Sign up for a workshop now to become a successful beekeeper by summer

If you?ve always yearned to be a beekeeper, registration is now open for the Forest Preserve District?s of Will County's Introduction to Successful Beekeeping Workshop.

?With the cold and snow outside, people may not be thinking about spring just yet,? said Bob Bryerton, a Forest Preserve program manager at Plum Creek Nature Center. ?However, this is the time of year to get ready if you plan on keeping bees this summer.?

The workshop will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday evenings from Feb. 20 to March 26. Four of the six sessions will be at Plum Creek Nature Center. The two remaining sessions on March 19 and March 26 will be held at Monee Reservoir Visitor Center due to planned construction work at Plum Creek.

Registration is required by Feb. 14. The cost of the program is $75 per person and the fee includes the book ?The Backyard Beekeeper? by Kim Flotum. The workshop is for ages 18 or older.Mike Rusnak, a member of the Will County Beekeepers Association with 18 years of experience, will teach the sessions.

Starting early is important

?The workshop is planned at this time of year so that you can get the information on what you need to keep bees,? Bryerton said. ?And by the end of the workshop, you will be able to order supplies and start your beekeeping.?

Training is required to keep bees because there is a lot to know, Bryerton added.
?One of the things many people may not realize is that if you want to keep bees you need to start in the spring,? he explained. ?That means you need to have your hives put together and ready to go so you can put the bees in when you receive them.?

Bee orders in Illinois usually arrive in late March and early April.
The workshop will provide everything you need to get started and to become a successful beekeeper this spring.

Workshop sessions focus on beekeeping history, cost, the anatomy and life cycle of honeybees, equipment and bee stock, hive management, colony dynamics, honey production and temperature regulations. The workshop exam will take place in the final session of week six.

Weather permitting, an optional off-site field day will be planned to correspond with the installation of a package of honeybees in a Langstroth hive.