Visit our event page to register - registration for two days is $30. Or call or email program coordinator, Daniel (daniel@crosshatch.org, 231-714-9730).
This is a Crosshatch sponsored guild event, in cooperation with the Traverse City Senior Center. If you are a senior center member registering, please call (231) 922-4911 for free registration information.
Guild leaders from the Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club will be leading a two-day workshop over the course of consecutive Saturdays in March (21st and 28th). This workshop is designed to prepare committed beginner or novice beekeepers to successfully start hives for the 2020 season.
Our class objective:
To train capable, confident new and novice beekeepers who are ready for the challenges and rewards that beekeeping offers. Our monthly club meetings offer follow-up for questions and support, along with the latest tips and fun in beekeeping. Join us to explore your interest in keeping bees--and come away buzzing with ideas and success.
Class Description:
Our starting point for these workshops is “Who are you and why do you want to keep bees?”. This will allow us to ensure that you pick, and learn, the beekeeping style that works for you and your needs.
The class is two full-day Saturday sessions. There are hands-on equipment segments, so our graduating beekeepers will emerge ready and confident to take on the beekeeping adventure. Attendees are encourage to pack their lunches as no food will be provided.
We’ll cover:
Alternatives in beekeeping equipment, including workable options for seniors and/or disabled beekeepers;
Evaluating your location for bees, whether urban or rural;
The best way to obtain bees for you and your chosen beekeeping format (nuc, package, swarm);
Equipment needed and costs;
Bee basics--queens, workers and drones--understanding the workings of the hive--and making them work for you;
The beekeeper’s role in maintaining the health of the hive;
Installing and monitoring your new hive, watching your colony grow and thrive;
Challenges of modern beekeeping, including bee pests and diseases;
Evaluating hive progress throughout the season, including growth, growth control and avoiding swarm losses;
The “how, when and what” of bee feeding--watching for the signs of dearth and avoiding stress to the hive;
Harvesting honey the right way; and
Preparing your bees for winter--starting when the season is still warm and sunny.