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The Diablo Bee August 2016
Next Meeting: August 11, 7:00 pm @ Pavillion. The Pleasant Hill Community Center, Perera
320 Civic Center Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA f
Bee Chat 7:00--7:15, Business/General Meeting 7:15--7:30, Program
7:30--8:30, More gadgets and tasting 8:30-9:30
In this Issue
● Message from the President ● August Program Info ● Plant(s) of the Month ● MDBA Board Election Information ● Hive Tips
● What to do with Wax? ● Member Education Corner
● Mentor Program Update ● Community Education Corner ● MDBA Library Update and Guided Reading ● Regional Bee News/Events
● Editor's Corner ● Club Classifieds PMount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 1
President’s Message by Judy Weatherly
This month is one of my favorite months—it’s the honey tasting and gadget sharing! Last year I was so focused on the honey tasting and missed being able to take in all the great gadgets up close and personal. This year I’m starting with the gadgets—we’ll see how long it takes me to get to all that honey! Please bring in those gadgets—you all have great ideas and know how to tinker better than any group of people I’ve ever met!
We’ve had a good year so far this year. I could have done without the Concord incident, but it did give us an opportunity to look at some things and direct our energy toward getting our role in the community more clear. The importance of MDBA to the community cannot be understated. The MDBA is not only important to beekeepers, but to the community at large. A crucial role of the MDBA is to provide education to our members, but we also have a role in the larger community. We can provide education and support to the community and encourage people to be a part of enhancing the health and well-being of honey bees and other pollinators.
The Concord incident gave the MDBA Board an opportunity to develop and adopt the “Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association’s Best Management Practices for Urban, Suburban, and Small Scale Beekeeping.” The document was emailed to members earlier in the month and is also available on our
Facebook page as a file. It is and will be a work in progress, but the Board feels this is a really good start. What I appreciate about the adoption of these guidelines is that the document emphasizes that beekeepers have f a responsibility to take beekeeping seriously and to be thoughtful about their practices.
This is a responsibility that we as a Board believe is important not just for individual beekeepers, but is a responsibility we have to each other as beekeepers. Beekeeping in urban areas is so important and none of us can risk beekeeping being available to us because we don’t use best practices in our beekeeping. I hope you find the document as a helpful resource to you. Feel free to share it with anyone considering becoming a beekeeper (along with encouraging beekeepers to be members of MDBA or a club in their areas).
I continue to sing praises to the MDBA membership and Board—thanks to all of you who step up to make this such a great bee club. We offer some of the best education and support to beekeepers in Bay Area. That can only happen because of all our wonderful volunteers—from Board members, to swarm rescuers, to bee-day hosts, speakers, community education volunteers, librarians, catalog manager, refreshment coordinators, website & database, Facebook administrator, equipment handlers, and more. Truly amazing; thank you! Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 2
-Scott -Scott -Scott
GADGETS AND HONEY TASTING IN AUGUST It's that time of year again! Time to share your favorite bee keeping gadgets and tools. We will have
tables set up for you to show your trusty little gadgets and tools to fellow beekeepers. Along with seeing
all f the great ideas and learning about new equipment and tools, we will share our wonderful local
honey. Bring a jar to share. Let's make this a night to celebrate each other and all the work we put
into beekeeping.
