The Olive Free Library will offer a free two-part “Introduction to Beekeeping” seminar on Saturdays, January 9 and 16 from 10 to 3 p.m., led by master beekeeper Rob Overton. Participants will learn what they need to know to establish a hive this spring. The seminar is suitable for those with no prior experience, or for those who want to gain more knowledge by learning from a master beekeeper. The workshop will discuss the pros and cons of treatment and treatment-free beekeeping.
Session 1 will cover: native pollinators, honeybee castes and races, bee stings and apitherapy, where to get bees, bees and neighbors, beneficial plants and natural/organic beekeeping. Session 2 will explore equipment and bee care, protective gear, hive tools, hive types: framed and top bar, predators and pests, hive placement, installing bees, signs of a healthy hive, diseases, winter prep and products from the hive.
If there is interest, additional group session(s) will be scheduled through the winter to focus on building and preparing equipment for those who plan to start keeping bees in the spring.
The classes will include hands-on demonstrations and leave room for questions and answers as well as informal discussion. Participants are asked to preregister by calling the library or registering online at https://hvhives.com.
The classes will be taught by Overton, who has more than 30 years’ experience as a beekeeper and is deeply involved in the beekeeping community. He is an administrator at Beemasters’ International Beekeeping Forum, which is the largest forum on the Internet geared toward backyard and hobbyist beekeepers. He is a frequent beekeeping contributor and guest at the Wildlife Pro Network, and is creator of the Bushkill Bee Vac, which revolutionized the use of bee vacuums for live honeybee removals and is preferred by professionals across the US.
There is a beekeeping support group that meets monthly at the Olive Free Library throughout the year, which will also be covered in this workshop. The Library is located at 4033 Route 28A in West Shokan. For more information, call (845) 657-2482, e-mail programs@olivefreelibrary.org or go to https://hvhives.com or www.olivefreelibrary.org.
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