BATAVIA, Ohio – Beekeeping is an ever-growing hobby. There are an estimated 115,000 beekeepers in the United States, with 6,600 of those in Ohio alone. Most of these beekeepers get their start by attending half- or full-day beekeeping schools where veteran beekeepers inform attendees how to get started, what to do and what not to do. Vendors attend these schools as well, selling items that will help them get started.

These classes are good, but nothing quite takes the place of hands-on learning. And the “Beekeeping Boot Camp” from Wild Hives in Batavia, Ohio, puts the new beekeeper to work immediately, tending and cleaning hives, building boxes, operating a smoker and more.

Rob and Sonja Brock, owners of Wild Hives, offer five two-hour sessions for participants to get hands-on, up close training with the bees. The Brocks limit classes to 10 participants on their 12-acre plot for bees to assure a good personal experience. The spring boot camps are in April and May. The cost for these camps is $225.

“We want participants’ heads in the hives,” said Rob Brock, a veteran beekeeper himself. “We’ve run into people who are excited about bees and maybe they should just grow a garden as they’re more interested in pollination. But if they’re really interested in working with the bees we want them to come to us.”

According to the American Beekeeping Federation, 80 percent of new beekeepers will quit within the first two years. The top reasons reported include the learning curve is too long and steep, beekeeping is more expensive than imagined, pressure to quit coming from unhappy neighbors and overall frustration.

The expense of the hobby deters many, though Brock said his boot camp will show beekeepers the hobby can be quite enjoyable and affordable.

“If you start out fishing you don’t need to go out and buy a boat and a trailer from the start,” he said. “Similarly, in beekeeping we want people to spend as little as necessary because we hate seeing them quit after spending thousands of dollars on this hobby.”

Over time, veteran beekeepers often amass items such as comb sheets, frames, boxes, smokers, mite testers, moisture testers, scrapers, beekeeping gloves and beekeeping suits. These items are vital for any beekeeper, but can quickly add up in price.

“We teach our students the basics of this hobby and do it in a fun, affordable, hands-on way,” he said. “We’ll have presentations and training on the first session, but after that we want them getting directly involved with bees and getting directly into the hives. They won’t know if they actually like the bees until they get into the hives.”

Brock said his bee boot camp immerses people quickly into beekeeping, letting the students know early on it’s for them.

“We are all about helping people fall in love with beekeeping and have the easiest experience as possible,” he said. “We feel our bee boot camp is the best for the bees and for the beekeeper.”

Wild Hives follows what some describe as a “balanced” beekeeping approach, bridging the gap between a commercial beekeeper and a hands-off natural, or conservationist, approach in community and support of the next generation of new environmentally aware beekeepers. Brock said Wild Hives focuses on sustainable “light touch” methods and simple equipment solutions that foster bee welfare and facilitate the bee’s natural behaviors while working well within their limits.

“We support both urban and rural hobbyist beekeepers who want to keep bees on a modest scale and we do this through personal support, education, equipment and the sale of local overwintered nucs (nucleus colony) and queens,” Brock said. “We understand our main job, as beekeepers, is to learn from the bees who know best while also being mindful of our special responsibility as human beings to also be earth keepers.

“Our boot camp is not only for the beginner but the seasoned beekeeper as well. Perhaps you’re a seasoned beekeeper and looking for an alternative to the constant lifting, feeding and treatments year after year. Or maybe you need a hive style that’s a bit easier on you and the bees. We can help you take this next step.”

Brock and his family attended last week’s Southwestern Ohio Beekeeper School, where they promoted their camp and obtained a long list of those wanting to attend their Beekeeping Boot Camp.

“Our boot camp offers an experience that’s a step well beyond a normal classroom presentation,” Brock said. “We believe that seeing and working with bees is the way to learn and offer opportunities to suit up and see how a hive really works.”

During one of the sessions the Brocks helps attendees build their own coffin-style bee box.

“We work hard to be available for those seeking a little more by offering appointments to meet at our apiaries, providing timely answers to questions,” he said.