Bee wise: Three Kohala events to Oct.
A beekeeping tour, workshop and film for all ages are scheduled later this month in Kohala. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Beekeeping is an ancient practice that has fostered a respectful relationship between bees and their human keepers for thousands of years. Today, beekeeping is happening at all levels of production from small backyard hives to large operations with thousands of hives — all generating a multitude of flavors, textures and colors of honey that are the result of seasonal nectars gathered by the bees from a wide diversity of flowering plants.
Human extraction of the honey from hives helps increase the busy activities of these pollinators, ensuring adequate pollination of essential food crops. Backyard beekeepers not only gain the sweet results, but are also intentionally active in building back up the bee populations that have seen recent declines due to predators and chemical toxins impacting bees around the world and in Hawaii.
In Kohala, home and garden scale producers of Beekeepers of North Kohala are creating local handcrafted honey batches with a surprising variety of flavors and colors. Tour, tastings, workshop and a film showing for all ages are scheduled in Kohala throughout Oct.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, the public is invited to attend a Pollinator Habitat workshop at the Kohala Elementary School Garden from 1 to 4 p.m. Tools and seeds are provided to help invite pollinators to backyards and gardens. A $20 donation to attend is requested to cover materials and instructor time.
Kohala honey will be showcased on Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Hawi Farmers’ Market. The beekeepers use a unique type of hive called a top bar popular in small scale production. Hive cabinets will be on display, children’s activities offered by Same Canoe and local honey available for purchase from 8 a.m. to noon under the banyan tree in the heart of Hawi.
A free top bar hive tour and film follows at 3 p.m. at the Algood Barn in Hawi.
Residents are also invited to join the Great Pollinator Hunt to help identify and record the island’s pollinator populations. Worksheets and online data forms are available at www.oneisland.org/hawaii/pollinator-challenge.
For directions to any of the event or to RSVP, email [email protected].