To the 4-H Leader: The beekeeping project books (1- 4) are intended to teach young people the basic biology and behavior of honey bees in addition to hands-on management skills. The honey bee project books begin with basic honey bee and insect information (junior level) and advance to instruction on how to rear honey bee colonies and extract honey (senior level). These project books are intended to provide in-depth information related to honey bee management, yet they are written for the amateur beekeeper, who may or may not have previous experience in rearing honey bees.

The beekeeping project (Books 1- 4) teaches you the basic biology and behavior of honey bees (junior level) in addition to hands-on management skills. The four honey bee project
books provide instruction on how to rear honey bee colonies beginning with the purchase of a package of bees, continuing through the first year of colony development, and ending with the extraction of honey (senior level). These project books are intended to provide in-depth information related to honey bee management, yet they are written for the amateur
beekeeper, who may or may not have previous experience in rearing honey bees.

The following are categories of plants known to thrive in the southeastern/Hampton Roads area of
Virginia that also support bees. *Plants identified as major honey plants for bees

Varroa mites (Fig. 1) are serious pests of the apiculture industry throughout the Americas. The mites were first reported in the United States in Florida in 1987, apparently as an accidental introduction along with illegally imported South American queen bees. By 1989, the mite was found in 19 of the southern states and has continued to spread throughout the United States and much of Canada. To date, the varroa mite has killed one-half of the managed honeybee colonies and almost all of the feral honeybee colonies in North America. If a varroa mite infestation is left untreated, it can kill a bee colony within one to three years. As a result, the varroa mite is considered to be one of the most severe threats to the apiculture industry.