An expert on apiculture is offering affordable lectures for beginners to increase the number of beekeepers in southwestern Germany.
City officials in Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, said Robert Lorenz would organise a three-hour course on 18th February.
Attendants – who will be charged EUR 20 (GBP 18) – will get a comprehensive theoretical overview. Those determined to give it a go can then sign up for an in-depth seminar consisting of five lectures costing EUR 80 (GBP 72) altogether.
The seminars will take place at the Umwelthaus near the zoo on the southern outskirts of Worms.
Robert told NewsX he was looking forward to holding the courses.
He explained: “We couldn’t organise any lectures for two years due to the restrictions during the pandemic.”
Robert added: “The classes have a long tradition. Around 50 per cent of participants have continued with beekeeping. They have also joined one of the regional associations of apiarists.”
The beekeeping expert revealed that pollinators would find plentiful sources in the city of Worms.
Robert told NewsX: “There are more and more flower strips. Town council decision-makers are becoming increasingly aware of their importance.
“However, the area around Worms is rather a desert for bees due to the focus on winemaking and the cultivation of sugar beets.”
Robert is also the region’s official beekeeping expert. In January 2021, Robert removed an immense abandoned nest of Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) from a tree in the courtyard of the Karmeliterschule, a secondary school in Worms.
The Asian hornet is a predatory species which kills and eats honeybees. Its nests can feature colonies of several thousand animals. It first emerged in Europe in southwestern France in 2004.
The Wormser Imkerverein – which is the region’s biggest association of apiarists – encourages anyone interested to get in touch.
On its website, the club says: “We are welcoming every new member, no matter whether you are a newbie interested in apiculture or a professional who recently moved here.”
The Worms-based beekeepers underlined that they “are looking forward to accompanying and consulting you.”
The German Association of Beekeepers has more than 137,000 members.
The Central European country is home to more than 500 different types of bees. While the domesticated honeybee is probably the best-known type, all of those solitary bee species play an important role due to their engaged pollination activities.
Germany’s beekeepers managed an estimated 982,000 honeybee hives in 2021. Only seven of the European Union’s 27 member states counted more beehives that year.
