ANA HECK

MARQUETTE — Beekeeping clubs in the central and western Upper Peninsula will host Ana Heck, apiculture extension educator for the Michigan State University Extension, the week of April 10.

She will visit four U.P. beekeeping clubs, covering various topics about beekeeping. These are excellent opportunities for beekeepers of all levels to hone their skills. There is no charge to attend any session. RSVP is requested.

On Monday, April 10, the Superior Beekeeping Club will host from 6 to 9 p.m. Eastern time at the Arts and Culture Center, lower level of the Peter White Public Library in Marquette. Heck will present “Colony Necropsy: Why Did My Honey Bees Die?” Attendees will learn to identify reasons for a colony’s death based on clues left by the bees and — importantly — how to prevent colony loss in future beekeeping seasons.

The Superior Beekeeping Club hosts regular meetings as well as workshops and field days. The club hosted the U.P. Beekeeping Conference in 2018 and 2019 and plans for the conference to return in 2024. Find out more about Superior at superiorbeekeepingclub.weebly.com.

The Northwoods Beekeepers Club will host Heck from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, at the Bay College West campus in Iron Mountain. The presentation topic will be “Evaluating Honey Bee Brood Frames.” Attendees will learn to distinguish between healthy and sick brood and to recognize signs of European Foulbrood, American Foulbrood, chalkbrood, and varroa parasitic mite brood syndrome.

The Northwoods Beekeepers formed in 2016. Based in Iron Mountain, the club includes members from Michigan and Wisconsin. The Northwoods club hosts a State of Wisconsin Apiary Inspector each year to hold an educational hive inspection in a Wisconsin member’s bee yard. They also access expert guidance from MSU-Extension and the Michigan Beekeepers Association. You can find the Northwoods Beekeepers on Facebook.

The Bay de Noc Beekeeping Club will host from 6:30 to 8 pm. Eastern time on Wednesday, April 12, at Bay College in Escanaba.

Heck will present on “Queen Issues and Events.” Attendees will learn to decipher queen events like swarming, supersedure, and emergency queen loss; knowing the difference will help in deciding when and how to intervene.

The Bay de Noc Beekeeping Club has several members who keep hives at a community garden in Escanaba. The club often holds their summer meetings at the garden, where members can get up close and personal with honey bees. You can find Bay de Noc Beekeeping Club — Group Discussions on Facebook.

On Thursday, April 13, Heck will visit the Copper Country Beekeeping Club at the Carnegie Museum community room in Houghton from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern time and present “Queen Issues and Events.” The Copper Country Beekeeping Club was established in 2017 to provide education, value, and support for new and experienced beekeepers throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula. The club focuses on sustainable beekeeping and the unique challenges facing beekeepers in the Keweenaw snowbelt region.

Contact information for each club can be found at the Michigan Beekeepers Association website, www.michiganbees.org/Michigan-Bee-Clubs. For more details about the presentations, go to www.canr.msu.edu/pollination/index and click on the Events tab.