NCWBA Monthly Meeting
Business & Education
February 22, 2015
Chelan PUD 5pm

In Attendance: Jerry & Tandy, Jeff, Arvid, Mike & Carrie, James, Darym, Debra, Craig, Dave, Alan, Felix, Stan, Jane, Cirri, Bryan & Katrina, Tawna & Jeff, Anzhela, Heidi, Michelle, Dan, Wayne, Janice, Roger, John, Todd, Bill, Kriss, Alice, Amy, Steve
UPCOMING DATES: BEE MTG. March 22 @ 5PM (PUD BLDG) BEE CHAT March 12 @ 6PM (El Agave)

Old Business-
Daryn talked about what’s going on with the Wenatchee City Ordinance, the Beekeeping in the city limits is one topic they are considering looking at this year.
Need to order packages by next Bee Mtg. (3/22)-Al & Tim are the contacts
Journeyman Class still in the process of getting formed, if interested talk to Steve
Logo items-Kriss is going to order some hats and shirts w/logo on it
Apprentice class on track for March-almost full, now open to public

New Business-
Chelan Earth Day Fair- April 18th, need of volunteers for this-let us know if you are available
Leavenworth Earth Day Fair- Date unsure, but we’ll need volunteers for this as well
Coastal Demo Days-March 10th @ 5:30 Prizes & Education!!!
Grant Money from Grower-Steve has been in contact, but no details as of yet
Some club money will be spent on more business card & Flyers to pass out at our community events
Enough club members liked the idea of a Beginner Hour, so that’ll be in the works in the future.

Education:
Coming out of spring-what to check for & what to do
Good time to think about feeding (honey, sugar, patties, etc)
If signs of Nosema-protein patties now (early spring) can help knock that back
Pollen is starting to come in
As it warms up, open the entrance to allow for large amt.s of bees in and out
Watch weather-it’s warm, but may want to keep insulation on a little longer
Good time to swap out bottom box while empty, clean out frames with black/dark wax
If you have crazy comb, replace it frame by frame as appropriate
Mold- you can use a light bleach/water solution if it’s on your equipment.
Good time to powder dust to knock down mites.

New Business:
Earth Day in Chelan April 18th *Let Steve know if you are able to help with booth

WSBA Apprentice Class Marc 7, 21, & 28 $15 to sign up—talk to Steve
Journeyman Class in the planning stages—let Steve know if you are interested.

There is a Grower in the area that has been in contact with our club about providing support.
Ideas for how we would use extra donations: Event, Scholarships, Classes/Education, Horticultural Fair, FFA, National Honeybee day in August (on the 22nd)

Time to Start thinking about ordering bees…Al is in charge of ordering.
The prices mentioned so far were:
3 lb pkg. $100, Queen $30 (have to be NCWBA member)-available in April, cutoff for ordering is mid March
Nuc $130 + $20 refundable deposit.(available in June)

The group decided that we would like to see the following in 2015:
Group Clean Out, Apiary Visits, Demos, Show & Tell, Summertime Potluck.

January 18, 2015

Chelan PUD Auditorium in Wenatchee, 5pm

In Attendance: Amy, Steve, Al, Jeff, Catrina & Bryan, Wayne, Janis, Alice, Dan & Becky, Russ, Amilka, Kelly & Jenna, James, Todd, Tandi & Jerry, Mike & Kari, Craig, Dennis, Stan

UPCOMING DATES: BEE MTG. February 22 @ 5PM (PUD BLDG) Snacks-Stan & Jane

BEE CHAT February 12 @ 6PM (El Agave)

Old Business- Jan. 7th Daryn, Kriss, & Steve went to Wenatchee City Council mtg. and gave them an ordinance to look at for Beekeeping in the city limits of Wenatchee

Steve passed around 2 hats with our logo on them, the group chose to have NCWBA on front and back of hat.

Time to register hives-State Law-link will be posted on website.

Important News: Wayne Rainey is our new Vice President—congratulations!!!

Amy Cummings is willing to stay on as secretary, but if anyone is able to back up for when she is unable to make meetings, please let her know.

