We have a LOAD of fabulous classes coming up this fall!

First our awesome DIY Herbal Medicine with Lynn, our favorite "herbologist"...

September 10 , Make Your Own Herbal Medicine $50 1.00-2:30 pm, $50. If you are interested in making your own herbal remedies, this is the class for you. Herbs to help with colds, allergies, getting to sleep and fatigue, will be available for you to mix and match and make your own special blend to suit your specific needs. Meet the herbs in their fresh and/or dried forms. The class includes all the necessary equipment for you to take home a pint of your own concoction. Learn what master herbalists around the country are using for which ailments. Class taught by Lynn Parkey, herbalist and reiki practitioner.

Then, some craziness with the lovely Zan Asha!


September 17 - Beginning Organic Beekeeping 101 11:00-1:30

Learn the basic principles of natural beekeeping as based on the principles of Zan Asha’s WWII era grandfather, before chemicals were even invented for the home or the fields! Chemical-free beekeeping uses the natural social behaviors of the bees in order to best serve them. You will learn: basic bee social structure, basic equipment and setup of hives, chemical free management of diseases and pests and natural problem solving. Take this class now and be WAY ready for your Springtime beekeeping adventures! $50 early registration/$60 at the door. Class taught by Zan Asha of The Renegade Farmer, class held at Prairieland Herbs - please register online here: http://therenegadefarmer.com/?p=2979

September 17 - Beginning Organic Beekeeping 102 2:00-3:30 For the more advanced beekeeper, and for those who have taken 101 classes, this is the class for you. Still utilizing all natural, humane beekeeping practices, we will discuss more advanced beekeeping techniques including swarm capture and prevention, hive splitting, honey harvesting, varietal honey making, humane use of bees for commercial gain, and WINTERIZING your bees. If you have any questions or problems you are experiencing with your hives, please feel free to bring them to this class as well, and Zan will do her best to answer them! Class taught by Zan Asha of The Renegade Farmer, held at Prairieland Herbs - please register online here: http://therenegadefarmer.com/?p=2979

October 1, DIY Herbal Tea Blending $30 1.00-2:30 pm $35. Herbal Tea Lovers Unite!! Come make your own blend of herbal tea! Make infusions of 20+ herbs and decide for yourself what you like best! The best part is you get to take home your favorite!! YUM!!! Class taught by Lynn Parkey, herbalist and reiki practitioner.

October 15 - Dyeing with Indigo - $35 1-4 PM The Japanese word Shibori means “to fold” or “to crumple.” The technique has been used for centuries to create unique color patterns on fabrics and fibers. Indigo is a common dye plant famous for producing beautiful shades of blue and purple, most famous as the coloring agent used in blue jeans. In this workshop, we’ll put some contemporary twists on ancient Shibori methods and use modern, pre-reduced natural indigo to create unique patterns and textures. Each participant will learn the technique of dyeing with indigo, practice a variety of Shibori tie-ups and manipulations, and take home a one-of-a-kind hand-dyed t-shirt.

No previous dye experience is needed. Bring an old shirt or apron to wear in class – these dyes are permanent!

Sign up for these classes by following this link!

So, I load the smoker with some mite-repelling herbs and head out to check the Prairieland hive (Beatrice) on Sunday.

Silly bees are getting a little creative with their comb building. Including building comb between the upper and lower supers.

I find they have done almost no comb building in the last three weeks!! What's up with that, girls???

But I did find these crazy cells... Which looked to me to be too big to be drone cells....

And no baby bees, or bee larvae! Not good!

After consulting with some experts... Seems our queen died or swarmed, and the hive made another! There are six or seven small queen cells, all opened. So hopefully one of them is alive and well and starting to do her queen thing...

I will continue to check the hive very frequently, looking for signs that the new bee is alive and well.

We are all a-buzz about bees!

Next Saturday, April 30, Zan Asha of The Renegade Farmer will be here - from THE BRONX, folks - to teach us natural beekeeping!

This is going to be a GREAT class, chock-full of information you won't find elsewhere. Zan is a third-generation beekeeper, and uses techniques her grandfather used! She has extensive experience in urban beekeeping. It is going to be an AMAZING class.

Please note - you do not need a farm to keep bees. You do not need a lot of special equpment, and given the yield, it does not cost a lot. Urban beekeepers are welcome to this class! It's a wonderful class for brand-new beekeepers (such as us at Prairieland Herbs), but will also contain helpful information for experience beekeepers interested in learning more natural techniques.

We have negotiated a "package deal" on a basic beekeeping setup with local bee suppliers at Spring Valley Honey Farms. Here's the breakdown:

2 deep hive bodies, assembled and painted
20 frames for deep hive bodies
Screened bottom board
telescoping cover
inner cover
2 honey supers, assembled and painted
20 frames for honey supers
smoker
hive tool

All this for $260.

You can choose to buy the hive bodies & supers unpainted and unassembled, and do that yourself. That option costs $214 total.

The bees cost $75, and he would like if you could reserve your package by today. HOWEVER, if you don't reserve your package, he will still be able to supply you with bees after the class.

Last but not least, you will need some protective clothing; however, the cost on that varies, depending on your comfort level. I chose to go with a simple netted hat and gloves and will wear thick white clothing; you can purchase special bee jackets or even full bee suits. The costs on your protective gear will be $40 for the simplest, and up to over $75 for the full suit. That choice is entirely up to you.


This should be everything you need to keep bees!!! Amazing, right??

If you want to take the class you are in NO WAY obligated to purchase anything from Spring Valley; they are just a local option and Curt and Connie have been very helpful to us and have everything needed to get going in beekeeping. Curt also mentioned that the smoker he offered is the most expensive on the market; he said that is because he feels it is the best, and therefore the only one he wants to sell. However he was very clear that you could easily order a cheaper smoker for elsewhere if budget was a concern, so I am passing that information on to you as well.

There are still spaces in the class, we would love to have you come! Please register here if you are interested.

Feel free to contact Spring Valley Honey Farm at (515)480-6076 if you would like to chat with them about gear, or order your supplies. They are located just past Perry on highway 141.