Lewis and Clark County: Beekeeping

Beekeeping

Beekeeping can be fun and rewarding, but like any agricultural practice, you'll be more successful if you start out
informed. Find a beekeeping group or mentor, take a course, have a good beekeeping book on hand for our area, and buy
bees and equipment from a reputable seller. Get started with the resources below.

Honey Bees

American Beekeeping Federation

Apiary Registration, Montana Department of Agriculture

Bee Biology, Lewis and Clark County Extension

Bee Diseases, Integrated Pest Management, Lewis and Clark County Extension

Frequently Asked Questions, Lewis and Clark County Extension

Honeybee Disease Summary Chart, Lewis and Clark County Extension

Mites, Insects, & Diseases of Honey Bees, Ruth O'Neill, Research Associate, Wanner Entomology Extension Lab

Overwintering Strategies, Lewis and Clark County Extension

Planting for Pollinators, Lewis and Clark County Extension

Varroa Management Decision Tool, Honey Bee Health Coalition

Native Bees

Bumble Bees of the Western United States, USFS

Montana Bee Identification Guide, MSU, NRCS and the Pollinator Partnership

Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab, USGS

Native Bee Network

Native Wildflowers and Bees of Western Montana, USFS

Extension Contact Information:

Agricultural Extension Agent
Vacant

4-H | Youth Development Agent
Kara Tangedal
(406) 447-8349
e-mail

Family and Consumer Science Agent
Food and Nutrition
Vacant

Administrative Support
(406) 447-8346

Address: Fairgrounds
Exhibit Hall (northwest corner)
100 W. Custer
Helena, MT 59602

More about Pollinators

US Fish and Wildlife Service:

Of the hundred or so crops that make up most of the world's food supply, only 15% are pollinated by domestic bees, while at least 80% are pollinated by wild bees and other wildlife.
Bees recover slowly from insecticide spraying and other disturbances because of their low fecundity (they are unable to reproduce rapidly or in great numbers) which also makes them more susceptible to local extinction.
It may take 3 to 4 years for bumble bee populations to return to pre-pesticide application levels
Climate change has the potential to affect the distribution of pollinators and the plants they pollinate, as well as the timing of flowering and migration.