This is your online resource for the 4-H Beekeeping project. The manuals and record sheets are below. If you have any questions, please refer to the 4-H Handbook or contact the Extension Office.
*If you have trouble accessing any of these documents below because of a disability, please contact the Jackson Co. Extension Office at (812) 358-6101 or send an email to schneidh@purdue.edu.
Here are the requirements for this project:
BEEKEEPING
Create an exhibit that shows the public what you learned in the beekeeping project this year. Posters are to be displayed horizontally, sized 22” x 28”, mounted on a firm backing (foam core board or other), and covered in clear plastic or other transparent material. Choose one of the following 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 subtitle if you wish. 4-H member must fill out a record sheet to be turned in with the green/white record book.
All posters, notebooks, and display boards must include a reference list indicating where information was obtained, giving credit to the original author, to complete the 4-H member’s exhibit. This reference list should/might include web site links, people and professionals interviewed, books, magazines, etc. It is recommended this reference list be attached to the back of a poster or display board, be the last page of a notebook, or included as part of the display visible to the public. A judge is not to discredit an exhibit for the manner in which references are listed.
Notes:
There are no age specifications for beekeeping exhibits. It goes by division.
- No bee hives
- 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 one of the following topics on a poster:
1. Flowers Used to Make Honey - display pressed flowers of 10 different Indiana plants that bees use for making honey.
2. Uses of Honey and Beeswax.
3. Setting up a Beehive
4. Safe Handling of Bees
5. Any other Beekeeping related topic.
Division 2: (may do 1 to 2 years) Exhibit one of the following:
1. Extracted honey – 2 one-pound jars, shown in glass or clear plastic, screw-top jars holding 1 pound of honey each.
2. Chunk honey (comb in jar) – 2 one-pound jars (wide-mouth glass or clear plastic).
3. Cut-comb honey – 2 one-pound boxes. (These are usually clear plastic and 4 ½” x 4 ½” in size.)
4. Working with Honey Bees - Present a topic from your manual to teach fair goers about working with honey bees. Use your knowledge and creativity to display this information on a poster or in a notebook. Posters must follow the guidelines listed above.
Division 3 and Above: Advanced (may do multiple years) Exhibit two of the four kinds of honey listed below (#1-4) or prepare an educational display about honey or beekeeping (#5):
1. Extracted Honey – 2 one-pound jars (glass or clear plastic)
2. Chunk Honey (comb in jar) – 2 one-pound jars (wide-mouth - glass or clear plastic)
3. Cut-comb Honey – 2 one-pound boxes. (Boxes are usually 4 ½” x 4 ½”)
4. Comb Honey – 2 sections (honey built by bees in frames of wood commonly called “sections.” Boxes are usually about 4 ½” x 4 ½” in size)
5. Prepare an educational display about honey bees or beekeeping.
Independent Study - Advanced topic - Learn all you can about a beekeeping topic and present it on a poster. Include a short manuscript, pictures, graphs, and list the works cited to describe what you did and what you learned. Title your poster, “Advanced Beekeeping - Independent Study.”
Mentoring - Exhibit a poster that shows how you mentored a younger 4-H member. Include your planning, the time you spent, the challenges and advantages of mentoring, and how the experience might be useful in your life. Photographs and other documentation are encouraged. Title your poster, “Advanced Beekeeping – Mentor.”
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