The Polk County Beekeepers Association is offering a beginner beekeeper course that will meet five consecutive Thursdays beginning Feb. 14 through March 14.

The classes will meet from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Mill Spring Ag Center, 156 School Road, Mill Spring.

The course instructor will be Phil Holbert. Holbert has been keeping bees for over 40 years and has been teaching beekeeping courses in Polk County for well over five years.

Beekeeping follows a yearly cycle. The first step is to establish new hives in early spring. In Polk County, bee packages and nucs can be ordered for delivery in March and April.

The course is held in February and March to prepare the new beekeeper for hive set up and management of the hives through the spring and summer honey flow and late summer and fall, including preparation for winter.

The course will include the five classes and materials. The course enrollment is limited to 20 students.

Those interested in registering may contact Lisa Krolak at 828-279-9643 or lisakrolak@hotmail.com.

The Polk County Beekeepers Association holds monthly meetings on the third Thursday of every month at the Mill Spring Ag Center from 6-7:30 p.m. The meetings feature a speaker and also include a question and answer period.

The goal of the meetings is to learn from the speaker and also from each other to support local beekeepers manage their hives. New beekeepers are encouraged to take advantage of the group as a resource.

Those interested in learning more may email David Smith at d.smith.7363@gmail.com.

– Submitted by Lisa Krolak