The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo offers Benefits of Beekeeping, a series designed for anyone new to bees or those who have bees and are interested in new ways to relate to and care for them.
Participants will learn treatment-free beekeeping practices based on bee biology and developing a relationship with and understanding of bees. Field days will give participants an opportunity to visit a thriving apiary, observe effective hive management techniques, get hands-on experience, and develop a relationship with bees.
Classes are held Thursdays, February 7 – March 14, from 5 – 8 p.m. in UH Hilo's PB-5. The field days will be held at Paradise Nectar Apiaries in Kaiwiki on February 23 and March 16, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost is $150 and includes the required textbook. Students will need long pants, shoes, long sleeve shirt, hat, and gloves for the field days.
Instructor Jen Rasmussen has been caring for honey bees on Hawaiʻi Island since 2008. She has developed various methods of maintaining her hives without the use of chemicals or treatments.
For more information and to register, contact CCE at 932-7830 or visit https://hilo.hawaii.edu/cce/.