Bee season will be arriving in the north country before you know it, I hope you are ready.

I've had several requests for the two-day intensive organic beekeeping course that was offered last year at Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln. In response I have scheduled a repeat of the course, once in May (Friday 5/15-Saturday 5/16), and once in June (Friday 6/19-Saturday 6/20) for 2009. Please pass the word if you know anyone who may be interested. Thanks.

Organic Beekeeping: Principals and Practices

Friday - 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
(Beginners session 12:30 to 3:30 PM)

Saturday - 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Cost: $85
($110 with optional beginners' session)

This workshop covers topics suitable for commercial and hobby beekeepers, with a primary focus on intermediate and advanced methods. For beginners, a special Friday afternoon session that covers hive construction and layout, the basics of bee biology, and handling bees is strongly recommended. The rest of the workshop, Friday afternoon/evening and all day Saturday, presents a balanced view of natural and organic beekeeping topics and practices not ordinarily covered in lectures and articles, including: presence and mindfulness in the beeyard; swarming as an expression of the bees vitality; working with swarms and making nucleus colonies; non-toxic mite and foul brood control; Apitherapy, and an appreciation for the role that pollinators play within the Earth's ecosystem. Weather permitting, the day will be punctuated with visits to the hives, where techniques for handling bees are demonstrated with opportunities for hands-on experience by workshop participants. Bring a veil, if you have one.

Meals and accommodations may be pre-arranged (please call for more information) 802) 453-8111 and ask for Gillian.

Presenter:
Ross Conrad is a former president of the Vermont Beekeepers
Association, a regular contributor to Bee Culture - The Magazine
of American Beekeeping, and author of Natural Beekeeping: Organic
Approaches To Modern Apiculture. Ross has given bee related
presentations and taught organic beekeeping workshops and classes
throughout North America for several years now. His small 13-year-old
beekeeping business, Dancing Bee Gardens, supplies friends,
neighbors, and local stores with honey and candles among other
bee related products, and provides bees for Vermont apple
pollination in spring.

Location and Registration:
Metta Earth Institute -Center For Contemplative Ecology, 334 Geary Road South, Lincoln, Vermont. 802-453-8111 Registration for each class is being limited. To reserve your place in a class, please send mail a check for tuition to: Ross Conrad, PO Box 443, Middlebury, VT 05753. Partial payments will be accepted as a deposit to save you a space, however the balance is due before the start of the workshop.

For directions...

Cancellation policy:
Sorry, there are no refunds for cancellations less than one week in advance of a workshop. Credit may be applied to a future course or workshop however.

Bee Well,
Ross Conrad
PO Box 443
Middlebury, VT 05753
802-388-2314
www.dancingbeegardens.com

August 13-16
Soft Cloud Felting Retreat
Includes Felting Materials, Yoga, Writing, Reiki, & Metta Tea.
Guided by Alice Eckles & Gillian Kapteyn Comstock
$275 with options for barter.
Meals & Lodging may be arranged at Metta Earth.