TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Nearly 100 people from around the Wabash Valley gathered at the Meadows Shopping Center on Saturday, for ‘Beekeepers 101.’

The event was hosted by the Wabash Valley and Clay County Beekeepers Clubs. President of the Clay County club, Kris Bilyeu, said the event touched on a variety of topics. 

“Everything from what is a bee, to what is a beehive, to what I need to do to keep bees alive,” he said. “All of these topics are addressed and we want to make sure people, if they want to keep bees, we want to give them the opportunity to have a good experience.”

There were several presentations and speakers throughout the day, as well as gifts that were raffled off to attendees. Bilyeu said the event was designed for people of all experience levels– even those who have never tried beekeeping.

“We have people here who have no desire to keep bees, but they want to learn more and more about bees because they are fascinating,” he said. “Bees have so many things we can learn from them and people just want to learn more. This meeting right here is just to get people started and interested.”

Bilyeu said interest in bees have been rising over the years– an important development as they face numerous challenges around the world today.

“When you look at the problem that bees have, and where we are in the world today with bees, there’s a lot of interest in it,” he said. “With that interest and with the things that different people want to know, this has given us the opportunity to spread the news and spread the word, and let people know more and more about it.”