NCW Beekeepers Meeting
March 12, 2017
Calendar
March 18 & 25 Apprentice Class, Henry Bldg., Cashmere, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
April 13 Bee Chat 6 p.m. Milepost 111 (in Cashmere)
April 15 Chelan Earth Day 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
April 23 Leavenworth Earth Day 12 – 4 p.m.
April 23 Education/Business Meeting 5 p.m. Douglas County Fire Dept. (on Eastmont)
Reports: Treasurer: checking account $3430.47, savings account $1129.43
Educational Presentation
Panel of Al Zalewski, Emilka Fumanczyk, Jeff O’Brien, Craig Genereux, and Stan Peak
Survey of hives surviving the winter showed approximately 2/3 survived
Temperature criteria for doing hive inspection: Above 50-55o with bees actively flying was considered appropriate for a quick look from the top of the hive, done quickly to avoid chilling brood. Full inspection (pulling frames) should wait until 60o.
Need for feeding: Hives with plenty of honey going into winter and being heavy in spring don’t need feeding. Pollen patty was considered. It was noted that fermented honey can cause dysentery, but honey in capped cells cannot ferment.
Rotating boxes and frames: As the queen will likely be in the upper hive body, boxes should be reversed but the brood ball maintained intact and moved into the center of the box. (Reverse the boxes again in the fall to place the queen in the lower box again.) Keep boxes filled with frames to prevent excessive burr comb, and consider an additional spacer. Dirty comb can fairly easily be scraped from plastic frames.
Varroa treatment: Oxalic acid was agreed to be the most effective and least costly. It has been considered that resistance does not occur, although there is some recent question. Higher (5x) concentrations have proved harmless to bees, but the recommended 2 grams is for a two-box ten-frame hive, and doses should be adjusted down for smaller hives.
Old Business
Volunteers are needed for both Chelan and Leavenworth Earth Days.
It is possible that bee packages will arrive on Chelan’s Day. A net bag is recommended for
transporting and transferring bees.
Daryn reported that progress toward an installation at the tree research center is slow.
A formal mentorship program was judged unnecessary as there is consultation easily available
at bus/ed meetings and bee chats.
New Business
Whether the club could purchase and store bulk equipment for easier availability to members
was considered; no decision was made.
Additions and corrections cheerfully accepted.
Alice Crawford
Feb 12, 2017
March 2 Bee Chat, El Agave, 6 p.m.
March 12 Bus/Ed Mtg., PUD Auditorium (last time!), 5 p.m..
March 11, 18 & 25 Apprentice Class, Henry Bldg., Cashmere, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Reports: Treasurer: checking account $2548.70, savings account $1129.43
Mike Radford from Northwest Bee Supply spoke on control of varroa mites. All hives in the Northwest have mites. Oxalic acid is the only control measure to which mites do not become resistant. Vaporization is preferred over other applications (which may harm bees). Basic treatment is 3 treatments 7 days apart, but treatment can be repeated as needed. Supers can be removed before treatment, or a sheet placed between hive body and super, but oxalic acid occurs naturally in plants so a small increase of it in honey may not be important. Treatment in late fall may be most efficient to get mites during brood break. It is possible to treat during the winter, but the temperature must be above 40o, preferably above 50o.
Apprentice class fee was discussed. It was agreed that participants must be members of NCWBA and must pay the $30 fee. The “textbook” is available online free. If there is space available, exceptions to the membership requirement may be made for special individuals interested in the class but not planning on keeping bees.
Ordering bee packages was discussed. Deadline for ordering is March 19, but ordering early is recommended to assure that enough bees are available. It was agreed to add Mike’s 4# packages to the club order along with the 3# packages from Charles. Mike’s price will be $125 and includes guaranteed of live queen for 3-4 days. Bus/Ed meetings starting in April will be at the Douglas County fire station at 377 Eastmont. Members are requested to park in the upper part of the lot and to be sure not to block exit of engines. Mentoring for new beekeepers, planned for the hour preceding regular meetings, may have to be adjusted somewhat to accommodate fireman training.
