Fresh honey right at your fingertips is a benefit of beekeeping, and many wanting to learn the skilled hobby will have a chance in Gainesville.

A beginning beekeeping course will be offered at this Saturday morning at Elachee Nature Science Center in Hall County. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the program starts at 9 a.m. Feb. 22. at 2125 Elachee Drive. The two-part program costs $45 for individuals and $60 for couples and families and includes membership in the local beekeeper’s club, a beginning beekeeping book and lunch. The class is limited to 100 participants.

The class will be the first half of a two-part course put on once a year by the Northeast Georgia Mountain Beekeepers Association. This year marks the first time the course has been offered in Hall County.

“This class covers the basics in apiculture by providing a comprehensive classroom and hands-on experience to get started in the craft of beekeeping,” said Virginia Webb, the association’s president and internationally lauded beekeeper, in an email. “It is designed for people who have no experience or only a few years of experience as a beekeeper.”

The class will cover the basics of beekeeping including: equipment functions and assembly, bee biology, acquiring and installing bees, seasonal management, honey harvest and marketing. A full-size beehive will be assembled in class and given to one participant as a door prize. A limited number of bees will be available for purchase to class participants.

The second half of the course will be March 22 at a local apiary near Clarkesville where participants will have the opportunity to work in a commercial beekeeping setting.

For more information or to preregister contact Slade Jarrett at 706-677-2854 or Jarrett@jarrettbees.com.