Backyard Beekeeping

Anybody can keep bees, but not everyone should be a beekeeper. Take the first step by learning about this fascinating and important pollinator that - faced by introduced pest species, environmental pollutants and a myriad of other factors - has struggled for survival in recent years. With a basic background of the needs of honeybees and the challenges they currently face, we'll move on to basic considerations you'll need to take into account before jumping into this dynamic new hobby: where to place hives, equipment options and sources, and how to get bees. Your sweet reward at the end of class will be the opportunity to taste several varieties of local honey. Bonnie Bollengier is a member of the Marin County Beekeepers and the Marin Survivor Stock Project and is committed to breeding local, untreated bees. Bonnie is also a co-coordinator for the 2012 Marin Pollen Project (www.marinpollen.org), a collaborative effort between Penn State University and beekeepers of Marin County.