March educational presentation will be a panel of Al, Craig, Emelika and Jeff O’B. on spring preparation.
WSU has not yet scheduled their summer course. Last year it was on Fathers’ Day weekend.
January 15, 2017
Feb. 9 Bee Chat, Bob’s Burgers & Brew, 6 p.m.
Feb.12 Bus/Ed Mtg., PUD Auditorium, 5 p.m.
March Apprentice Class, Saturday mornings, specific dates, time and location TBA
Reports: Treasurer: checking account $1645.77, savings account $1129.06
About $150 in anticipated expenses
Bulk equipment order completed with about $2300 of equipment procured
New website was judged useful and it was MSC to contract for 12 months at $40 per month. Dues for 2017 can be paid online, due March 1, and any not paid by that time will be locked out.
Ordering new bees was discussed. Rubin will have 5-frame nucs for delivery about April 15-16
for $130. Mesh bags for transferring bees were recommended. Charlie will have
packages as previously. Laurie Miller’s queens ($40) were recommended, but picking up
directly (west side) is advised as USPS has been problematic.
Annual Meeting Business
Bylaws amendments were considered. MSC to change Article VII section 4 to read:
If NCWBA ceases to exist, funds and assets of record shall be disbursed to one or several non-profit organizations with the objective and intent that these funds and assets be used for the benefit of beekeeping or pollinator research, education, or outreach. The destination of funds shall be decided by majority vote of the officers of the club prior to disbandment of the organization. MSC to change Article X to read: The bylaws may be altered, amended, added to or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any meeting, provided the text of the changes has been made available to and announced to members at least 60 days before the vote.
Steve presented a budged proposal for 2017; it is made part of these minutes.
Audit/review committee suggested a spreadsheet for following the club’s finances.
The proposed slate of officers for 2017 includes Jeff Hampton, president; Daryn Klinginmith,
vice-president; Kriss Crilly, treasurer; and Alice Crawford, secretary. MSC to approve.
FFA wants to re-start their program. Stan agreed to mentor.
Insurance for club officers was suggested. Al and Mike will find information.
Educational Program
There was a brief discussion of winter hive care. Check top entrances as bottom ones may be snowed in. Scrape snow off the “front porch.” Check to assure adequate ventilation. And a quick peek inside when the temperature is >40 to assure adequate food.
Budget proposal available upon request.
NCWBA Business & Education Meeting Minutes for Dec. 11, 201, PUD Bldg, 5 pm
UPCOMING DATES:
Business &Education Meetings all at the Chelan County PUD auditorium:
Bee Chats:
Apprentice Beekeeping Classes: March 11, 18, 25; time and location to be announced.
Treasurer’s Report: Checking: $1,921.49; Savings: $1,129.06
Education:
Al Zalewski reported on the various research and development topics from the October, 2016, Canadian beekeeping conference in British Columbia, Canada.
Old Business:
Steve Foley, club president reported:
Bulk equipment order:
Wayne Ranne reported that he is waiting for a couple of people to get their money for equipment to the treasurer, Kriss Crilly, so the order can be released for shipping. Approximately $2000 of equipment is on order.
Community Outreach per Kriss:
New Business:
The Chelan County PUD auditorium will be closed for use by the club for 1 ½ years, starting from April 2017. A new location is being sought.
NCWBA website:
Jeff Hampton demonstrated a new website for non-profit groups operated by Wild Apricot. Club members voted to subscribe for 2 months at the rate of $40/month and to decide whether to continue in January. Fees for online processing of membership fees, bulk equipment orders, bee orders, etc. are at a rate of 2.2% plus 30 cents per transaction.
Dec. 11: Business/Education meeting, PUD auditorium, 5 p.m.
Jan. 4: Bee chat, location TBA
Jan. 15: Business/Education meeting, PUD auditorium, 5 p.m., election of officers
Feb. 8: Bee chat, location TBA
Feb. 12: Business/Education meeting, PUD auditorium, 5 p.m.
