Royal Pollinators: Beekeeping 101
Interested in starting your own beehive, or just want to learn more about honey bees? Then, in this bilingual class, come along with beekeeper Oscar Villa and explore the basics of beekeeping. (Esta clase es accesible para hispanohablantes. This class is accessible to Spanish speakers. )
Lunch is included and you will learn how to start beehives in your own backyard here in Chicago, including information on start-up costs. You’ll learn about honeybee biology, the importance of pollinators to preventing and managing climate disaster, beekeeping equipment and protective gear, and how to keep your bees safe, healthy, and thriving.
But why is learning about bees so important to our global health and freedom? According to Jessica Hernandez’s research, in the Indigenous Mayan language, bees are referred to as xuna’kab or Cole-kab, which translates into royalty or queen, and in the Mayab Ice Eq community — who have batted the Mexican government and fought against eco-colonialism for their people and their bees — bees are regal relatives that represent fertility. And in the Mayan Ish Eq community, as well as most other parts of the globe, bees and natural pollinators are at risk of extinction because of eco-colonialism. However, we can learn how to fight back against this.
So because pollinators are what keeps our world in balance, this course is for everyone, regardless of whether you want to start a beehive of your own. But we hope you will leave the day empowered to start your own journey, and with all the information you need to get started.
We have student and youth discounts, plus a small amount of partial scholarships available for low-income students. Email us at [email protected] for the application.
It is a long day so we will provide lunch, including homemade sourdough honey buns, but please feel free to bring whatever snacks and drinks you want.
We will also provide protection gear, but ask that everyone wear long pants and shirts, as well as bring their own hat or baseball cap (we will have extras in case you forget!)
Please do not attend if you have a bee allergy of any kind, but we will have an EpiPen on hand for an emergency and a trained medic.