Classes
We are charging a minimum $5 fee for all classes to discourage no-shows. To register and pay the fee you follow the registration link after the class description.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our classes will be offered on-line using a cloud-based service, WebEx. You will be sent an email containing a link that will allow you to join the online class ten minutes before the session begins. To assure that the class is not interrupted with unwanted noise, we ask that you mute your microphone until you wish to ask a question or make a comment at the end of the class. Since this is the first time we are attempting to hold classes online, we ask for your understanding and goodwill as we undertake this adventure.
Course in Beekeeping
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
Integrated Pest Management
Pests are an unhappy but realistic aspect of gardening. They cannot be eliminated, but they can be managed. The IPM approach to their management looks at the life cycles of pests and their impact on the environment and combines it with available pest control methods so as to manage the destruction they inflict in ways that are least costly and hazardous to people, their gardens and the environment. Inge Ferguson, Master Gardener, will walk you through this well-established method for identifying, monitoring, preventing, and controlling pests in your garden. Class is free but registration is required.
Exploring Bees! 5: Supering and Honey Production
At the Apiary, we will discuss major nectar-bearing honey plants and honey flows and how to manage the hive to maximize honey production. We will discuss different supering strategies and hive arrangements, as well as possibly making “nucs” to manage queens and swarms. Rain date: Sunday, June 8. Instructor: Meghan Milbrath. Class 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.
Daylilies!
Rebecca Hutchins, expert daylily grower, hybridizer, and owner of Miss Becky’s Lily Farm in Carleton, Michigan, will again teach a class on daylilies. Topics to be covered are the biology of daylilies, best cultivation practices, methods of hybridizing new cultivars, saving and growing out seeds. Examples of blooming daylilies from her farm will also be shown. If you have ever had questions about daylilies, this class is for you! Class is free, but registration is required.