Furthermore, if you are seeking more information about what honey is and is not, this website's FAQ
http://diablobees.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1121dac344c83100a7ac43fa4&id=a495547c23&e=e80c82bd0fp
-Nancy Burke
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 3
2016 Future Meetings 2016 MDBA Board of and Programs Directors
President - Judy
Some programs and speakers may Weatherly be changed as the dates come Vice President - nearer Stacey Bauer August 11 Honey - Lois Kail Tasting and Beekeeper Secretary - Ann Moser Gadget Sharing - Treasurer Membership Membership - Janet Kaidantzis August 15 Mini Bee Member Education - Workday--Norm and August's Featured Plant(s) Joan's apiary Nancy Burke en Community Heterotheca September 8 Bee Telegraph Weed, Claire Kreme - Jan Spieth grandiflora Health - Education - Andy September 10 Mini Webmaster From Wikipedia's Page: Bee Workday -- How Scheck do I prepare my hives Newsletter Editor - Heterotheca grandiflora is a species of for winter? @ Gary Scott Jorgensen flowering plant in the daisy family known by Lawrence's apiary Ex Officio - Gary the common name Silk-grass October 13 MDBA Lawrence goldenasteror telegraphweed. It is native Member BBQ Past President - to the southwestern United States Sylvia Goemmel (California, Nevadea, Utah, Arizona) and There are no meetings northwestern Mexico, but it can be found in in November and Don't be shy, introduce other areas as an introduced species, such December. yourselves to us! We as Hawaii. It is often a roadside weed even like to talk about bees.
We wear nametags at where it is native.
the meetings. Heterotheca grandiflora is a tall, bristly,
glandular plant exceeding a meter (40
f inches) in height and densely foliated in
hairy to spiny toothed or lobed leaves.
Leaves are smaller and more widely
spaced toward the top of the stem, which is
occupied by an inflorescence of bright
yellow daisy-like flower heads. The disc
and ray florets drop away to leave a
spherical head of achenes, each with a
long white pappus
Remember, a "weed" is only a plant that you don't want. Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 4
MDBA 2017 BOARD POSITION NOMINATIONS
Office of the President Regarding Nominee Judy Weatherly
I’ve been beekeeping and been a member of MDBA for about 6 years now. I love the challenges that bees and beekeeping offer me. There’s always more to learn; new learning opportunities with each hive inspection. MDBA was such an important resource for us when we started beekeeping and continues to support our learning. I got involved as a Board Member last year as V.P. Member Education and got excited about working with the Board to help create more of an “infrastructure” for MDBA. I continued my involvement this year as President and feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful Board and wonderful membership to work with and serve. There are still areas of MDBA that need attention and I would like to continue my position as President for another year to continue our work for MDBA.
Lagerstroemia ssp. Crepe Myrtle, Office of the Vice President
Regarding Nominee Stacey Bauer These trees are ornamentals native to the "My name is Stacey Bauer and I am running for the position of Vice President of MDBA. I served as the VP this year and look forward to another great year on the board. I have Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia. been beekeeping and a member of MDBA for 5 years. The board has done some amazing things this year and has much more planned for the Association in the future. They have long blooming periods from My projects on the Board have been the Mentor Program and Swarm Volunteers. I have midsummer through late summer and this enjoyed collecting information for these groups as well as the focus groups and working with all the people helping make these programs successful. It takes a colony to keep author has personally seen bees actively things running here at the Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association. Please consider joining the Board or volunteering in a way that works for you!" attending the flowers as they gather pollen (during the morning hours). These trees Office of the Secretary have white, pink, purple, and deep red Regarding Nominee Lois Kail "I have been the secretary for MDBA for 9 years. I have enjoyed the chance to work with blooms due to a lot of hybridization efforts great people on the board and to meet so many of you. I like doing the 'behind-the- by humans. scenes' kind of jobs so the secretary position works well for me."
