Saint Francis’ Beekeepers Club is hosting a free informational beekeeping workshop for students and members of the local community on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The seminar will cover honeybee science. Participants will also gain hands-on experience building honey frames, learn the ins and outs of caring for bees, and find out about the kinds of diseases that can inflict a hive.

Lauri Chose, an associate professor in the Literature & Languages Department and founder of SFU’s bee apiary, said she is excited to work with people “who are interested in getting into beekeeping and don’t know where to begin.”

Chose and members of SFU’s beekeeping club hope to create a community bee apiary, where locals who do not have the resources, land or space for their own beekeeping ventures can get involved with the University’s honeybees and beekeeping environment.

“This could be considered our pay it forward,” said Chose about creating the community apiary. “We had folks come in to help us, now we want to help others.”

The students in the club are looking forward to Saturday’s event.

“Attendees will gain ample amounts of knowledge of the importance of beekeeping, D.I.Y. beekeeping, and many other beekeeping aspects,” said James Lee, a member of SFU’s beekeeping club who will be participating in Saturday’s event.

Openings are still available for the workshop. Contact sfucommunityapiary@gmail.com to reserve your seat or find out more about the event.