LOVELAND, Ohio — According to many bee experts, there is a shortage of bees. But if the attendance at the Southwest Ohio Beekeeper School is any indication, there is no shortage of beekeepers.

“There is a large number of new beekeepers who have come to embrace the beekeeping craft,” said Dr. James Tew, honeybee specialist and associate professor of entomology at The Ohio State University. “We have a lot of new people involved with beekeeping, but nowhere near the number of beekeepers of decades past.”

Three hundred first-time and veteran beekeepers met at The Oasis Center in Loveland two weeks ago. Registration for the school closed early and many registrants had to be turned away. Of concern to many of those beekeepers (and farmers) is the diminishing number of honeybees.

“And even if beekeeper numbers are increasing, the number of colonies nationwide is still much lower,” Tew said. “About 50 years ago, there were around 300,000 colonies just in Ohio. Today, there is probably around 35,000.”

There are many reasons for fewer colonies in Ohio and neighboring states. The tracheal and varroa mite infestation the past 10 years has been a major cause for the reduction. Colony collapse disorder is another. New on the scene of hive pests is the hive beetle.

“There is some headway into the return of the hive, but I cannot say that the progress is substantial,” Tew said. “Bees still die too easily. All beekeepers are hoping that the incredibly warm spring holds up and that our bees come through in a good state. If so, that is not due to bees or beekeepers’ efforts, but rather simply warm weather.

“The bottom line is, we’re still facing generalized weakened bees and we are still not sure why.”

Breakout session classes included “Beekeeping 101,” “Pests of the Hives,” “Becoming an Advocate for Bees,” “Queen Productivity,” “Creating Habitat to Attract Pollinators,” “Removing Bees from Hives,” “Diseases of the Hive,” “Native Bees of Ohio” and “Cooking with Honey.”

Veteran beekeeper Dave Heilman, of Ohio Honey Farms in Wooster, gave attendees a picture history of beekeeping equipment during one session.

“Attendance at this school goes up for a few years, then it goes back down,” said Heilman, who has tended to bees for more than 30 years. “It’s a roller coaster, and we’re on the way up again. We can attribute that to the media and people not having fruit on their trees.”

Kevin Cress, a longtime member of the Southwestern Ohio Beekeepers Assoc., said his organization is 150 strong. “We’re seeing participating pick up some by the suburban beekeepers,” he explained. “These people seem to be more conscientious about the environment and many of these people have read about the demise of the honeybee.”

The focus of this beekeeping school is the starting beekeeper.

“This school is set up for the beginner,” Cress said. “We’ve had intermediate and seasoned beekeepers ask us to change our curriculum a little bit, but we’re going to keep things at an introductory level.”

According to Heilman and other beekeeping enthusiasts, it costs one between $300-$400 to get started in this outdoor hobby.