BURLINGTON (AP) - More than 500 beekeepers and honeybee experts from the eastern United States and Canada are expected to attend a conference at the University of Vermont this week.

The Vermont Beekeepers Association and the Eastern Apicultural Society is holding the five-day conference called Bees and Beyond starting on Monday.

Participants can take part in workshops, lectures and short courses for beginning and advanced beekeepers. An agenda is available online at www.vermontbeekeepers.org.

Organizers say beekeeping has grown in popularity in recent years as people want to produce their own food and to support bee and other pollinator populations. The Vermont Beekeepers Association says there are about 2,000 beekeepers in Vermont and roughly 100,000 nationwide.

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