Amanda Smith and Sarah Duncan are shown receiving the news of their selection. (Submitted photo)

As the Eastern Panhandle Beekeepers Association concluded its annual spring course for beginning beekeepers it launched a new program for young people.

This youth program will choose several students each year who will be given complete beehive components and assisted in assembling the necessary equipment to receive a colony of bees. They will then be mentored during the year to assist them in managing their own bee colonies to reinforce the instructional material received during the annual course. The woodenware, beekeeping equipment and the bees themselves are donated by the EBPA.

Once the six-week course is completed, the students are assigned mentors and attend monthly association meetings to reinforce what they have learned and have encouragement and support when needed. Through these efforts several hundred additional bee colonies are introduced into the Eastern Panhandle.