
Flora has almost a decade of experience on the board of directors at Lane County Beekeepers Association where she is the past President and current Educational Coordinator. Flora is also
Why take bee school from a bee club?
A bee club provides invaluable mentorship, education, and access to a supportive local community, which is especially beneficial for beginner beekeepers. The benefits extend to experienced apiarists as well, helping all members stay informed on local issues and access shared resources.
Key Benefits of a Bee Club
- Knowledge Sharing and Education: Clubs offer a wealth of information through monthly meetings, workshops, guest speakers, and demonstrations covering essential topics like hive management, pest control, and honey extraction.
- Mentorship Opportunities: New beekeepers are often paired with experienced mentors who offer guidance and hands-on help, significantly shortening the learning curve and increasing the chances of success in the crucial first year.
- Access to Resources and Equipment: Members often have access to shared equipment, such as costly honey extractors, tools, and protective gear, which can be borrowed or rented, reducing initial investment costs.
- Local and Regional Expertise: Beekeeping is highly regional, so local clubs are vital for sharing information specific to the area's climate, bloom cycles, local regulations, and pest issues (e.g., mite pressure, bears), information not easily found online.
- Community and Support Network: Beekeeping can be an isolating hobby, but a club connects you with like-minded individuals who offer camaraderie, support, and friendship, whether you need help with a hive issue or want to share your successes.
- Financial Benefits & Group Purchases: Clubs often organize bulk purchases for bees, nucs, or supplies, leading to discounts and better prices.
- Advocacy and Community Engagement: Clubs act as a collective voice to lobby local and state governments on issues like pesticide use and zoning laws. Members also participate in community outreach and educational efforts, promoting awareness about the importance of bees.
- Hands-on Experience: Many clubs maintain a group apiary where members can gain practical, hands-on experience in a supervised setting, performing tasks like hive inspections and queen identification.
With a bee club, you become part of a supportive community that helps you grow as a beekeeper and contribute positively to the local ecosystem and environment.
You can join Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association by going to the membership page.
Contact SOBA: Email: sobavolunteers35@gmail.com Mail: P.O. Box 711 Grants Pass, OR 97528 | SOBA is an affiliate of the Oregon State Beekeepers Association |