New Business:

Earth Day in Chelan April 18th *Let Steve know if you are able to help with booth

WSBA Apprentice Class Marc 7, 21, & 28 $15 to sign up—talk to Steve

Journeyman Class in the planning stages—let Steve know if you are interested.

There is a Grower in the area that has been in contact with our club about providing support.

Ideas for how we would use extra donations: Event, Scholarships, Classes/Education, Horticultural Fair, FFA, National Honeybee day in August (on the 22nd)

Time to Start thinking about ordering bees…Al is in charge of ordering, details will be posted soon when they are hashed out.

The group decided that we would like to see the following in 2015:

Group Clean Out, Apiary Visits, Demo’s, Show & Tell, Summertime Potluck.

Emilka and Jessica have offered to organize these sorts of activities on a monthly (or more frequent) basis during the season.

June 1, 2014
Chelan Co PUD 5pm
Business/Education Meeting

Introduction of New People

2-3 membership forms handed out

Dates

July 10th – Bee Chat at SOUTH. More information will be coming soon. This will be a money making venture for the club. Watch for more detailed information – and a flyer that will advertise the event.

July 19th – (Saturday) Something different . . .

TENTATIVE: 3pm Visiting the apiary of Tim Bovee
4pm Visitng the apirary of Daryn Klingensmith
5pm Arriving at the Crilly House . . . for education and BBQ.
Bee PhD Honey Bee grad student will speak
Bee package person – Jim? – has been invited

This will be a members only event . . . unless prior arrangements have been made. For example – we’ve been contacted by Cloudview Eco Farms. They have some interns that are interested in bees.

MORE DETAILS LATER . . . . .

September 4 – 7 – Chelan County Fair
Exhibitors Passes will be $12. These need to be purchased at the July or August Meeting. They can be purchased at the fairgrounds September 3rd – but it’s easier to prepurchase.
To get in the Exhibitors Pass, you will need to sign up for a minimum of a 4 hour shift at the NCWBA booth at the fair. The pass will allow you entrance to the fair all 4 days.

No Minutes available from previous meeting

Treasurers Report
$670.47
Apprentice Booklet bill has been paid

Old Business

7 tests have been graded for Apprentice

Outreach has been going great –
Earth Day in Leavenworth
Ag Supply info table
Pybus University
Plain Hardware Info Day
UPCOMING – Chelan County Fair

New Business

SWARM DISCUSSION/EDUCATION

Added new names to the Swarm Capture List

Need to looking a chef demonstrating – ‘Cooking with Honey’
At the PUD? Or at Pybus.
Kriss will look into it.

MEETING ADJOURNED

Substitute Secretary – Kriss

North Central Washington Beekeepers Association
March Business & Education Meeting
March 16, 2014
Chelan County PUD

In Attendance: Jerry & Tandy, Tim & Gina, Mike & Carrie, Naomi, Tim, Dylan, Cliff, David & Cirri, Jane & Stan, Alix, James & Kriss, Amy, Andy, Craig, Mike, Felix, Jeff & Heidi, Michelle, Daryn, Marc, Daniel & Venessa

Next Bee Chat scheduled for: April 10^th @ El Agave 6pm
Next Bee Meeting scheduled for: April 27^th @ Chelan County PUD

Treasurer’s Report
$915 minus current expenses of $300= $600 (estimate)

Bee Packages ordered through Steve will be arriving on or around April 20^th, pick up will be at the Crilly’s house (along with a hiving demonstration) 1311 Pershing St. Wenatchee…contact 664-3278…Time and confirmation on date to be announced!

Outreach Events:

• April 5^th 10-2pm at Valley Feed Store in Wenatchee (Kriss Crilly, Amy Cummings) Contact Amy or Kriss if you are interested in helping
• April 27^th Leavenworth Earth Day
• September Chelan County Fair
• September Douglas County Fair—possibility

 Misc.

