For judging / check-in information, see schedule in this book.
Manuals required!
State Fair Entries:
A county may submit a total of three state fair entries, one entry per division.
** Fair Entry – You MUST register your 4-H project in Fair Entry if you plan to exhibit at the 4-H Fair. See page 21! **
Exhibit Introduction
This project will help you learn about bees and beekeeping. You will learn about the types of bees, the honey and wax they produce, the plants that attract bees, and the equipment a beekeeper needs. If you want to set up your own hive, you'll learn basic beehive care, how to extract and bottle honey. Advanced topics include: increasing the number of your honey bee colonies, increasing honey production, producing special kinds of honey, and learning more about bee societies.
Exhibit Requirements:
Create an exhibit that shows the public what you learned in the beekeeping project this year. Follow poster guidelines. Choose one of the topics listed below, appropriate for your grade in school, and use that topic for your exhibit title, so the judges know which activity you completed. You can also use a creative sub-title if you wish.
- There are no age specifications for beekeeping exhibits.
- Progressive project. Must start with level 1. You may do levels 1 & 2 for one or two years; may do level 3 & above multiple years
- No bee hives may be brought to the State Fair.
- Honey water content will be measured.
- Fill level: the honey should be filled to the jar shoulder, not over, nor under
- Chunk honey should go in a wide-mouth jar, preferably one specially made for chunk honey (see beekeeping catalogs).
- Be careful to distinguish "chunk honey"(comb in jar) from "cut comb" (comb only in box).
- Honey (including chunk, cut comb and comb) must be collected since the previous county fair.
Division 1: (may do 1 to 2 years)
Exhibit:
Present one of the following topics on a poster, as specified above and use that topic for your exhibit title.
- Flowers Used to Make Honey – Display pressed flowers from 10 different Indiana plants that bees use for making honey.
- Uses of Honey and Beeswax
- Setting up a Bee Hive
- Safe Handling of Bees
Division 2: (may do 1 to 2 years)
Exhibit one of the following:
- Extracted honey – 2 one-pound jars, shown in glass or clear plastic, screw-top jars holding 1 pound of honey each.
- Chunk honey (comb in a jar) – 2 one-pound jars (wide-mouth glass or clear plastic).
- Cut-comb honey – 2 one-pound boxes (these are usually 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" in size).
- Working with Honey Bees – Present a topic from your manual to teach fairgoers about working with honey bees. Use your knowledge and creativity to display this information on a poster or in a notebook. Posters guidelines are in front of book.
Division 3 and Above: (may do multiple years)
Exhibit two of the four kinds of honey listed below (#1-4) or prepare an educational display about honey bees or beekeeping (#5).
- Extracted Honey – 2 one-pound jars (glass or clear plastic).
- Chunk Honey (comb in jar) – 2 one-pound jars (wide-mouth glass or clear plastic).
- Cut-comb Honey – 2 one-pound boxes. Boxes are usually 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" in size.
- Comb Honey – 2 sections (honey built by bees in frames of wood commonly called "sections." (Boxes are usually 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" in size.)
- Prepare an educational display about honey bees or beekeeping.
Related Files