Mar. 1: Bee chat, location TBA
Mar. 12: Business/Education meeting, PUD auditorium, 5 p.m.
Reports: Treasurer: checking account $1920.14, savings account $1128.69
Al Zalewsky moderated a panel including Kristin Tayler, Steve Foley, and Jeff O’Brien on winter management.
All agreed that varroa treatment is needed but routines varied greatly. Grease patties for tracheal mites are used by some. Oxalic acid may treat for tracheal as well as varroa mites. Nosema appears to be a minimal problem locally.
Ventilation was agreed to be essential, but setups varied widely. Condensation is not a problem per se, but water dripping onto mass of bees is.
Insulation plans also varied widely, probably related to different conditions at different locations.
Wind protection was agreed to be useful.
Entrance reducer use and dimensions also varied (including Steve not being concerned if a mouse gets into the hive).
Feeding regimens also varied, but all agreed that adequate food over the winter is essential.
Amount of honey in a hive is estimated by weight. (Al uses a fisherman’s scale to lift one end of the hive, then multiplies that weight by 2.) Full deep frames weigh about 11 pounds, full super frames about 6. Syrup feeding in the fall is advocated by some, but liquid feed should be removed before winter as it becomes a cold sink. Various sugar preparations are used over winter, including dry sugar sprayed enough to maintain shape, and various cooked fondant-type preparations.
NCW Beekeepers Business/Education Meeting, October 16, 2016
Nov. 12 Mead class – see below
Nov. 13 Business/Education meeting, PUD auditorium, 5 p.m.
Bee chat ??
Reports: None
Mead class Saturday, Nov. 12 @ 1 p.m., Tiera Learning Center, $20 per participant, $15 per kit
(old ones may be used), one quart of honey to one gallon of mead; contact Jeff Hampton to sign up and/or order kit/s
Washington Master Beekeepers has split off from Washington State Beekeepers and is now the strictly education-related organization. Paying the $5 annual membership fee was approved.
Annual meeting in January will include election of officers and voting on proposed bylaws changes. Tell Steve if interested in being an officer.
Bylaw changes must be presented at the December meeting and may include term limits and/or fees for officers, and disposition of funds in the event of dissolution of the organization.
Steve Olsen moderated a panel including Deb Stansbery, Daryn Klinginsmith, Craig Genereux and Emilka Furmanczyk. The general topic were centered around fall mangement. Misc notes are included below:
NCW Beekeepers Meeting Minutes for September18, 2016
Upcoming Events Calendar
Oct. 5 Bee chat 6 p.m., El Agave
Oct. 16 Business/education meeting, 5 p.m. PUD auditorium – honey tasting: bring samples and toothpicks
Nov. 12 Mead class – $100 cleaning charge, information on charge for kits, etc. TBA
Reports
Treasurer: Checking account $1586.14; education/outreach (savings) account $1128.49
Leavenworth Farmers Market did several hundred dollars worth of honey each time
Bulk equipment order: Wayne will see if supplier can provide jars at a good price, send out email order form with costs of all items. Order to be completed soon, exact date depending on transportation.
Website needs work and should include swarm information. (Fewer swarms than usual this year.)
A suggestion was made that a committee of experienced beekeepers be formed for mentoring new beekeepers. This would be a service opportunity for journeyman candidates.
There will probably be an apprentice class in March. There are currently changes in the certifying organization, so the details of this class are currently in flux.
Educational Program panel moderated by Al Zalewski, included Emilka Furmanczyk, Craig Genereux, Steve Olsen, and Deb Stansbery. Seasonal topics will be considered.
Timing of honey removal: All agreed that harvest should end sometime in August to allow varroa control and feeding to build up honey stores.
