‘Bee a Beekeeper’ With Help From The Forest Preserve District

Learn what it takes to manage honeybees during a six-week “Bee a Beekeeper!: Introduction to Successful Beekeeping,”course at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township.

The course will be held from 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 20-March 27. Participants will learn all they need to know about becoming successful beekeepers. Mike Rusnak, a member of the Will County Beekeepers Association, will use his 12 years of experience to lead program attendees through beekeeping basics. The workshop fee includes the book “The Backyard Beekeeper” by Kim Flottum. Sessions include these presentations:
Week 1 – Familiarization: introduction, history, why keep honeybees, resources, cost
Week 2 – The Honeybee (Apis mellifera): anatomy, life cycle, castes, jobs, characteristics
Week 3 – Equipment and Stock: hive components, tools, location, suppliers, races
Week 4 – Management: inspections, pests, parasites, diseases, feeding, treatments
Week 5 – Colony Dynamics: honey production, year in the apiary, winter clustering, temperature regulation
Week 6 – Review, examination and course feedback

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

The program is for ages 18 and older and it costs $60 per person. Register by Friday, Feb. 16, at ReconnectWithNature.org or by calling 708-946-2216.