• Coastal Farm & Ranch gives NCWBA members a 10% discount and is working closely with our club to stock items that we use most often.
• Club voted to allow use of funds for copies, fliers, etc. not to exceed $100 in the next 6 months.
• Logos – Naomi said she would lead this us, Kriss has a friend in the embroidery business.
• Steve mentioned the Citizen Science programs: Budburst project and the Great Sunflower Project.
• Maria has an observation hive that the club can use at workshops, demonstrations, and other events.
• Jerry G. brought up an idea to work w/H.S. Biology Students in the future.
• Naomi asked if we had fundraising in place to raise funds for extracting supplies, the answer was no, but Tim J. suggested we have a 50/50 raffle at each meeting, charging $2/ticket. The club voted to do so starting at the April meeting.
• Goal for having Extraction equipment for the club members is July or August
• Mead Making Day—Jeff Hampton is willing to teach…September/October time frame. James Crilly offered to host event.

 Educational Topic: Spring Management of Apiary and Hives

• Think about timing, weather, water, temps, bloom times, general plans (financial, gear needs, swarm gear, etc.)
• Plan ahead-buy gear ASAP-things go fast this time of year!
• Premier One-offers a fence for beekeepers to keep animals out.
• Look at Dead outs and try to figure out why the bees died?
• What happened over winter?
• Clean boxes, frames, bottom boards, etc.
• Paint and/or fix gear.
• This is a good time to sugar dust for mites (they should be low numbers now).
• If you’ll be using Hopguard this is a good time to do it b/f you have brood.
• Look at individual hives to see if they need supplemental feeding.
• Steve recommends a 1:1 sugar:water ratio. Protein patties are good to help w/Nosema.

Amy Cummings, Secretary

February Business & Education Meeting
February 23rd, 2014
Chelan County PUD

In Attendance: Michael & Carrie Schenck, Kriss & James Crilly, Marc Jaramillo, Naomi Murray, Jessica Beaver, Debra Stansbery, Kelly & Jemma Riedel, Stan & Jane Peak, Cirri & David Quick, Daryn Klinginsmith, Peter Hill, Amy Cummings, Dylan Whiteley, Scott Nordstrom, Jeff H, Al Zalewski, Steve Foley

Dates for March:
Next Bee Chat scheduled for March 6 @ 6pm @ El Agave
Next meeting scheduled for March 16 @ 5pm @ PUD

Dates for April:
Bee Chat: April 9th El Agave
Bee Meeting: April 27th @ PUD

Treasurer’s Report
$600 in account with more coming in from new members

Dates for Apprenticeship Class set for Saturday s in March from 9-12 @ Leavenworth Fire Hall-Last class will be a field trip to Tierra apiary in Leavenworth

Bee packages need to be ordered by March 1st w/ payment-Steve is contact

Outreach-was decided to have a subgroup to plan and organize these events.
Possible events/ groups: Chelan County Fair-weekend after Labor Day, Leavenworth Earth Day Fair April 27th, Master Gardener-weekend workshop or at plant sale, Home and Garden Show
The following are members that will make up this subgroup: Kris, Amy, Steve, Jim, Stan, Debra, Jessica, Naomi, Al, Jeff, Michelle. Peter and Amy will both approach the Master Gardeners about opportunities.
Coastal Farms has offered to let us borrow equipment for workshops, etc. w/their name displayed. Kris delivered flyers for our club to Coastal
Maria will not be here to do the Pybus University talk, Steve may fill in
Beginning Beekeeping in Pullman-July 31st-Aug.1 $125
Queen Rearing Aug. 2 $175

Educational topic was 3 different ways to get bees and how to get the bees in the hive: Package vs. Nuc vs. Swarm.

Amy Cummings, Secretary

North Central Washington Beekeepers Association

2014 Annual Meeting + Business/Education
January 19th @ 5pm
Chelan County PUD

In Attendance: James & Kriss, Kelly & Jemma, Amy, Naomi, Jessica, Carrie & Mike, Tandy & Jerry, Bill & Heidi O’Brien, Felix, Dylan, Mark, Craig, Andy, Jeff, Stan & Jane, Maria

 Dates for February:

• Next Bee Chat scheduled for February 13^th @ 6pm @ El Agave
• Next meeting scheduled for February 23^rd @ 5pm @ Chelan County PUD

Dates for March:

• Bee Chat: March 6^th @6pm El Agave
• Business/Educational Meeting: March 16^th @5pm Chelan County PUD (not reserved yet)