Pest control considered mainly varroa. Apivar, HopGard and oxalic acid are all being used, frequently in rotation to prevent resistance (although so far resistance has not been reported with oxalic acid). Deb uses no chemicals but increases hive humidity to control mites. Keeping track of mite number and treating before infestation peaks was stressed. Counts can be made using a sprayed bottom board or with alcohol sacrifice of bees (can send to WSU for report of varroa count plus other diseases.
Wax moths continue to be a manageable problem, and a few hive beetles have been seen.
Show of hands indicated strong support for continuing this kind of program. Al will continue to organize a variety of members and topics in future meetings. Members interested in being on the panel in the future should talk with Al.
NCW Beekeepers Meeting for August 21, 2016
Sept. 1 Leavenworth Farmers Market 4-8 p.m.
Sept. 5 Fair set-up
Sept. 7 Check in honey, photos, etc. 3-8 p.m.
Sept. 8 (9 a.m.-9 p.m.), 9 (9-9), 10 (9-10) -11 (9-5), Boswell bldg; need a ticket to get in;
can exhibit but not sell honey (but could get a blue ribbon…)
Sept. 2-25 Puyallup fair. Entries required online by August 28, received at the fair by 8/31.
Sept. 18 Business/education meeting, PUD, 5 p.m.
Oct. 5 Bee chat 6 p.m., location TBA (El Agave?)
Oct. 16 Business/education meeting, 5 p.m. PUD auditorium
Treasurer: Checking account $1731.14; education/outreach (savings) account $1128.49
Leavenworth Farmers Market: last chance Sept. 1 Honey selling well, especially if samples are offered. Please bring some honey to sell, and feel free to sign up to help with the booth.
Bulk equipment order: Wayne will send out email with costs sometime in the next month. There will be about a month to place orders. Parts aiming to arrive in November.
Motion for NCW Beekeepers to pay fair admission for members working 5 hours or more was passed.
WA State Beekeepers Master Beekeeper program has had some turnover recently. Not sure what this means for the spring class.
Considerable interest in having another mead class in the fall. Kits and supplies will be available. Participants should bring honey, about a quart per gallon.. A Saturday in November is preferred.
NCW Beekeepers official annual meeting will be in January, at which time changes can be made to the bylaws. There will also be election of officers. Bring ideas for bylaws changes to meetings for discussion before the annual meeting. Consider running for one of the officer positions.
Stan Peak showed a cage to capture queens from queen cells. With some experience it appears to be quite effective keeping virgin queens safe in the same hive, before moving them to their own mating nucs with some additional bee/honey/brood resources.
Possible problem of orchard spray getting into honey was discussed. Two suggestions were made to minimize the possibility: not putting honey supers onto hives before the main (early spring) spraying season is over, and asking orchardist to spray at night when bees are in hive. Remember, with honey, there is no Organic designation due to the variety of compounds bees come in contact with during their potentially long flights.
NCW Beekeepers Meeting, July 17, 2016
July 21: Leavenworth Farmers Market, 4-8pm, Lions Club Park, Leavenworth – Get honey to Steve a.s.a.p. if you want to sell!
July 24: Apiary visit, 2-5 p.m., Peter Hill 1501 Apollo Pl, Wenatchee
Aug. 11: Bee Chat, 6pm, Pizza’n’More, East Wenatchee
Aug. 11: Leavenworth Farmers Market, 4-8 p.m., Lions Club Park, Leavenworth
Aug. 13: Apiary visit, noon, Katrina Keppler 3090 Scenic View, Wenatchee (Sleepy Hollow area)
Aug. 21: Business/education meeting, 5 p.m., PUD Auditorium, Wenatchee
Sept. 1: Leavenworth Farmers Market, 4-8 p.m., Lions Club Park, Leavenworth
Sept. 5: Fair set-up
Sept. 7: Check in honey, photos, etc.
Sept. 8 (9 a.m.-9 p.m.), 9 (9-9), 10 (9-10) -11 (9-5): Boswell bldg; need 2 beekeepers at a time, 3-4 hour blocks, need a ticket to get in; can exhibit but not sell honey (but could get a blue ribbon…), exhibitors get a cheap ticket
Sept. 10: Simply Living farms tour, Leavenworth – presenter requested
Sept. 18: Business/education meeting, PUD, 5 p.m., PUD Auditorium, Wenatchee
Minutes of last meeting were approved.
