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2010 Newsletter
Last Updated on Saturday, 27 February 2010 20:02 Written by Administrator Saturday, 27 February 2010 20:00
North Central Beekeepers Association
2010
Starting out with the 2010 year, let’s hope our bees have made it through the last couple of weeks of cold weather. During the 2009 late Spring thru Fall season the nectar flow was about zero. Hopefully you left enough honey for your bees that they produced in May or you have fed them this Fall with sugar syrup and continued with sugar candy thru the cold months. The Recipe for making sugar candy will be available at our January 25 meeting.
The January 25th meeting will have Michael Staddon giving us the latest buzz info from the bee magazines, plus Doris Watson will tell us how to make cream honey with free samples given out. Mark Goodwin will talk about what is involved in making Honey Mead.
At the February 22nd meeting, I will be giving the latest buzz from the bee world. Professor of Biology at Fairmont State University, Donald Trisel and student, Jessica Balsei will tell us about the Nosema disease that is in W.Va. With the results of the survey they did last fall.
The March 14th meeting will take place at Marsh Lumber with Sharon Robinson giving us the latest buzz info. The Marsh’s have invited us there for an open house to show off their beekeeping wares and to provide refreshments and door prizes. Don Simmons will give us info on the plus and minuses of trying to take a nuc thru the winter. Also, Bill Kapphan will show us the easy way of rendering out beeswax.
If you know anybody that would be interested in learning about becoming a beekeeper, then invite them to our Beekeepers School on March 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Harrison County, 4-H center. The fee will be $20, which includes state and local dues, lunch and a lot of information.
If you are interested in getting $30 off the price of a state produced package or nuc of bees, come to the January 25 meeting to find out more about that. The deadline date is January 31. If you want more information sooner, call me at 304-622-9827. This is with a $4,000 grant that the USDA and WVDA are helping out with heading up by Tom Kees at 304-363-4782 from Fairmont.
The Mid-Ohio Valley Beekeepers Association is presenting a Honey Bee Expo and beekeeping school on January 30 at Parkersburg for more info, call 304-375-4919 or 482-6401.
Bill Bullion of Pappy’s Bees and Supply in Roanoke, WV, will be taking orders for Italian bees that must be prepaid by March 15. The 3 or 4 lb. Packages hopefully will arrive in Weston on April 13. Call Bill at 304-452-8508 or 304-269-7943 for more information. The cost will be $65 - $70 plus tax.
The executive board has come up with several ideas to raise money for the club. One of the ideas that we will vote on at the January 25 meeting is raising the dues up $1 in order to make a total of $15 for state and local dues. That will come out to $1.25 for the cost for you for each meeting of the year, which is still reasonable. Also, Don Simmons will be making a NUC box and Michael Staddon will be supplying the bees that we will auction off at the July Picnic to help raise some money. At our November Thanksgiving meeting, I would like for all club members to bring an item or to that they have made or would like to sell at a silent auction to help with the club fund raiser. So keep this in your mind thru the year in what you would like to donate.
Club Member, Doris Melott from West Union will have Buckfast Queens for sell again this year that she produces starting hopefully the first of May. Prices of the queens are $20. Contact her at 304-873-2649.
I want to thank all the members again that helped with the club last year by attending the meetings or volunteering your time and energy so the club can keep moving forward.
Hopefully, we will have some interesting programs again this year for all beekeepers and if you have any ideas on how we can do better, please give me a “buzz”.
President- Steve Hamrick
