I'm headed to school on Saturday. That's right, I'm packing up my pencil and notebook and highlighter and heading to an all-natural beekeeping class. For nine years I taught basic law enforcement students in the local community college system, but it has been a good while since I've been a student. So this time I'm on the other side of the desk. This should be a lot of fun!
I've going to the class with my new friend who is local and into beekeeping, and that's Jared of Jared's Beekeeping Adventure. Jared will get started with his bees this spring, but he's already blogging about his ride so far; buying equipment, getting set up, etc. Jared and I already have a lot in common.
And I'm really excited that I'm going to finally meet Lynn who blogs about her venture into beekeeping over at Walter Bee. Lynn used to live in this area and now she resides in the mountains of North Carolina..so she has local ties. Lynn was one of the first persons I ever spoke to who is into beekeeping and blogging, and I'm darn excited to finally meet her face-to-face!
The one-day workshop we're going to centers around organic beekeeping which I totally believe is necessary for healthy hives. I've never introduced man-made chemicals into my hive and unless its an emergency of some kind, I don't plan to. My belief is that man and his overuse of chemicals has caused the emergency situation we're in now with our bees. The last thing we need? More chemicals.
I'm planning to take my camera to get some pictures too. So watch for highlights on my blog in the next few days!
It looks like I'll be attending my very first class for beekeepers in January. When I went into this thing we all love called beekeeping, I did it after reading books and talking to other beekeepers. I never attended any classes...and that's because I didn't know that any existed in this area. But now I'll get the chance to take an "official" one-day class on the methods of natural beekeeping.
I'm attending the class with my new friend, Jared, of Jared's Adventures In Beekeeping. He's got lots of beekeeping equipment already, he just needs his honey bees. He's already getting set up for this coming spring with all of his equipment at the ready.
The class will be held all day on Saturday, January 9th in Winston Salem at the Forsyth County Cooperative Extension Building.
According to the website: "This one-day workshop will provide a series of lectures on natural approaches to apiary management that don't rely on chemical inputs, as well as hands-on demonstration sessions. Lectures will include the following topics, and more: hive position and construction, supplemental feeding; honey removal, processing and labeling; wax processing; frame and hive storage; hive transition and previous chemical exposure; record keeping. Demonstrations stations will cover the following: - Making 'no foundation' frames; - Using your own cappings wax for foundation; - Making splits for brood comb removal and disease management. These workshops will be particularly beneficial to those interested in participating in CNG's new honey certification program."
The Forsyth County Beekeeper's Association is gearing up for their spring beginner's course which last five Saturday mornings. I wish I lived closer to Winston Salem so I could take this course. If you join the FCBA, attend all the classes and pass all the exams, they're giving away hives...including the bees! And all for $45! Learn something, have some fun, and get goodies too. No wonder their motto is, "We're not bragging, but we're the best!"
ADDENDUM: I've learned that Lynn at Walter Bee, who lives in the North Carolina mountains (and who used to live here in my area) may be attending the natural beekeeping class too! I'm excited about this possibility since Lynn was one of the first people that found my blog, and we've shared a lot of our beekeeping experiences this past year. C'mon down, Lynn! It will be great to see you!
