Bee Forever Apiary | The Thomas Mani Honey Bee Blog

classes

General Information
Classes are held at Gordon’s Grange from 7 to 9 pm. Gordon’s Grange, a tall white building with four large pillars, is situated next to the Gordon’s Patio Shop downtown Yelm (308 Yelm Ave E) . If you are coming from west (i.e. Rainier or Lacey) it is on the left side of Yelm Ave. The costs are $10 per adult, kids are free. Please know that the heating system in the grange is not very efficient, so dress warm especially on cold days.
Please let us know when you plan to come by sending an email to bee4ever@fairpoint.net

Special class about Natural Beekeeping
A new very special class has been scheduled on THURSDAY, April 8th 2010, at Gordon’s Grange from 7 to 9 pm (cost $10).
This class is about Natural Beekeeping according to Emil Warre. Emil Varre, a French monk of the last century, who the perma-culture expert Sepp Holzer was referring to in his talk, was experimenting with about 350 different type of hives. This fact alone justifies a closer look at the final outcome of his research, the Warre hive. He designed a hive that fulfilled the needs of the bees best, but still yielded a surplus of honey to harvest. The design of the hive which is a vertical top bar hive and the management practice goes hand in hand, of course. So the way to keep the bees in a Warre hive is very different from what most of us are doing right now. One of the characteristics is: minimal intrusion into the hive. This means less work for the beekeeper and less stress for the bees which keeps them in a healthier and more robust state.

So the big question comes up: is this way of beekeeping applicable here in the Pacific NW with its special climate?

The answer is only found if we do it and have the experience!
So come and join us in exploring potential applications of the Warre beekeeping. A true Warre hive will be shown as well as adaptations of existing and commom hive equipment.

Why attending classes
Times for bees and beekeepers are challenging, not only in the Pacific Northwest. The headlines about the mysterious disappearance of honey bees all over the world made many people aware about the problem. Unfortunately, those articles do not mention possible solutions other than leaving it to science. However, there is a solution that is simple and very efficient: more beekeepers !
The benefits of having bees are enormous. Not only is their pollination service required for every third bite we eat, but they also pollinate flowers to produce fruits essential to wildlife. Furthermore, they produce honey and bee pollen as nutritious food and natural remedies, as well as propolis and beeswax for many useful applications. In order to do their amazing work the honey bee flies up to three miles, way across your property line. Therefore, keeping bees is a service to the community and not only you will enjoy a bountiful harvest in the garden and orchard but your neighbors as well.
The interest in beekeeping is growing. In Yelm alone over 60 people have become beekeepers in the last two years.