Rylea Shan Powell, left, and Gottfried Fritz, right, use a smoker on a hive last Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
The Lewis County Beekeepers Association is busy as can be getting ready for an active fall and winter season in the classroom and the workshop.
The beginning beekeepers class is designed with a curriculum specifically geared for the unique conditions of Western Washington. The course will cover basic equipment, setting up an apiary, how to get started, how to manage bees and techniques for dealing with parasites and diseases, among other topics. A preview orientation for the beginning beekeepers class will be held on Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. until noon at Centralia College in Washington Hall, room 103. The full beginning beekeeping course is scheduled to begin on Jan. 13 and will run through February. Those classes will also take place on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon in Washington Hall, room 103, at Centralia College.
Additionally, the Lewis County Beekeepers Association will continue to accept applications for its youth beekeeping scholarship through Nov. 17. The scholarship is open to area youths in sixth through 10th grades. Homeschool students are welcome to apply. The winning applicants will be awarded free classes, a mentor, loaner equipment and bees. All students who successfully complete the program will be given their hive and equipment as a reward.
Additional information is available online at lewiscountybeekeepers.org. Questions may be directed to LCBA Secretary Susanne Weil by calling 360-880-8130 or by emailing secretary@lcba.community.
