Beginning beekeeping course being offered in Unity

UNITY — A beginning beekeeping course will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s Common Ground Education Center.

The short course will cover the essentials such as:

• where to locate an apiary;

• characteristics of different races of bees;

• where to purchase bees and equipment; how to assemble the equipment; and

• how to establish the first hive and get it through the first season.

Instructor Dave Smith is an experienced beekeeper who has been maintaining over 200 honeybee colonies for over 35 years. He has also served as assistant state apiary inspector for seven years. He owns and operates Sparky’s Apiaries in Hope.

The course fee is $50 for Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association members and $75 for nonmembers.