Buzz into Morton Arboretum for Honey Bee Weekend

September is National Honey Month, and the Morton Arboretum will be a beehive of activity during Honey Bee Weekend Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8.

Visitors may join the arboretum’s beekeeper and learn about honeybees during a beehive tour, peruse honey- and bee-themed products at the Honey Bee Expo, enjoy the ancient drink of mead during a Honey Mead Dinner, or attend a Lunch and Learn talk to hear one of the country’s top bee experts discuss the future of honeybees.

Honeybees are vital to our ecosystem and the foods we eat, said arboretum beekeeper Greg Fischer.

“Many don’t realize that most honeybees are friendly,” he said. “And while we enjoy the honey they produce, they do so much more for us. In fact, every third bite we eat depends on pollination by honeybees.”

Statistics show how crucial honeybees are to our economy and crop production. Western nations rely heavily on managed honeybees — the bees that ride in trucks from farm to farm — to keep commercial agriculture productive. About a third of our foods — nearly 100 key crops — rely on honeybees, including apples, almonds, blueberries and raspberries. In total, honeybees contribute more than $15 billion to U.S. crop production.

During the Honey Bee Expo, visitors may shop for locally produced honey, honey- and bee-themed products, including honey beer and mead, honey breads and jams, candles, lotions and beekeeper kits.

The arboretum’s honey is very popular; the store has sold more than 20,000 jars in the past 10 years. Plus, visitors may check out an observation beehive and learn how to identify various pollinators. Throughout the expo, the arboretum will be offering drop-in lectures provided by the Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association.

Ÿ Over a honey-themed buffet lunch, nationally-known entomologist and author May Berenbaum of the University of Illinois will discuss the health of our honeybee populations during a Lunch and Learn talk, “Healthy Bees, Healthy Food,” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the arboretum.

Learn about honeybees, their biology and what they eat, hear the latest on Colony Collapse Disorder and more.

The cost is $22 for members and $30 for others. Register at mortonarb.org/education, in the Visitor Center or by calling (630) 719-2468.

Berenbaum will sign her books at 2 p.m. at the Honey Bee Weekend booths in Arbor Court.

Ÿ Learn all about honeybees, their favorite flowers and how honey is made on a Family Honeybee Hike. The 45-minute hikes will include viewing arboretum beehives and sampling arboretum honey. The hikes are available at 11:30 a.m. and 1, 1:30, 2, 2:30 and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8.

The cost per person is $5 for members, $6 for others. The hikes are designed for families with children 2 and older. Register at mortonarb.org/education, in the Visitor Center, or by calling (630) 719-2468.

Ÿ Take a Bee Hive Tour from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday or Sunday, Sept. 6 or 8, at the arboretum with Greg Fischer, the arboretum’s beekeeper. Protective bee netting will be provided. Enjoy a sample of honey for a sweet finish to the tour. The cost is $22 for members and $30 for others. Register at mortonarb.org/education, in the Visitor Center, or by calling (630) 719-2468.

Ÿ Enjoy honey-inspired food paired with mead, a honey wine, at the second annual Honey Mead Dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the arboretum. Arboretum beekeeper Greg Fischer will be present to explain the pairings and how mead is made. The cost is $50 for members and $55 for others. Register at mortonarb.org, in the Visitor Center, or by calling (630) 719-2468.

Ÿ Wish the Children’s Garden a Happy Bee-Day on its 8th birthday by making bee masks, meeting a real beekeeper and checking out the hives in the Children’s Garden. The party will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8, and is free with admission. The Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association will be present with their observation beehive.

Ÿ Interested in starting your own hive and harvesting your own honey? Already have a hive and want to learn more about managing it? Come for a Beginning Beekeeping class with arboretum beekeeper Greg Fischer.

Explore the history of beekeeping, bee anatomy, starting and managing a colony, equipment basics, honeybee pests and diseases, harvesting honey and more. Each participant will receive a hive tool to take home.

This four-week class will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 10 to Oct. 1. The cost is $80 for members, $94 for others. Register at mortonarb.org/education, in the Visitor Center, or by calling (630) 719-2468.

Visitors may submit their own honey in the arboretum’s second annual Honey Competition Friday, Sept. 6. A certified judge will award Best in Class and Best in Show ribbons in a variety of categories.