Veterans and their loved ones are being invited to learn all about beekeeping with a workshop being planned by the MSU Extension office in Paw Paw in May.
MSU Extension educator Anna Heck tells us the Heroes to Hives Beekeeping Workshop will explore proper hive maintenance for those who do keep bees. She says a lot of people do.
“Many people like keeping bees not only for the honey, but a lot of people are kind of enchanted by opening up a honeybee colony, understanding how honeybees communicate with each other, and getting to enter into their world,” Heck said.
So, what will the workshop cover?
“The workshop will go over how to inspect a colony, hive handling, how to work through a hive, the different equipment or supplies needed. Normally when we check a honeybee colony, we look for whether it has honey and pollen for food. We check for health and parasite loads. We make sure that the colony has the right amount of space.”
Heck says the MSU Veterans Therapy Garden is the perfect place to host the May 29 workshop because it has a veteran MSU Extension educator on site who has a lot of personal experience keeping bees.
The event is limited to Veterans, Reservists, Active Duty and National Guard members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their adult children, living and surviving spouses, partners, and caregivers. It is free. Those looking to attend can register online.