For area residents who are interested in improving their gardens, the Master Gardeners have a meeting which might be intriguing.

The Orange County Master Gardeners Association invites the public to attend a presentation at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on “Beekeeping and the Garden” at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center, located at 11475 FM 1442 in Orange. The program will be presented by Len VanMarion.

“This will be a quick class on the benefits of beekeeping in your backyard,” said Sheri Bethard of the Orange County Master Gardeners. “It doesn’t have to be a massive set of hives, like you might see in a field. Just one hive will help service your garden, even your neighbors, and the flowers in your area.

“Without bees the citrus trees and vegetable plants won’t pollinate,” she added. “And there is a whole cycle of things that depend on bees to pollinate, including birds and insects and the plants.”

The organization, in conjunction with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office, will be conducting Master Gardener Certification Training classes this fall.

The classes will be held from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., every Tuesday and Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon, every Saturday, from Sept. 29 through Nov. 21.

People interested in registering for this class may visit www.txmg.org/orange or call the 409-882-7010 for details.