Office of Community Education Regarding Nominee Jan Spieth
"I would like to nominate Jan for the Community Education position of the MDBA. She currently holds this position and does a wonderful job. I have had the privilege of working that invades 12 million acres in California. with her for a couple of years and have always been impressed with the energy and Yellow starthistle inhabits open hills, quality of work that she puts forth at each event. She hates to say "no" to any request and if she can't find a member or members to satisfy the request she does it herself. She
grasslands, open woodlands, fields, works incredibly well with children of all ages as well as adults. She continues to reach out to new and diverse groups and individuals to educate everyone concerning the plight roadsides, and rangelands, and it is of the bees. Jan is an excellent representative of MDBA and it's educational outreach considered one of the most serious team. We are very fortunate to have her in this position. --Russ Kettering"
rangeland weeds in the state. It propagates Office of the Treasurer rapidly by seed, and a large plant can Regarding Nominee Ann Moser produce nearly 75,000 seeds. Several "I have served as your treasurer for 3 years and we are now compliant with all federal and state tax authorities. I have enjoyed being your treasurer and would be willing to serve insects from the Mediterranean region, again next year." including weevils and flies, have been Office of Membership employed as biocontrol agents for yellow Regarding Nominee Janet Kaidantzis starthistle with minor success. "Thank you for being friendly and patient during the past two years that I have been responsible for MDBA Membership. Getting to know club members and board members has been the best part of this job. With the help of some MDBA volunteers, we
are working on creating a Membership database, which will bring more accuracy and manageability to this position. Being on the board has also allowed me to participate in f the logo redesign, write articles for the MDBA, and help define goals for the club. A big perk of board membership is getting to spend lots of time with expert beekeepers; as a beginner, I have learned a lot. This is my fourth year of beekeeping. I keep two Langstroth hives and one top-bar hive in my backyard in Lafayette."
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • POO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 5
Office of Member Education MDBA Revenue and Expenses Regarding the Nominee Nancy Burke 2016 January - July "I have been the VP of Member Education in 2016 for MDBA. I have focused on bringing the best possible speakers to MDBA to continue the education of all levels of beekeepers Income in our club. I also helped organize the Randy Oliver workshop in June 2016. The Donations 1,514.10 workshop was a success for all who attended. I have enjoyed bringing different views and Extractor Rental 275.00 a variety of beekeeping styles to members so that each beekeeper can make informed Membership Dues 7,855.00 decisions about their bees. I would like to continue with the job of member education into 2017 and look forward to bringing more interesting speakers to the club next year." Raffle Sales 959.00 Randy Oliver Workshop 1,056.98 Office of the Newsletter Editor Speaker /Education Revenue 1,950.00 Regarding the Nominee Nils Kauffman Swarm Fees 3,635.00 "I Have been a member of MDBA, and keeping bees as a hobbyist for three years. I have Total Income 17,245.08 nine hives (but beekeepers should not count their hives before the spring). I have also worked in Colorado for a commercial beekeeper with 1300 colonies in the mid 1990s. Expense During the past two of years I have represented MDBA at a number of educational AHB R and D 249.95 activities and, during this past year, I have fielded numerous swarm calls. As newsletter Bank and P.O. Box fees (26.04) editor, I hope to build on what Scott has done by using the newsletter as a way to BBQ continue the discussions that we have during our meetings." Board meetings 425.00 Business Licenses & Permits 20.00 Dues and Subscriptions BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR Education Expenses/Supplies 131.19 Extractor Repairs MDBA has a long standing tradition of naming a member as Insurance Expense 975.00 Beekeeper of the Year. This is one of the ways to acknowledge Nametags (10.00) “ ” Library 30.00 and thank members and volunteers for giving back to the MDBA Newsletter/Postage/Forms 243.86 community. Think about someone who has contributed to MDBA in Raffle Supplies 456.01 a positive way (i.e. mentoring, answering questions, always willing Rent Expense 1,155.00 to help another club member, education, etc.). Speaker Expenses 900.00 Supplies 251.40 Ballots will be distributed at the September 8 th meeting. You can Total Expense 4,801.37 name up to three (3) members who you believe have contributed to making MDBA such a great bee association. The person named Net Increase 12,443.71 the most on the ballots will be named “Beekeeper of the Year.” All those named in the voting will be acknowledged at the October
BBQ. The only rule is that it cannot be someone who has already received the honor. A
August Hive Tips
Package Bees Need Treatment -- Beekeepers that use package bees should treat their colonies with a miticide to help ensure that their colony doesn't die and that mites are not spread to neighboring colonies. If you are going to treat your colonies. TEST YOUR MITE LEVEL BEFORE AND AFTER APPLYING THE TREATMENT. Testing helps you evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment and also can help you find out when your bees have be REINFESTED with mites from a neighboring colony. Testing/ treatment season begins in July and extends through October. Do the homework! Know your mite load over time to judge when is effective treatment
If you treat your bees, feed your bees pollen supplement -- We are stewards of the bees. If your bees need a miticide treatment to control the parasite/viruses then they are already struggling. Treatment applications will further stress the bees, resulting in weaker foragers, nurse bees, and ultimately, brood. Give your bees some quality pollen supplement! This author
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 6
recommends MegaBee or the Mann Lake pollen feed. Read up on scientificbeekeeping for more info
Depending on your area, summer dearth may already be here. It is certainly coming, be mindful of that. How does that relate to your honey-harvesting and winterization plan? What is blooming around your bees?
