'Beekeeping Part II'
Saturday August 1, 2009
10:00 Overview of CSC and community of Stelle (begins at CSC office in Stelle)
11:15 Tour of community (Solar & wind applications, gardens, etc)
12:15 Lunch (Includes vegetarian option)
1:30 Seminar - 'Beekeeping Part II' at Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast (2 miles south of Stelle)
Beekeeping
Question and Answer Session
with Honey Extracting
1:30 - 4:30 P.M.
Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast
(2 miles from Stelle, directions below)
Question: If 10 beekeepers are all asked the same question, how many different answers will you get?
Answer: At least 11
This is a follow-up workshop to CSC's beekeeping workshops held last winter and spring. By this time in the beekeeping season many questions begin to pop-up for new and seasoned apiarists alike.
They may include:
- How do I know if I'm leaving the bees have enough honey for the winter?
- How do I get the hives ready for winter?
- How do I combine weak hives for the winter?
- What's the best time to start feeding?
- What's all the yellow stuff on the outside of my hive?
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Is it hard to raise my own queen?
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Should I keep a nuc around?
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Anything else you may have been wondering about.
This is your opportunity to ask the experts.
A panel of local, experienced beekeepers, some from the Kankakee River Valley Beekeepers Association, will be available to give advice on what works for them in our midwest climate.
Following the discussion will be hands-on honey extracting instruction given by Mark Hoffman. Everyone will have an opportunity to gain experience with the uncapping knife and 4 frame extractor.
Cost is $40
If you are planning to attend any or all the the days events, please register online, send us an email,
or call Julie at 708-828-4325.
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Click here for directions to Stelle and the CSC office if attending tour and/or lunch.
Click here for direction to Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast.
Panelists
John Bailey has been keeping bees for 35 years, since he was 10. John worked with his dad in the early years. (He knows his first exposure to bees and real honey was September 23, 1973 because his Mom marked it on the calendar.) He has 3 colonies in Herscher, 2 colonies in Crete and 8 colonies in Altorf (Bourbonnais township). 4 of the colonies in Altorf are swarms that were caught this spring.
Frank Gordon is in his 54th year of beekeeping and has 37 hives today, up from a low of 15 this spring. Since he doesn't use any insecticides, chemicals or antibiotics, a friend of his in Utah who is a commercial beekeeper wants Frank to ship him some of his queens this year. He keeps his bees at the Haigh quarry, very close to where as many as 1000 people gather every weekend. Go figure!
Mark Hoffman has been keeping bees since getting his first two hives from Frank Gordon over 20 years ago. He keeps 8 hives near Stelle and one at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast.
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