Briefs

Is it possible to have a backyard beehive in Southern Nevada? Yes it is. And experts from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will teach a class on beekeeping April 16 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the master gardener’s orchard in North Las Vegas.

Rodney Mehring, an 18-year veteran of beekeeping in the desert and owner of Blue Lizard Farm in Caliente, will teach the class .

Registration for the full-day class is $125, which includes lunch.

There are 12 beehives located at the orchard, which is located 100 yards east of the intersection of North Decatur Boulevard and Horse Drive. Bees aid in the pollination of fruits and vegetables and provide local honey for chefs and the public at farmers markets.

This educational program, coordinated by Bob Morris, a cooperative extension horticulturist and columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the View, is intended to encourage backyard beekeeping as a hobby and potential small business.

For more information, contact Morris at Morrisr@unce.unr.edu or call the master gardener help line at 257-5555 .

Local eggs to take center stage at UNCE Orchard

To honor local egg producers, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Orchard in North Las Vegas is sponsoring Egg Day.

Scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon at the orchard, the event will feature chef Ryan Taliaferro, formerly with the Ritz Carlton at Lake Las Vegas, who will showcase recipes inspired by locally produced eggs and other local foods .

Additionally, a local egg producer will be on hand to discuss how locally produced eggs compare to other eggs and how buying local eggs supports the area’s economy.

The session is limited to 30 people. There is a $25 fee.

For more information or to enroll in the class, contact Bob Morris at Morrisr@unce.unr.edu or call the master gardener help line at 257-5555.

Master gardeners to present workshops, answer questions

Local master gardeners from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension have planned a variety of presentations and will operate “As a Master Gardener” booths at community events throughout the month.

Presentations include:

Sun, Soil and Water by Don Fabbi today at the Carnation Garden Club’s meeting; Safe and Sound Insect Control by Richard Cutbirth Saturday at Acacia Park; Taste, Touch and Grow Herbs by Jeanne Toscano and Lisa Mosbey April 16 at Green Valley Library; Growing Vegetables by Don Fabbi April 16 at Clark County Library; Growing Vine Crops by Helen Brown April 23 at Acacia Park; and Gardening with Physical Limitations by Diane Eisen April 30 at Acacia Park.

Master gardeners will answer questions and set up informational displays today through Sunday at the Clark County Fair in Logandale; Saturday and April 23 at the plant sale at Acacia Park; April 16 at the GREENFest in Town Square and Festival of Communities at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; April 16 and 17 at the Cactus and Succulent Society of Southern Nevada’s cactus show; April 29 at the Arbor Day celebration in Morrell Park in Henderson; and April 30 at the Nevada Division of Forestry’s plant sale.

Since 1992, more than 1,000 community members in the Las Vegas area have taken the comprehensive master gardener horticulture training course with the understanding that they will become the university’s unpaid ambassadors and share the science of good desert gardening with others.

For more information, call the master gardeners help line at 257-5555 or stop by Cooperative Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center and Demonstration Gardens at 8050 Paradise Road; office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Seminars aim to help people learn to detect unhealthy air

Area residents are invited to learn more about radon and unhealthy air in their homes during special presentations by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Classes are scheduled: April 16, noon, safety fair at Sun City Aliante, 7390 Aliante Parkway; April 16, 3 p.m., healthy indoor air, Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave.; and April 30, 10:30 a.m., radon awareness, West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd.

Free radon detection kits will be given to all participants.

The Southern Area radon education coordinator is Laura Au-Yeung. She can be reached at 257-5550 or email au-yeungl@unce.unr.edu.