Heard the buzz?

Commercial beekeepers have huge numbers of hives, but 95 percent of the nation's 212,000 beekeepers do it in their backyards.

So let us now hail Lorenzo L. Langstroth, the Philadelphian who invented the modern beehive.

Langstroth's 200th birthday is in December, but rather than wait until it's too cold to celebrate outdoors, four area organizations are teaming up to present the Philadelphia Honey Festival, Friday through Sunday.

The festival lineup includes lessons, lectures, cooking classes, aesthetic inspiration, a scavenger hunt, an appearance by Pennsylvania's Honey Queen, Teresa Bryson, 18, of Chambersburg, and as good an excuse as any to sip honey-sweetened iced tea.

Honey gelato, anyone? That too.

The Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild worked with the Wagner Free Institute of Science in North Philadelphia, Bartram's Garden in the Southwest, and the Wyck Association in Germantown to create this something-for-everyone weekend.

The Honey Queen pairs up with state agriculture secretary Russell Redding at 3:30 p.m. Friday to put a historical marker outside the Old City house where Langstroth was born. The inventor's papers will be on view during a reception at the nearby American Philosophical Society, 104 S. Fifth St.

At Bartram's Garden, the landmark birthplace of American botany, 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard, the DaVinci Art Alliance exhibit "What's the Buzz" opens Friday with a lecture on bees in art; hours are 5 to 8 p.m. The house and garden will be open for tours all weekend, and the history of beekeeping, 1776-1810, will be explored (bartramsgarden.org or 215-729-5281).

Pollinator Power! is on the agenda from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1700 W. Montgomery Ave., as children ages 6-12 learn how beeswax candles are created, make bee-themed crafts, and participate in a scavenger hunt for pollinators. Local folk rocker Liam Gallagher performs (wagnerfreeinstitute.org or 215-763-6529).

Interested in starting your own apiary? Go to Wyck, 6026 Germantown Ave., between noon and 4 p.m. Saturday for a close-up look at the inner workings of a hive. See how honey is extracted for making beeswax body lotion and lip balm, and sample Capogiro gelato made with honey from Wyck's hives (wyck.org or 215-848-1690).

Cooking with honey, a hands-on workshop, and honey wine tasting, a lips-on event, take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, Saturday at the Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Dr. (usguu.org). Those workshops are in conjunction with the Mount Airy Learning Tree, so reservations are required, space is limited, and a small fee will be charged. Information and registration are at mtairylearningtree.org or 215-843-6333.

Starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Circle of Hope Church, 1125 S. Broad, will show bee-related family films such as The Bee Movie; Ulee's Gold; Nicotine Bees; and The Swarm (circleofhope.net or 215-468-2726).

Finally, Cliveden of the National Trust, 6401 Germantown Ave., hosts a honey-based beer tasting from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday (cliveden.org or 215-848-1777).

Festival events are free, unless noted, but none require wearing 1950s beehive hairdos.

Before you go, check additional information and schedule changes, so you don't get stung (www.phillyhoneyfest.com).