Honey bees pollinate a third of everything we eat," said Master Beekeeper Denny Gorman. "Without them, we wouldn't have most of the fruit we eat. Honey bees also pollinate 100% of the almonds grown in this country."

Gorman, who is vice president of the Lancaster County Beekeepers Society, is passionate about the insects. He invites other people who are interested in learning more to attend the 2024 New Beekeeper Workshop. It will be held on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Gathering Place, 6 Pine St., Mount Joy.

The event will cover everything people need to start the hobby of beekeeping.

"We provide a continental breakfast and a very nice lunch," Gorman said. "I personally teach a class in honey bee biology and hive biology. We teach classes in how to extract honey, where to place your hives, a little bit on diseases. We try to prepare a new beekeeper with the basic info they need to start beekeeping."

Gorman has been a beekeeper for seven years. He started the hobby after he retired from a career in business. "I wanted something to keep my mind sharp and something that I knew nothing about," he said. He attended his first beekeeper workshop and now is vice president of the organization that got him hooked on the hobby.

"Bees are amazingly intelligent," he shared. "They can understand the concept of zero. They can recognize human faces."

Bees often get a bad rap, Gorman noted, because they sting, and he has endured his share of pain from the hobby. "After a while, it hardly bothers you at all," he said simply.

It's worth the discomfort to know he's doing his part to help the environment, he said. "As a group, we're doing our best to save the bees," he explained. Due to a variety of factors, including loss of habitat, the honey bee population is declining.

Attending the workshop provides people with a one-year membership in the Lancaster County Beekeepers Society. Established in 1876 as the Lancaster Honey Producers Association, the society exists to promote better understanding of honey bee biology and behavior; provide public awareness, education and service; and promote honey and other products of the hive. Meetings include educational topics about beekeeping as well as hive checks at the Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center located at 1446 Auction Road in Manheim. "Members can come once a month to the center, and they can learn all about the bees without having to handle the bees," Gorman said. "Experts will show the hives and talk about beekeeping."

The workshop is a good first step into beekeeping, and it provides the perfect opportunity to get an idea of what beekeeping is all about, he noted.

"If you are at all curious about honey bees and saving the bees, come to this workshop," Gorman said. "You'll get a good, basic understanding of how important bees are to our environment and our food chain."

Space is limited for the workshop, and registration is required. To register, visit https://lancasterbeekeepers.org/workshop.