# Honey Tasting and bee activities for all ages at the USF Botanical Gardens



## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Honey Tasting and bee activities for all ages at the USF Botanical Gardens in Tampa, Florida, contact USFBG staff at (813) 910-3274 for information or to donate a jar of honey. Bring your family, bring your bee friends, come see the teaching hives and some of the students hives. They are gentle Cordovans that just gave up 5 gallons of sweet liquid from one hive.
Directions

From 1-275: Exit Fowler Avenue. Head east to Bruce B.Downs Blvd./30th Street and turn left. Go north one block to Pine Drive (1st light) and turn right. Go east one block to the first traffic light and turn left. Go north one block to the Garden entrance on left at the intersection with Alumni Drive. 

From I-75: Exit Fowler Avenue. Head west to Bruce B. Downs. Blvd./30th Street and turn right. Go one block north to Pine Drive (1st light) and turn right. Follow Pine to left and Garden entrance is on left at the intersection with Alumni Drive.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

We are VERY excited to announce our first annual honey tasting event! We have been collecting honeys from all over – have some from Russia, the Ukraine, India, Utah to NY and here in FL – including our own. Please mark 9/25 on your calendars 3-5pm. (I’ve attached the invitation). Please send out to your friends and family and other contacts. We hope to have a wonderful turnout for our first time. Tickets are $20 and the funds will be used to support our beekeeping operations (think materials and supplies for beekeeping, storage facilities, extractor, etc.) The event will include food and drinks and live music (jazz trio – Interlude) as well as bee related info and honey and other items for sale. 

A reminder if you have hives - Don’t forget to contact your local mosquito control office and have your address added to their no spray list. Florida Mosquito Control section is 850 617-7995

Thank you all for helping to make the BG (BeeG) a thriving place.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

For information, or to contribute, please contact the
USFBG staff at (813) 910-3274 or email [email protected]


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Several of the honeys come from first year beekeepers at the USF Bee Workshops. They saw their first hive this year, nailed their first hive together in March, populated their new hive in April and extracted their first honey in August.

There are honeys from all over Florida, the United States and the world. I think the Russian honey traveled the furthest but the entries are not all in yet.
There are plenty of events and activites around the Gardens for children and melittophiles of all ages. Live Jazz, food and drinks provided!


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

The Honey Tasting went pretty good for a first time event. There were several late honey entries from all over the world. Predictions of 60 percent rain that never materialized did not deter the many visitors last Saturday. Many were merely curious but have determined to continue learning about bees with the monthly workshops.


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## Panhandle Scott (Jul 11, 2009)

Man, I wished I lived in Tampa. You all got it going on. I was born in Tampa but moved to Orlando when I was a year old. Now I live in the Panhandle bout 40 miles north of Panama City.

Wish we had a program like yours up this way. I read your posts with great interest and commend you for what you all are doing to promote the hive, the honey and the honeybee.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Thank you, it was worth the time and effort. We are already planning for next year.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Thank you to everyone who came to the honey tasting event or contributed. Most attendees had no idea there was such a variety of honeys from around the state, the country, or the world. We gathered enough support to purchase an extractor and associated equipment for next year's workshops and new beekeepers. Now if we could only get a building or large trailer to keep it in! We also took the opportunity to get a few interested in attending future bee workshops at USF.


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