![[Bonus] Short - Inside the Ohio State Beekeepers Association with Jamie Walters](https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/2/2/1/1/22117e7deefedf7ad959afa2a1bf1c87/BTP-Short-20251107-esn89c6dre.jpg "[Bonus] Short - Inside the Ohio State Beekeepers Association with Jamie Walters")
[Bonus] Short - Inside the Ohio State Beekeepers Association with Jamie Walters
In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Jeff Ott sits down with Jamie Walters, President of the Ohio State Beekeepers Association (OSBA), during the organization’s annual conference in Wooster, Ohio.
Jamie shares how OSBA continues to thrive after the challenges of recent years, including the rebound of volunteerism and mentorship following COVID. Under his leadership, the 2025 conference brought together 37 vendors, 280 attendees, and an impressive lineup of speakers including Dr. Tracy Farone, Fred Dunn, and Dr. Chia Lin from Ohio State University.
The discussion highlights the OSBA’s dedication to education and outreach—covering new hands-on workshops in wax processing, dissection labs, and mead making, as well as the association’s growing youth scholarship and mentorship programs. Jamie also describes efforts to expand training through certified online beginner beekeeping courses in collaboration with Dr. Reed Johnsonand Dr. Chia Lin at The Ohio State University Bee Lab.
Jeff and Jamie talk about the importance of leadership and volunteerism in state and local beekeeping organizations, and how collaboration among neighboring states—Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and others—can strengthen the beekeeping community as a whole.
Links and references mentioned in this episode:
- Ohio State Beekeepers Association: https://ohiostatebeekeepers.org
- Ohio State University Bee Lab: https://u.osu.edu/beelab
- Fred Dunn (YouTube Channel): https://www.youtube.com/@FrederickDunn
- Honey Bee Health Coalition Guide: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
Brought to you by Betterbee – your partners in better beekeeping.
______________
Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
** As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases
Copyright © 2025 by Growing Planet Media, LLC
Coming Soon!
Jamie Walters
Jamie is married to Dalyla for 35 yrs, 2 daughters ~ Jessica & Ashlee, and 1 granddaughter Kaydee. My background began as an electrician, electrical engineer, and then a CMM Technician. Later moving on as a volunteer firefighter, Associate Deputy with Defiance County Sheriff's Office and traveling IT Tech for H&R Block Corporate.
My outdoor awakening started after my father passed away. Wanting to keep his plants at his funeral and having a black thumb. A transformation from OSU Master Gardener, Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, Life Member of OSBA, OSU Pollinator Specialist ~ Advocate, Vice-President of Northwest Ohio Beekeepers, Instrumental Insemination Certified by Purdue University, President of Black Swamp Beekeepers, ODA County Bee Inspector, OSBA Honey Judge, President of (Ohio's 4th) Pollinator Sanctuary & Training Facility of Defiance County, and starting from within OSBA as a volunteer to my current position as OSBA President for a second term.
I currently run 40ish colonies of bees through the summer, rearing queens (open mated & instrumentally inseminated), selling nucs, and helping my wife produce hive products. I fight for the pollinators by having healthy bees, understanding (IPM) integrated pest management, planting pollinator habitat, and honey bee animal husbandry. My goal is to help the next generation of people who volunteer and want to join these hobbies, to be sustainable, and enjoy life as much as I have.
