Course on Beekeeping     

The  season-long course of 10 classes is being offered to interested students as a package for the price of $80, with drop-in opportunities for individual sessions at the rate of $10.00 each.  Topics for each monthly class are briefly listed below, with more detailed descriptions of each here.  The series will begin on February 15, 2014.  Registration and payment for the full series can be done here.  

To see a full description of all the classes, please click here.

Monthly Class Topics of the Course

February 15:       Equipment Options for Keeping Bees

March 22:            Specialty Tools and Assembling Your Equipment

April 12:                Bee Biology/Checking Over-wintered Hives

May 17:                Splitting Hives and Swarm Prevention

June 7:                 Supering and Honey Production

June 21:               Hive Inspection and Pest Identification

July 19:                 Varroa Mite Monitoring

August 23:           Honey Extraction

September 27     Managing Hives in the Fall

October 11:          Preparing Your Hives for Winter

Many dollars are spent by gardeners each year on seeds.  And yet, with some planning and a little work, much of the cost for seeds can be avoided.  This class will cover the advantages of gardening with heirloom varieties and seed-saving basics that can help you save money and ensure that you get the varieties that you grow and love.  Participants will then try their hands at saving seeds from a variety of vegetables, including fresh tomatoes, grown by instructor, Marcella Trautmann.  Class is free, but registration is required.

At the apiary, we will see learn what honey to extract from the hive, how much to take and the various options for extracting it.  We will cover all types of extraction equipment and methods.  Rain date:  Sunday, August 24th.  Class  is limited to those who have already paid for the full course, though drop-ins are permitted, with fees of $10.00 ($15.00 per couple), payable in cash at the door.

There are a multitude of heirloom vegetable varieties that survive today thanks to home gardeners of the past. You can maintain that connection by saving heirloom plant varieties for future generations, while enjoying them today. Discover why it’s important to do so and key seed saving techniques. In doing so, you might even create you own “heirloom” vegetable variety! Royer Held continues his exploration of heirlooms in this class. Class is free, but registration is required.

 As fall approaches, there is the pull and push of wanting to extend your season and wishing to end it.  If you are not ready to put away your garden, the panel of Inge Ferguson, Jesse Raudenbush, Joet Reoma, and Marcella Trautmann, will show that fall is a great time to grow cool weather crops that can keep you harvesting right up until a hard frost.  It is also the best time to grow garlic, for harvesting next summer.  Methods for extending your season, such as low tunnels, will also be covered.  However, if you are ready for a good book in front of the fireplace, we will cover ways to close down your garden so that it is ready for next spring.  Class is free, but registration is required.

At the apiary, we will see that the bees are getting ready for winter.  We will discuss how to prepare a hive so that it is at an optimal strength and size for over-wintering.  Rain date:  Sunday, September 28.  .  Class is limited to those who have already paid for the full course, though drop-ins are permitted, with fees of $10.00 ($15.00 per couple), payable in cash at the door.

At the apiary, we will set up the hives for over-wintering and will discuss various options for managing moisture, food, and heat in the hives.  Rain date:  Sunday, October 12th.  Class is limited to those who have already paid for the full course, though drop-ins are permitted, with fees of $10.00 ($15.00 per couple), payable in cash at the door.