Dyce lab offers spring/summer beekeeping course

The Dyce Laboratory for Honey Bee Studies at Cornell is offering Master Beekeeper Program courses this spring and early summer at various locations throughout New York state, including Ithaca.

The apprentice level course provides a thorough theoretical and practical outline of bees and their keeping. Intended for new beekeepers and as a review for experienced beekeepers, this course emphasizes spring and summer management. The course consists of 12 hours of lectures and four hours of practical exercises. Participants will receive a manual and a textbook to complement the lectures and slide presentations. The apprentice level course is offered this year in Suffolk County, May 20-21; in Erie County, May 27-28; and in Tompkins County, June 10-11. The cost is $125.

A queen-rearing and bee-breeding course also will be offered as part of the journeyman-level program. This course mixes theory with extensive hands-on activities, including the construction of queen-rearing equipment, setting up cell-builder colonies, grafting, handling queen cells, making queen candy and caging queens. Honey bee breeding strategies also will be presented. Participants will receive a manual, a textbook and basic queen-rearing equipment. Enrollment will be limited to 20 participants per class. Locations include Greenwich June 30-July 2 and July 7-9, and Ithaca July 14-16 and July 21-23. The cost is $200.

Early registration is recommended for all classes. To register, or for further course information, contact the Cornell Master Beekeeper Program, Comstock Hall, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853, or call 255-3280, e-mail dv23@cornell.edu or view the web site http://masterbeekeeper.org.

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