Dick Vermeulen will lead a Walk to the Beehives at Merryspring Nature Center on Tuesday, June 16 at 12:00 pm.

We will have two hives populated with new bees by June 16 when we will go out to the apiary and compare the size of the colonies. One will be a from a package of bees installed May 8 from Spicer’s Bees, and the other will be a nuc purchased from Sparky’s Apiary which will be installed in early June. Dick will also perform mite checks on both of the new colonies and see how they are doing in comparison, both in colony size and mite load.

Dick Vermeulen has been keeping bees for five years. He is a member of Knox Lincoln County Beekeepers, a member and vice president of Maine State Beekeepers Association (MSBA) and chairman of the BeeFest committee holding its third annual MSBA event at Viles Arboretum on September 13, 2026 which will be open to everyone interested in the art and science of keeping honey bees alive and productive.

This in-person talk is part of the Summer Talk Series co-sponsored by Camden Riverhouse Hotel, First National Bank and Allen Insurance and Financial. Attendance is free for members; $10 for non-members.

Merryspring is your community nature center offering walking trails, cultivated gardens, wildlife, and ecology and horticulture educational programs all year round. The park is located at the end of Conway Road, just off of Route 1 in Camden behind Hannaford Shopping Plaza. For more information on this program, please contact info@merryspring.org or call 207-236-2239.