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Learn How to Beekeep in Flushing Museum's Victorian-Style Garden

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | March 25, 2015 1:11pm
 The Voelker Orth Museum is organizing a crash course for those interested in beekeeping.
The Voelker Orth Museum is organizing a crash course for those interested in beekeeping.
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The Voelker Orth Museum

QUEENS — A beekeeping class held in the Victorian garden of The Voelker Orth Museum could land you an apprenticeship among local hives.

Wally Blohm, the head beekeeper from the Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park, will be teaching two-session workshops on how to care for bees and what it takes to run a hive. 

The classes, scheduled for March 31 and April 14, will also discuss equipment and how much it would cost to get set up.

"We discovered that many people don't really know if they want to be serious about beekeeping but they want to learn a bit," said Debby Silverfine, director at The Voelker Orth Museum.

After the workshops, Blohm will set up those interested in making beekeeping a more serious hobby in summer-long apprenticeships with more established beekeepers in Sunnyside and Jackson Heights, Silverfine said.

The museum — which is housed in the former home of a German Immigrant family built in the 1880s  — features a Victorian-style garden, where it's been keeping a bee colony for nearly a decade.

"We have a bee colony to help us pollinate our plants," Silverfine said. "And we also use it for our educational programs."

The museum first started the classes when beekeeping was legalized in the city in 2010. It was initially launched as a nearly year-long, in-depth series, but now it's offering a shorter version for beginners who're just interested in basic knowledge.

"Our intent is to really create an active community of beekeepers so everyone can improve their knowledge and skills and be successful in raising honeybees," Silverfine said.  

"It’s a hobby that requires some skill and it works best if we have a team of people who can work with you," she added.

Classes are limited to 20 people per workshop. Registration is $20 for the two sessions or $12 per class. The classes are scheduled for March 31 and April 14 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Advanced registration is recommended.

The Voelker Orth Museum Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden is located at 149-19 38th Ave. in Flushing, NY, 11354. For more information go here or call (718) 359 6227.