Triple Check your Ant Protection!
Take Notes! -- Dust off your notebook and start writing down what you see. Keeping good notes can help you troubleshoot any problems that may arise in the season. Record what is blooming, how the weather has been lately, conditions of the brood pattern, etc. The more that you record, the more that you will be able to see and understand.
Only Harvest Capped Honey!-- This editor recommends leaving 40 pounds (say, a mostly full super) of honey on the colony at all times When you are inspecting your beehive and choosing which frames of honey to harvest, only take those which have fully capped cells. If the honey isn't capped then the bees are still processing it. If the honey isn't capped then it is possible that there is too much water in the honey. Too much water means the possibility for the honey to ferment and spoil. Yuck!
Seek Information! -- There is a wealth of information for beginning beekeepers on the internet, but sometimes knowing where to look can be hard. For beginning beekeepers who want a thorough primer on keeping honey bees in contemporary America, the MDBA Board recommends reading the Beginner's Pages on Randy Oliver's website, www.scientificbeekeping.com. Another good resource to browse is www.beesource.com which is an interactive forum for beekeeping questions. Give it a look!
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 7
An early reminder for the OCTOBER 13th GENERAL MEETING - ANNUAL BBQ PARTY!
We are gearing up to celebrate YOU with a year’s end BBQ dinner! Our meeting in October (our last event for 2016) is a festive dinner party put on by your Board of Directors. This is a Members-and-Families-only event, so you are encouraged to bring your spouse/partner and kids to enjoy a delicious BBQ beef and chicken meal. Don’t forget: we start at 6:30pm, an earlier start time than our regular meeting. During the evening, we’ll announce the Beekeeper of the Year and introduce the new Board of Directors for 2017. Please note there is maximum seating for 250 guests so your RSVP is essential.
Your contribution: your favorite, delicious side dish to serve 6 – 8 people to put on the table to share with members. If your last name begins with the following letter, please bring a dish as suggested: A - G: SALAD for 8-10 people H - R: POTATO/PASTA/VEGETABLE for 8-10 people S - Z: DESSERT for 8-10 people
What else can you bring? How about bringing a beverage of your choice to drink with your meal (beer, wine, soda, etc.), PLUS an unwrapped item to donate to the SUPER-RAFFLE that will finish the evening. How can you help? Come any time after 5:00 pm and help us set up tables and decorate the space at the Pleasant Hill Community Center.
Our request: RSVP! You MUST RSVP in order to attend. We have a set number of tables available under our arrangement with Pleasant Hill Community Center for 250 folks, so PLEASE RSVP to Lois Kail, Secretary, at (925) 356-2602 or [email protected] no later than Wednesday, October 1st
If your plans change and you are not able to honor your RSVP - please also let us know - even the day of.
