Last week, I shared a list of evening pesticide update meeting dates to be held at the Butler Extension Office in February.

For those who prefer a daytime session or a traditional extension meeting format, there are several opportunities in neighboring counties that you may want to consider attending.

The Southwest Regional Crop Days and Pesticide Updates will offer two core and two Category 1 credits toward pesticide license recertification.

Daytime sessions will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Big Knob Grange Hall in Rochester and from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Worthington-West Franklin Fire Hall.

Registration fee is $5 per person. Light refreshments will be offered.

For additional information on the Feb. 23 session, contact Jon Laughner, Beaver County Cooperative Extension, at 724-774-3003, jbl14@psu.edu. For Feb. 24, contact Gene Schurman, Indiana County Cooperative Extension, at 724-465-3880, exs10@psu.edu.

Beekeeping seminars

Managing honeybees can be a very rewarding enterprise and a profitable sideline. You may want to keep bees for the honey they produce or for the pollination they provide.

Penn State Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with area beekeeping associations, will offer a series of beekeeping workshops to not only help beginners get started, but also to help more experienced beekeepers with issues facing the industry.

• Beginning Beekeeping Seminar.

This seminar is designed to help you understand the things necessary to get started. The seminar will be offered Saturday, Feb. 5, at Soergel Orchards Family Farm Market located on Brandt School Road in Wexford and on Saturday, Feb. 12, at Giannilli’s II located on Route 30 in Greensburg. The agenda is the same for both sessions, beginning at 9 a.m. and adjourning by 4 p.m.

Topics include bee biology, equipment, management through the seasons and keeping bees healthy.

Registration is $48 per person and is due by Jan. 28, for the Wexford session and Feb. 4, for the Greensburg session. The fee includes lunch and program materials.

A second family member or guest may attend for a fee of $25. This fee does not include an informational packet.

For a copy of the brochure and additional registration information, contact the Butler County Extension Office at 724-287-4761.

• Western Pennsylvania Beekeeping Seminar.

For the more experienced beekeeper or for the beginner who wants to learn more about managing beehives, this seminar will be offered Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19, at the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry Township.

Worldwide honeybee numbers, insect pollination for food crops and honey production continue to decline. Research has provided many answers, but success lies with healthy bees, good nectar flows and knowledgeable honeybee managers.

This seminar addresses many of these concerns and aims to provide direction and insight to improve the knowledge and skills of beekeepers to enable them to recognize difficulties and make wise management decisions.

Registration of $48 per person is required by Feb. 11. The full registration fee includes an information packet and lunch. A second family member or guest may attend for $25.

For a brochure detailing the seminar schedule and registration information, contact the Extension Office at 724-287-4761.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complex.