Welcome to the
Bastrop County Beekeepers Association

🐝January Beekeeping 101 – Swarm Management - Presented by Dr. Hakkinen

Swarming is a natural way honey bees reproduce, and it is also one of the biggest reasons

new beekeepers lose honey production and colony strength. In our January Beekeeping 101

session, Joe will cover what triggers swarming, how to recognize the early warning signs, and

practical steps to prevent and manage swarms. Topics include swarm capture, making splits,

hive splitting basics, creating a sustainable environment for strong colonies, and managing

bee space with the right timing for adding supers. Bring your questions, this is a great month

to get ahead of spring.

 

Guest Speaker - Keegan Nichols

Keegan Nichols is a PhD candidate in the Texas A&M University Department of Entomology

and works in Dr. Juliana Rangel’s honey bee research program. 
His interests focus on honey bee management and pollinator biology, with research that combines field and lab approaches to better understand honey bee health, genetics, and management outcomes. A major emphasis of his work is the native Saudi honey bee, Apis mellifera jemenitica, where he has described surveying genetic and health factors that can support breeding efforts aimed at improving queen quality. 
Keegan is also a published author on honey bee parasite research, including an Apidologie paper evaluating haplotype diversity and Varroa destructor infestation patterns in commercial beekeeping operations across Southwestern Saudi Arabia.