Beginning an Adventure in Backyard Bee Keeping!

 So just to update you: I enrolled in Bee School with the Worcester County Beekeepers Association (WCBA).

What a steal the classes are, too!  For 8 classes you pay only $30 for an entire family!  The teachers range from keeping bees for half a decade or so to keeping bees since they were toddlers (and are now grandparents).  The lessons are essential and the personal narratives are invaluable.

 Here's the schedule for this season --> 2012 Bee School Syllabus:

March 1:
Introduction to WCBA. – Paul O’Connor, Bee School Director & Norman Mercier, WCBA President
Guest Speaker: WCBA Honey Queen –
What is Beekeeping all about? – George O’Neil
Beehives and Protective Equipment – Paul O’Connor

March 8:
Dynamics of the Hive – Ken Warchol
Sources and Installation of Packages and NUCs – Roland Sevigny

March 15:
Hive Assembly – Armond Provost
Challenges of Beekeeping – Ken Warchol

March 22:
Spring & Summer Management – George O’Neil
Development and Progression of Packages and NUCs – Mary Duane

March 29:
Swarm Prevention & Queens – Dick Callahan
Fall Management – Bob DeBoer

April 5:
Honey Extraction – Paul O'Connor
Api-Therapy – Kelly Charpentier
Bee Skit – Ken Warchol and WCBA members

April 12:
The Delicate Balance – Ken Warchol
The Panel, Bring your questions to a panel of experienced beekeepers.

April 19:
Nectar and Pollen Plants in Worcester County – Chris Messier
Open Discussion and course evaluation

Bees are such fascinating creatures!  When a scout honey bee finds a sweet and abundant source of nectar she alerts and recruits other bees to forage the source she has discovered.  She DANCES to communicate information on direction, distance, quantity and taste of the nectar source!  Ahh... a woman after my own heart!  She just wants to express herself through the art of dance...



A round dance denotes sources less than 300 feet from the hive and a figure eight waggle dance denotes sources at a greater distance.  The speed of the waggle dance gives the other bees information about the distance of the pollen source from the hive.  Get this: the direction of the dance indicates the direction of the food IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE SUN!  It's incredible!