What to do with wax? Until Mr. Langstroth came around with the idea to spin out honey from comb and maximize the sweet production, bees were valued equally, or perhaps more so for their wax production. Any beek who has been at the hobby for long enough probably has a solar melter or some other way to render all of the bee comb into wax blocks of varying refinement. Perhaps that collection is growing large enough to make a batch of can- dles or for some other purpose. I want to share with you all how I process clean, clean wax for candles with a method that is appropriate for hobbyists or someone on a budget. Firstly, I recommend re-processing the dirtiest blocks of wax with the solar melter. In the above photo, the darkest block on the left would def- initely be reprocessed. All other blocks are acceptable for the next step. The tools of the trade now are a microwave (use craigslist, spend only $20) and three sizes of pyrex cups (take the crummiest old ones in your
house and buy your wife new ones).
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 8
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 9
This helps the wax to clarify, and the water a
MDBA Mentor Program Information Your very own MDBA is a great source of help at any stage or season of beekeeping. Keep reading and studying as we enter the middle of summer and your bees are starting to think about winter. Refer to your MDBA roster to find a member who has volunteered to mentor or contact someone from your focus group. Our library is full of books to borrow - pick one up at the meeting next week. The lists below have books and online resources to help you along the way. No need to figure this out on your own - contact a MDBA mentor who is more than willing to share their knowledge and experience.
If your bees are humming along and you’re looking for advice on next steps, or something went wrong and you need some help – feel free to contact a mentor noted on the MDBA Membership Roster you recently received by email. Here are some simple guidelines for mentees and mentors: Mentee
1. Read – Buy a book, borrow a book from a friend or the MDBA library, look at beekeeping websites, subscribe to a beekeeping magazine. 2. Attend a Mini Bee Workshop. Every Saturday following a General Meeting a mini bee workshop will be held for members to gather hands-on experience and ask questions in the field. Observing and working with other hives is an invaluable experience. 3. Learn the correct terms for everything in the hive. A mentor can help you better if you call things by the correct name. 4. Find a mentor that works for you. Every beekeeper has their own way of keeping bees. Find a mentor or mentors that work in a way that makes sense to you. 10 beekeepers will have 20 ways to do the same thing. Choose which way is right for you OR step outside the box and try something new. 5. Hold Harmless. Please remember we are all in this beekeeping adventure together. Mentors may make mistakes or not always have an answer for you. Be kind and respectful. You are ultimately responsible for your actions.
Mentor
1. Always respond to a call for help, even if you can’t assist. Let the mentee know if you don’t have the time or knowledge to help them at the moment. Refer them to another mentor or resource. 2. Encourage the mentee to read books and articles from a variety of standpoints. Let them know what works for you or other methods you’ve tried or heard of. 3. Be kind and respectful. You were once a beginner, too.
Here are some basic beekeeping publications in PDF form (great for downloading onto your computer or phone): Fundamentals of California Beekeeping (PDF) From: University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences http://www.beeguild.org/CA_Beekeeping_V1.pdf
Beekeeping in California (PDF) From: University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources http://www.beeguild.org/CA_Beekeeping_V2.pdf
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 10
A Field Guide to Honeybees and Their Maladies (PDF) From: Penn State Extension http://extension.psu.edu/publications/agrs-116/view
Basic beekeeping books:
Beekeeping in Coastal California (link) By Jeremy Rose
First Lessons in Beekeeping By Keith Delaplane
Top Bar Hive Beekeeping: Wisdom & Pleasure Combined (link) By Wyatt A. Mangum
The Backyard Beekeeper By Kim Flottum
Natural Beekeeping By Ross Conrad
The Practical Beekeeper: Beekeeping Naturally (link) By Michael Bush
…and a beekeeping magazine for beginners:
Bee Keeping: Your First Three Years (magazine subscription) From Bee Culture Magazine http://www.beeculture.com/tag/beekeeping-your-first-three-years/
This information is also available under “files” on the MDBA Facebook page and should be on the MDBA website soon. If you have any questions or answers, please contact Stacey Bauer at [email protected].
