Purcellville, VA, June 11, 2021 — Join the Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee to learn about honey bees and beekeeping in Northern Virginia. Bob Ragsdale, longtime beekeeper, beekeeping equipment inventor, and Beekeeping Instructor with the Loudoun Beekeepers Association, will share information about these essential pollinators on Sunday, June 27 at 1 p.m. at the Chapman DeMary Trail. Register online to attend. This is part of the series of monthly nature walks held the last Sunday of each month.
Loudoun County has a large and vibrant beekeeping community and June is the peak of the beekeeping season. It is also the time when the bees are the most active gathering nectar which they will convert into honey, their long-term food stores. Join Bob for this talk where he will explore the origins of honey bees in North America, their amazing life cycle, and the plants that they rely on. The talk will also delve into the basics of beekeeping, how to get started as a beekeeper, the various types of beehives and essential equipment, commercial uses of bees, as well as honey and other products of the hive. Bob will bring examples of three different kinds of hives and some tools of the trade including the special clothing and the smoker needed to help keep bees calm during hive inspections.
The Chapman DeMary Trail is a 10-acre area considered to be the last stand of old-growth forest in the Town of Purcellville. It runs along the South Fork Catoctin Creek, part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The area is open to the public for environmental recreation, exploration, and education. The Town of Purcellville holds the conservation easement for this privately-owned property. The entrance and parking for the Chapman DeMary Trail is behind the building at 205 East Hirst Road in Purcellville.
Learn more and register online on the Monthly Nature Walks page in the Events and Activities section of the Town of Purcellville’s website at www.PurcellvilleVa.gov.
