Learn how honeybees help the environment

Submitted by Elgin Public Museum

Honeybees, bumblebees, wasps — what’s the difference? Discover the answer from practicing beekeepers at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23.

Wes Nelson, a fourth-generation beekeeper and president of the Stateline Beekeepers Association, along with his co-beekeeper wife Jill, will present a talk on “A Year in the Life of Honeybees and Beekeepers in Northern Illinois” at the Elgin Public Museum.

Using tools of the trade for demonstration, the couple will explain the ins and outs of caring for beehives and honey collecting.

The Nelsons will discuss the life cycle of honeybees and their benefits to the environment and mankind. Examine the broader implications of our relationships with these pollinators, including issues such as Colony Collapse Disorder and other difficulties facing honeybees in the 21st century.

Participants will get to handle beekeeping equipment, view live honeybees and taste different types of honey. The Nelsons will be selling their fresh, local honey and beeswax candles at the end of the program.

The program costs $6 or $4 for members. The museum is in Elgin’s Lords Park, 225 Grand Blvd. To reserve your seat, call (847) 741-6655, email epm@cityofelgin.org or visit [URL]elginpublicmuseum.org;http://elginpublicmuseum.org[URL].[/URL]