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 11
Community Education Corner
Children’s Education:
In mid-July, volunteer Russ Kettering and Jan took an observation hive, posters, honey & pretzels and beekeeping equipment to 88 th Avenue in Oakland to visit children attending a summer education program. The noon-time program came out of a contact made in 2015 at the Oakland Museum, when MDBA provided the Friday Nights at OMCA program. MDBA was invited by the main librarian at the Oakland Library Elmhurst Branch, to present our Honeybee Education program. Both the children and the adults accompanying them were fascinated by the bees, the specimens, tools and honeycomb on display and especially the honey!
‘ ’ Whole Foods Nickels For Non-Profits and MDBA:
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 12
Also in July, MDBA was invited by the marketing & community relations director of Whole Foods Markets (WFM) Contra Costa & Tri Valley, to be the designated Nickels For Non-Profits entity at their San Ramon store. This designation, running from the 1st of July to the 1st of September, is one of several charitable programs conducted by WFM. The -Nickels For Non-Profits’ program is activated at check-out, when cashiers ask customers who’ve brought their own bags to either receive 5 cents back or donate it to the designated non- profit. In return for receiving the donations, MDBA was asked to staff an educational table at the store on a few Saturdays. The first Community Education table was set up on July 30 th . MDBA volunteers Peter & Barbara Schumacher and Ed Burns, all San Ramon residents, talked with customers, helped children find the queen in the observation hive, discussed customers’ interests and concerns including threats to honeybees, life in the hive, honey-making, etc. It is both ironic and encouraging that MDBA is partnering with the San Ramon store of the Whole Foods Market chain this summer. Some of you may know that in 2013, the City of San Ramon put in place restrictive codes governing backyard beekeeping, despite many testimonies about the science of honeybees and beekeeping. Let’s hope that in the not-too- distant future those parameters will be re-visited. Continuing education in and for our community leads to positive change in attitudes.
The Lindsay Wildlife Experience and MDBA: Bee Bop! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Bee Bop is coming! What’s Bee Bop? It’s a collaborative event sponsored by the Lindsay Wildlife Experience (note the Lindsay’s new name) with help from MDBA volunteers. For an entire day, the Lindsay Museum’s programs focus on honeybees and MDBA beekeepers are the experts in residence. MDBA members explain to visitors the wonders of the honeybee colony, help visitors identify larvae, pollen, nectar in the hive, locate the queen bee, etc.. This year’s event is on Saturday, August 20 th , from 10am to 5pm. MDBA Community Ed volunteers are invited to staff both the upstairs area, next to the big observation hive, and downstairs in the children’s area, where a smaller observation hive and child-friendly crafts and honey-tasting will be set up for visitors. Participating in Bee Bop is fun!.....and after your shift is done, you’re free to wander the wonderful Lindsay, look at the raptors sitting on the wall above your head (no, they’re not stuffed birds…!), examine the big transparent Observation Hive that MDBA built for the Lindsay, and look at all the great exhibits. Please email me to sign up to represent MDBA and spend a few hours at the Lindsay doing the important outreach that is MDBA community education.
Announcing Bee Bop is a good time to give a shout-out to MDBA VP Stacey Bauer, who maintains the Lindsay’s observation hive, ensures its bees are healthy and the queen is active. Many thanks, Stacey, for your efforts. Stacey has taken on this responsibility from member Mike Stephanos, the MDBA beekeeper who was the point person and worked with the Lindsay to get the hive built and the display designed. Talking about observation hives: special appreciation goes to member Mike Vigo, who has brought the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden’s observation hive back to health. Mike has reintroduced bees to the hive located in the Tropical Garden greenhouse. With a strong colony installed, it looks like the bees are doing well. Fingers crossed! Mike has taken on the maintenance of the Bot Garden hive from Steve Gentry, who worked with garden staff to create the hive some years ago.
Jan Pinkerton Spieth
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 13
READ A BOOK! Have you ever used the club's AMAZING library to further your beekeeping curiosity? Some of the most valuable beekeeping lessons occur outside of the apiary and within pages of writing. Barbara Vigil and Russ Kettering maintain our books and would be very happy to direct you towards more information. Members in good standing are invited to check out books for one month per check-out. Remember to bring a $20 deposit in order to check out books (sorry, we've had bad experiences in the past).
