Local Sports Calendar

The Crossroads Beekeepers will be holding their third annual bee school at the Stewardson Community Building, 105 S. Pine, Stewardson, Illinois on Saturday, February 1 from 8:00am- 4:00pm. This year's bee school is for anyone interested in beekeeping and will focus on basic skills and information needed for the beginning beekeeper. 

Class topics include Understanding the Honey Bee, Hive Components and Equipment, Getting and Feeding Your First Bees, Your First Year of Beekeeping,  Troubleshooting Your Bees, and a Question and Answer session featuring several area beekeepers.

 

In addition to the speakers, educational displays will feature detailed photos of bees, bee foraging plants, bee gardening, Top Bar hives, bee vacuums, and bee bait boxes.  Live demonstrations will also show participants how to light a smoker and keep it lit, how to use a swarm trap, and how to extract honey from frames.  There will also be booths with information on the Crossroads Beekeepers mentoring program, the Illinois State Beekeepers Association, the Illinois Queen Initiative, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture Apiary Program.

Two venders will also be on site to offer equipment needed to start beekeeping this Spring.

The cost to attend this all-day bee school is $30.00 and it includes the classes, presentation handouts, sample copies of beekeeping journals, refreshments and a catered lunch.  Those registered for the Beginning Beekeeping workshop will also receive the book “First Lessons in Beekeeping”.  Pre-registration deadline is Friday, January 24th.  The bee school will conclude with numerous door prize drawings including a starter bee hive.

For more information and to download a registration form for the bee school, visit the club’s website at http://CrossroadsBeekeepers.blogspot.com .

Crossroads Beekeepers is a local beekeeping club based in Effingham and serving beekeepers in all surrounding counties.  Club meetings are on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the basement of the University of Illinois Extension Center, 1209 N. Wenthe, Effingham.

For more information on Crossroads Beekeepers, contact Larry Quicksall at 217-347-5937.