Whether you are a new beekeeper or have had hives for a long time, questions are always coming up as to the best way to care and manage your bee colonies. Saturday, August 1st is the day to get those questions answered by an experienced panel of local beekeepers that have 110 years of beekeeping experience between them. There isn't much they haven't encountered in their hives or techniques they haven't tried. Bring your questions and definitely a notebook. This is a continuation of the workshops the Center for Sustainable Community (CSC) offered last winter and will be held at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast in Kempton, IL beginning at 1:30 P.M. Kempton, IL is 30 minutes southwest of Kankakee.
The cost is $40 and follows CSC’s free morning open house.
A panel of local, experienced beekeepers, some from the Kankakee River Valley Beekeepers Association, will be available to give advice on what works for them in our mid-west climate. Panelists include John Bailey, who has been keeping bees for 35 years, Frank Gordon who is in his 54th year of beekeeping and doesn't use any insecticides, chemicals or antibiotics, and Mark Hoffman who has been keeping bees since getting his first two hives from Frank Gordon over 20 years ago.
Following the discussion will be hands-on honey extracting instruction given by Mark Hoffman. Everyone will have an opportunity to gain experience with the uncapping knife and 4-frame honey extractor.
By this time in the beekeeping season many questions begin to pop-up for new and seasoned apiarists alike. They may include:
How do I know if I'm leaving the bees enough honey for the winter?
How do I combine weak hives for the winter?
Is it hard to raise my own queen?
What is a nuc and should I keep one around?
Anything else you may have been wondering about.
For more information call Julie at 708-828-4325 or register online at www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org/calendar.html.
The Center for Sustainable Community (CSC) is an educational, nonprofit organization offering seminars and workshops in holistic health, renewable energy, green building, and sustainable agriculture.
