YEAR-TWO:  IN THE HIVES

This might be the class for you to attend if you have successfully wintered over your bees or you are that beekeeper that can’t get your bees into the following year after previous attempts to make this happen. You know the basics of beekeeping but want to now pursue it on a deeper level with a group of fellow like-minded beekeepers. Beekeeping is an agricultural activity - success is never guaranteed due to many moving natural elements. This class will help you with the decision-making process of what needs to be done with your hives to increase their odds of surviving during the course of a season and into the following year. Beekeeping at WEI is committed to the health of the bees and organic care practices as much as possible.

Course Schedule: Class meets the 4th Sunday of the month from April through October: April 23, May 21, June 25, July 23, Aug 27, Sept 24, and Oct 22. The Year-Two class meets in a separate location on the farm and at the same time as the beginning beekeeping class. In the last hour, both classes will come together for discussion and Q&A.

TOPICS

Beekeeping at WEI is committed to the health of the bees and to organic care practices as much as possible. Topics in Year-Two will depend on the interests and needs in the group and may include:

• Ways to divide colonies
• Signs of swarming and how to prevent
• Building swarm traps to increase your colonies for free
• Tips to introduce a new queen into your divided colon
• Techniques on raising your own queens
• Suggestion on how to produce a large honey crop from your hives
• Taking a more in depth look at diseases and mite control management practices
• Marketing your honey and hive products from homestead to markets

Instructor Bio: Mike Mackiewicz is head beekeeper at Bone Lake Meadows Apiary which is located in the open, rural spaces of Washington County, Minnesota. Mike has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Geography and a minor in Art from the University of WI, Superior. He has completed the Beekeeping and Queen Rearing Courses at the University of MN. Mike began teaching beekeeping at the Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) in 2017, a class that meets the educational requirements for Urban Honeybee Permit holders. Mike has been keeping bees for over 20 years in Scandia, located in Washington County, Minnesota. His main focus of sustainable beekeeping is connected deeply with the St Croix River watershed on the Wisconsin and Minnesota side of the river. His goal as a beekeeper in recent years has been towards teaching and mentoring new beekeepers. His style of teaching is a combination of reading and classroom lectures and then walking out to an educational apiary. Mike is an avid outdoorsman when not covered with bees. In the winter, when bees are nestled in their warm boxes, you can find him on local lakes ice fishing.

What to Bring: Bee suit, veil, gloves and hive tool.

Please make sure your annual WEI membership is still active.
For membership info click here: FRIENDS OF WEI

Full and partial scholarships are available if you are in financial need. Please visit Scholarship Application - Women's Environmental Institute (w-e-i.org) Or if you need a payment plan, please contact jerry@w-e-i.org at the WEI office (651-583-0705).