Classes
Melissa Bees at Gorge Food Forum: ‘Landscaping for Bee Health’ Oct. 12th, Skamania, WA
Visit www.gorgegrown.com for a list of speakers, events and location!
Honey Harvest 2012 Class- Sat. Oct. 13th @ Grow Organic Store- Hood River
Though its late in the season, there’s still time to extract honey! Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees will teach the basics of frame removal, uncapping, spinning, straining and bottling for both top-bar and Langstroth style hives. Equipment will be on hand for purchase and rental.
Cost: $12 (Cash or Check) or by Paypal. Sign up here or at Grow Organic, stop by the store 2035 12th Street, Hood River or give them a call: (541) 632-DIRT
When: Oct. 13th, 2012 2:00 pm
Where: Grow Organic, 2035 12th Street, Hood River
Beginning Beekeeping- The First Year of Keeping- Columbia River Gorge, Wed May 9th 2012
Want to get started beekeeping? Interested in chemical-free bees and beekeeping? Have you studied bees and beekeeping on your own and would like a class to fill the gaps in your understanding?
Join Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees, a local landscape designer, beekeeper and apitherapist for an informative look at what to expect in your first year of beekeeping. Subjects to be discussed include hive placement and protection, sourcing bees, hiving bees (putting them in the hive), handling the bees, swarming (bees’ natural increase), supering and honey supering and related topics. Bring protective gear (veil and gloves), as we will have a look into both Langstroth and top-bar hives, as long as weather permits.
Practical matters will be covered: the how, where, when, cost, etc. of starting beekeeping. Bring your notebooks and questions! Hives are available for purchase.
Cost: $30 (Cash or Check) or by Paypal incl. taxes and fees. Payment address: PO Box 62, White Salmon, WA 98672
When: May 9th, 6:30 pm
Where: Private residence, White Salmon WA. On sign-up you will receive location info.
Hive Medicine- Introduction to Apitherapy and Hive Products- Tues. May 22nd, 2012
Api means ‘Bee’- Therapy means ‘Healing Power’
Connect with the healing power of the bees through Melissa Bees’ introductory Apitherapy class. Learn how these tiny apothecaries collect their wares from the land and transform them into medicines that feed, sustain, nurture and protect their colony and hive. Discover the miraculous properties of honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom and find out how you can use them to nourish yourself. Sample and purchase Melissa Bees’ Hive Medicine products from chemical-free hives, and acupuncturist Frederique Keller’s gorgeous array of BeePharm apitherapy and ‘Beauty and the Bee’ products frequently featured on Dr. OZ and recently mentioned on Gywneth Paltrow’s weekly newsletter goop! Just a few of her life-affirming products include Bee Bread, Api-Defense, Bee Venom Eye Drops, Joint and Muscle Rescue, and Skin Rejuvenation and Firming Creams.
Cost: $30.00 Pay by PayPal, Check or Cash. Payment address: PO Box 62, White Salmon, WA 98672
When: Tues. May 22nd 6:30 pm
Where: Private residence, White Salmon WA. On sign-up you will receive location info.
Melissa Bees’ Columbia Gorge Beginning Beekeeping Classes- at Grow Organic- Hood River April 10th & 17th, 2012
Learn how to keep bees organically with two great Melissa Bees’ classes and support the newly opened store, Grow Organic in Hood River!
Owners Jeff 
and Ketrina Jerome are hard at work bringing the best organic farm and garden supplies, kits and materials and D.O.Y (Doing Organic Yourself) to you. Look to grow, with Grow!
Beginning Beekeeping Class I- History of Beekeeping & Life Cycle of the Bee- April 10th, 2012
Want to get started beekeeping? Interested in chemical-free bees and beekeeping? Have you studied bees and beekeeping on your own and would like a class to fill the gaps in your understanding? Join Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees, a local landscape designer, beekeeper and apitherapist for an inspiring and informative look into the life and times of the honeybee! Learn about humanity’s primeval relationship with the bee, her medicine and honey. Peer into the mysterious inner workings of the hive.
Discover the miraculous abilities of our most ancient ally, the honeybee. Practical matters will be covered: the how, where, when, cost, etc. of starting beekeeping. Bring your notebooks and questions! Grow Organics has hives, equipment and books for you to purchase at the store.
Cost: $30 (Cash or Check) or by Paypal. Sign up by 4/6/12. Sign up here or at Grow Organic, stop by the store 2035 12th Street, Hood River or give them a call: (541) 632-DIRT
When: April 10th, 6:00 pm
Where: Grow Organic, 2035 12th Street, Hood River
Beginning Beekeeping Class II- The First Year of Keeping- April 17th, 2012 SOLD OUT
Want to get started beekeeping? Interested in chemical-free bees and beekeeping? Have you studied bees and beekeeping on your own and would like a class to fill the gaps in your understanding?
Join Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees, a local landscape designer, beekeeper and apitherapist for an informative look at what to expect in your first year of beekeeping. Subjects to be discussed include hive placement and protection, sourcing bees, hiving bees (putting them in the hive), handling the bees, swarming (bees’ natural increase) honey supering and related topics. Practical matters will be covered: the how, where, when, cost, etc. of starting beekeeping. Bring your notebooks and questions! Grow Organics has hives, equipment and books for you to purchase at the store. This course is for everyone, regardless of whether or not you attended the first class.
Cost: $30 (Cash or Check) or by PayPal. Sign up by 4/6/12. Sign up here or at Grow Organic, stop by the store 2035 12th Street, Hood River or give them a call: (541) 632-DIRT.