Treasurer: Checking account $22210.65; education/outreach account $903.64 after costs of seminar paid
Leavenworth Farmers Market: Steve reported about $120 of honey sold, both pints and quarts
Website and hive inspection form: no progress to report. Discussion suggests that highly varied systems of record keeping among members may make use of a uniform form difficult. Will likely need to survey folks at some point in time to collect information from whatever format of notes they have kept.
Pollinator symposium was considered a success despite relatively small attendance. Scheduling at a different time of year was discussed, as was whether we are aiming at fellow beekeepers or at the general public.
State fair in Puyallup is interested in having us participate. Categories and criteria can be found on-line. Drivers are available for drop off and pickup. Booth staffing help requested. Staffing the state bee/honey booth for a couple hours will get some free admissions to the fair. Exhibitors must register their entry online before dropping it off. Details at www.thefair.com
Another bulk equipment order was considered. Wayne will contact Western Bee to find if any particular time of year would be best for them to fill orders quickly.
Katrina Keppler reported on the WSU course she attended. Of note, varrroa treatment is most effective during brood break, October or November for us. The WSU lab that tests bees for mites, nosema, etc. is very fussy about samples being exactly according to their rules. (And most of the alcohol should be emptied before sending to avoid postal problems.) Samples of bees with many diseases were available during the WSU Field Days event for inspection. Queen rearing was discussed in context of the WSU class.
NCW Beekeepers Meeting Minutes, Initial draft
June 26, 2016
July 9 Pollinator Seminar, PUD Auditorium, 12:30-5:00, no snacks provided but can
bring your own; potluck to follow at Crilly’s for club members
July 16 Apiary visit at Kristin Taylor’s, morning
July 17 Business/education meeting, PUD auditorium, 5:00 p.m.
Aug. 11Bee Chat, Pizza’n’More, East Wenatchee (same parking lot as Country Inn)
Aug. 13 Apiary visit, Peter & Daryn, morning
Aug. 21Business/education meeting, PUD, 5 p.m.
Sept. 8th (9 a.m.-9 p.m.), 9th (9 a.m.-9 p.m.), 10th (9 a.m.-10 p.m.) , and 11th (9 a.m.-5 p.m., extractor demo @ 2:30), Boswell
bldg; need 2 beekeepers at a time, 3-4 hour blocks, need a ticket to get in; can
exhibit but not sell honey (but could get a blue ribbon…)
Sept. 10 Simply Living farms tour,, Leavenworth – presenter requested
Minutes of last meeting (5/22/2016) were approved.
Treasurer: Checking account $2539.72; education/outreach account $1182.12 with cost of
seminar anticipated.
Leavenworth farmers market dates are June 30, July 21, August 11 and September 1; some
members needed for outreach; setup at 3:30, stay until 8 p.m.; to sell honey if not
attending, get it (labeled and priced) to Steve ahead of time
Website and hive inspection form: no progress to report
Peter continues working to establish apiary as part of WSU/Master Gardener demonstration area.
There is clear interest, and this would be the only county extension with a demonstration apiary. A detailed business plan is required, and contact being sought with an experienced person.
Member directory with photos (as that of Master Gardeners) was suggested.
Steve noted that this is the season of swarms; supers with waxed frames and a little honey are recommended. A second super can be added either above or below the first super. And think about varroa mites.
Don Rolfs was recommended as speaker on native pollinators. It was noted that he has concerns about honeybees, so appropriate preparatons should be made.
Alix noted that July is field season and a difficult time to get speakers; she suggested another time of year for future symposia.
Attendees at the WSU course and Swedish meeting plan to make presentations at future meetings.
NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION Is a registered Washington State Non-Proift. UBI 603594512