Bylaws-approved by verbal voting

Officers-approved by verbal voting

2014 Officers:

• President-Steve Foley
• Vice President-Maria Langer
• Secretary-Amy Cummings
• Treasurer-Kriss Crilly

Master Beekeeping Class (Apprenticeship Level) starting soon: contact Steve Foley

Need to order bees by March-Steve has a source-cost is around

$100/3 lb. pkg. $130/nuc

Discussed types of bees-Causcasions, Russians, Italians, Carnolions

Felix recommended- Beekeepers Handbook

Once Steve has a set price on the bees, he’ll put together an order form. Forms will be available through website, chat, and meetings, etc.

Coastal Farm and Ranch has Italians available for $109/pkg or $139/nuc

Talked about sharing resources:

Books, DVD’s, etc. If you have books, etc. that you’d be willing to share, send them to Maria so she can post them on the website.

One hope for the club in the future is to purchase equipment that can be shared.

“Backyard Beekeepers” and “Beekeeping for Dummies” were mentioned.

WSU beekeeping class-sometime in June in Pullman, will be announced once known.

Business adjourned @ 5:55pm

EDUCATION: Equipment

Check various catalogs/internet sites, etc.

Discussion Points- Boxes, Frames, Cell Size, Deeps vs. Mediums

9 vs. 10 frames in a 10 frame box, keeping frames in order, Bottom Board, Drone Frame, Feeders, Top Covers, Inner Covers, Queen Excluder, Mite Grid (Sticky Board), Veil, Suit/Jacket, Hive Tools, Smoker, Bee Brush, Frame Grabber, Sifter/Mesh strainer, Frame Holder, Hive Stand

Amy Cummings, Secretary

North Central Washington Beekeepers Association
2013 Business/Education Meeting
December 8th, – 5pm
Chelan County PUD

In Attendance: James & Kriss Crilly, Felix Slette, Mike McGregor, Michelle Satterfield, Craig Genereux, Amy & Frank Cummings, Jeff & Heidi O/Brien, Steve Foley, Dalton Graham, Kelly & Jemma Riedel, Al & Carol Jielski (Manson), Naomi (Leavenworth), Brin & Brennan, Stewert & Shaye Elliott, Maria Langer

Treasurer’s Report: $225 – all from membership dues
Dues for 2014 should be paid by January 19th to take part in the elections.

The Club needs to purchase Apprentice Beekeeper books, as well as consider starting a book & DVD library for members to check out.

Next Bee Chat – Jan 16th @ 6pm – rescheduled for January 9th – El Agave’s in Wenatchee

Next Business/Education Meeting scheduled for January 19th – 5pm @ Chelan PUD

Steve Foley is the Region 4 Washington Beekeepers Association Rep. We will learn more as he learns more.

Swarm Information needs to be set up with the Wenatchee World, Rivercom, & the Humane Society. May want to consider Pest Control businesses.
(WHO IS GOING TO DO THIS?)

Maria is our Website Master.
Felix takes care of Craigslist.
Kriss takes care of Facebook.

Coastal Farm and Ranch will be getting Bee Packages – they need to be ordered ahead of time. Coastal will have a Bee Seminar December 17th – 6 – 8pm.

Name Tags – will be provided at the next meeting.

EDUCATION SECTION

Talked about color/shape preference of bees. Talked about wrapping hives in black tar paper to help keep bees warm in the winter.

Economics of Honey
• setting up a hive (you should have 2 minimum)
• containers for honey – if you plan on selling your honey
• labeling & what information you might include on your label (weight, raw, name, email, flower source, etc.)
• what to charge for your honeu
• barter
• pollination contracts/services
• raising queens
• raising bees for packages or nucs

MAKE BEES & QUEENS OR HONEY – CAN’T DO BOTH . . . . .

• products of a hive – wax or honey?
• porpolis – how to harvest? Use for?
• pollen

Discussed again the cost of starting up your first bee hive . . . .
Sources: Mannlake, Brushy Mountain, Coastal Farm in East Wenatchee

Good Magazine: Bee Culture

Kriss Crilly
Acting Secretary