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The Ohio State University OSU Extension OSU OARDC

OSU Honey Bee Lab

Wooster, Ohio

About the Honey Bee Lab

The state of Ohio and The Ohio State University have a long beekeeping history. In 1975, the Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) became part of the OSU beekeeping program with the curriculum addition of the Beekeeping Technology Program. National and international economic downturns began to specifically affect the ATI beekeeping program in the early 1980’s. To counteract those early economic challenges, the following changes have been made throughout the ensuing years:

  • 1975 the ATI initiated a 2-year Commercial Beekeeping Program. Mr. John Caulk was the program coordinator.
  • 1978 Dr. James E. Tew became the Commercial Beekeeping Program Coordinator.
  • 1979 the first annual bee school was conducted by The Ohio Cooperative Extension Service (now Ohio State University Extension) in cooperation with the ATI and the Tri-County Beekeepers’ Association. It has been conducted every year since and has grown to be the largest bee meeting in the US.
  • 1981 the National/International beekeeping training program were started. Students from 41 countries participated in the bee program. The International training program lasted for approximately eight years.
  • 1985 the Wooster Bee Laboratory was dedicated. Dr. James E. Tew was the first program coordinator and continues in that role today.
  • 1986 the Beekeeping Coordinator accepted added responsibilities as the OSU Extension apicultural specialist.
  • 1987 the Extension Service, the USDA, contracted with OSU for the Beekeeping Specialist (J. Tew) to serve as the National Program Leader for Beekeeping. That contract continued for seven years.
  • 1992 the OARDC assigned a partial apicultural research appointment to the Lab Coordinator. Now a extension and research program, the commercial beekeeping component of the program was eliminated.
  • 1992 the Honey Bee Equipment Museum was established at the OARDC.
  • 1995 OSU Extension and Auburn University Extension Service initiate a cooperative agreement that the Extension Specialist would address beekeeping issues for both states.
  • 2002 the USDA National Agricultural Library began cooperating with the OARDC librarian (C. Britton) and the OSUE State Beekeeping Specialist (J. Tew) to serve as an information source for the USDA NAL. Bee questions coming to the NAL are directed to the OARDC library.
  • Currently the OSUE Bee Lab is administrated by OSU Extension and OARDC. The cooperative relationship continues with Auburn University to fulfill Extension beekeeping duties for Alabama.