When: April 17th, 6:00 pm
Beginning Beekeeping Class- ‘The First Year of Keeping’- Columbia River Gorge, Mar. 13th, 2012
Beginning Beekeeping Class Part II 
Want to get started beekeeping? Interested in chemical-free bees and beekeeping? Have you studied bees and beekeeping on your own and would like a class to fill the gaps in your understanding?
Join Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees, a local landscape designer, beekeeper and apitherapist for an informative look at what to expect in your first year of beekeeping. Subjects to be discussed include hive placement and protection, sourcing bees, hiving bees (putting them in the hive), handling the bees, swarming (bees’ natural increase) honey supering and related topics. Hives, hive tools, and protective gear wil
l be available for purchase the night of class. At sign up, please let Melissa know if you are interested in purchasing a hive. This course is for everyone, regardless of whether or not you attended the first class.
Practical matters will be covered: the how, where, when, cost, etc. of starting beekeeping. Bring your notebooks and questions!
Cost: $30 (Cash or Check) or by Paypal incl. taxes and fees. Payment address: PO Box 62, White Salmon, WA 98672
When: Mar. 13, 6:30 pm
Where: Private residence, White Salmon WA. On sign-up you will receive location info.
Beginning Beekeeping Class- History of Beekeeping & Lifecycle of the Bee- Columbia River Gorge, Feb. 21st 2012
Beginning Beekeeping Class Part I of II
–SOLD OUT– Contact Melissa
Want to get started beekeeping? Interested in chemical-free bees and beekeeping? Have you studied bees and beekeeping on your own and would like a class to fill the gaps in your understanding?
Join Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees, a local landscape designer, beekeeper and apitherapist for an inspiring and informative look into the life and times of the honeybee! Learn about humanity’s primeval relationship with the bee, her medicine and honey. Peer into the mysterious inner workings of the hive.
Discover the miraculous abilities of our most ancient ally, the honeybee. Practical matters will be covered: the how, where, when, cost, etc. of starting beekeeping. Bring your notebooks and questions!
Cost: $25 (Cash or Check) or by Paypal incl. taxes and fees. Payment address: PO Box 62, White Salmon, WA 98672
When: Feb. 21, 6:30 pm
Where: Private residence, White Salmon WA. On sign-up you will receive location info.
Vanishing of the Bees/ Molly Bee Good Project
Two Honeybee, Health and Healing Events in Hood River
Molly in Tucson
Vanishing of the Bees Documentary Screening and the Molly Bee Good Project
Interested in Honeybees, Health and Healing?
Join us for two nights of bee health and your health at the Columbia Gorge Acupuncture Clinic in Hood River, May 21st and 24th!
Vanishing of the Bees Documentary Sat. May 21st, 7pm
The honeybees are in danger; they are literally disappearing from their hives. This phenomena is called colony collapse disorder (CCD) and has struck commercial beekeepers, who pollinate 1/3 of our food crops. Follow Dave Mendez and Dave Hackenburg, two commercial beekeepers devastated by CCD who travel across the country and Europe to discover why. This film is both heart-rending and heart warming and will strike a cord with young and old. vanishingbees.com
The Molly Bee Good Project Tues. May 24th, 7pm
Motorcycle Molly Romero of the ‘Molly Bee Good Project’ mollybeegood.blogspot.com rolls into town on the last stop of her western states tour to give a presentation on the honeybees’ contribution to human health. She’ll talk about the health benefits of venom, wax, honey, pollen, propolis and royal jelly. If you’re an experienced beekeeper or don’t know anything about bees at all, this program is for you! Molly is sponsored by the American Apitherapy Society, of which she is a board member. apitherapy.org
Vanishing of the Bees Documentary Screening Sat. May 21st, 7 pm
Molly Bee Good Presentation, Tues. May 24th, 7pm
Where: Columbia Gorge Acupuncture Clinic
208 4th St Hood River
Next to the British Pub
Suggested Donation: $6-10
Sponsored by Columbia Gorge Acupuncture Clinic and Melissabees
Gorgeacupuncture.com
Melisssabees.com
We Need Bees- White Salmon, WA Library- April 1st
Photo by Joy Markgraf
On the evening of April 1, beginning at 6:30 pm, at the White Salmon library, a variety of speakers will give 20-minute presentations about Honey bees and other native pollinators.It will begin with an introductory slide show given by Melissa Elliott of Melissa Bees, landscape designer, contractor and beekeeper.
Topics covered will be the ‘Importance of Pollinators’ by Todd Murray entomologist from WSU Extension, Skamania County WA; ‘Honey bees and Mason Bees’ by John Kraus, Underwood WA commercial beekeeper managing 700 colonies; and Jeanette Burkhardt, a local gardener and beekeeping enthusiast, who will share her experiences about ‘Plants For Pollinators’. Joy Markgraf, Husum,WA will give a demonstration on making grass skeps.
Skeps are domed, coiled baskets that were used to house bees as early as the 16th century up until World War II when they were abandoned in favor of woodenware. A selection of Joy’s artistic and functional beehives will be on display at the library during the month of April.
Photo by Joy Markgraf
The library will have on hand a selection of books on honeybees and native pollinators to satisfy your interest on the subject, the Xerces Society of Portland, OR will provide handouts about attracting native pollinators and a list of plants that are beneficial to them; Ruhl Bee Supply is providing sample Mason bee houses and copies of their catalog. For those interested in starting a local beekeeping club Martha Kraus will gather names and information to get this project underway. David Ryan will inform people about the Master Gardener Program and have sign-up forms available.
Photo by Joy Markgraf