Book Reviews The Beekeepers Lament (2010) The joys and sorrows of being a beekeeper on a large scale was written by the journalist Hanna Nordhaus. Hanna followed John Miller from his apiaries above Sacramento to where he winters his hives in North Dakota. Hanna weaves a wonderful true story around the beekeeping scene on a personal level. I loved this book because I enjoy reading about personal beekeeping experiences and how to cope with them. I also loved it because it was very easy to gain more knowledge about beekeeping without feeling like you are reading a textbook! Check it out of our library or buy your own copy so you can hi light or dog ear the places you want to return to. --Barbara Mayne
A Field Guid to Honey Bees and Their Maladies Come and take a peek at our Field Guide to Honey Bees. You can keep this small reference guide in your pocket or the glove box in your car. This is a quick reference guide complete with pictures. After reading about American Foulbrood I can't stop thinking about the smell and the pictures of the of the glue-like dead larva. Foulbrood is one thing you don't want to get in your hives! -- Barbara Mayne
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 14
BEE AUDACIOUS! Presented by beekeepers in Marin County (and beyond) with Planetwork as a fiscal sponsor.
“ Please help us get the word out about Audacious Visions for the Future of Bees and Beekeeping”, or Bee Audacious for short!
’ You may have seen Mark Winston s editorial in the April 2015 Bee Culture magazine. He finished it up by suggesting that conference planners include a “ session at their next conference Audacious Ideas for the Future of ” Beekeeping . Beekeepers in Marin County, California, thought So it wewas’ a great ’ idea! But why just a session? Why not a whole conference? So we re working to get some of the best bee minds on the planet together for a working conference December 11-13, 2016. Be part of the solution and help us make this bee think tank happen!
Your financial support is very much needed to help make this all possible. Buy a t-shirt or make a donation to support conference expenses, including leader travel and accommodations, AV for panel discussion, post conference writings and more. The current booster.com campaign will run until May 15, 2016.
Click here to order a t-shirt now: http://www.booster.com/beeaudacious3. Or
go to:http://www.beeaudacious.com/index.php/the-fundraising/ and click on the
word "donations" to download the form to make a donation in any amount.
Mark your calendars for the panel discussion that will be live streamed at 7:00 pm PST on December 14, 2016 and available throughhttp://www.beeaudacious.
com. (If you can make it to San Rafael, CA, you can see it in person at
Dominican University of California.) The ten conference Thought Leaders (Tom Seeley, Marla Spivak, Mark Winston, Jim Frazier, William Klett, Stephen Martin, Heather Mattila, Chas Mraz, Francis Ratnieks, and Neal Williams) will be presenting the ideas generated by the two-day gathering.
Feeling audacious? Half of the 90 participants will be selected from submitted registration applications. Seeking constructive, collaborative and thoughtful people who will bring experience from a wide variety of fields that produce impacts on pollinators and how pollinators are viewed by the general public. Applications available at: http://beeaudacious.com/index.php/conference.
The Vision: These aren’t normal times for bees. The conventional wisdom about how to ’ keepThese bees aren andt normal encourage times wild for bees.pollinator The conventionaldiversity and wisdomabundance about no howlonger to serveskeep bees beekeepers, and encourage farmers wild or thepollinator critical diversitysocietal imperative and abundance for environmental no longer sustainability.serves beekeepers, It’s time farmers for boldor the new critical ideas societal that recognize imperative beekeepers for environmental as ’ stewardssustainability. of both It smanaged time for andbold wild new bees, ideas promoters that recognize of healthy beekeepers environments, as andstewards managers of both of economicallymanaged and wildsustainable bees, promoters apiaries. of healthy environments, and managers of economically sustainable apiaries The Conference:
The Bee Audacious Conference will present a timely and unique opportunity
for in-depth dialogue on the latest ideas, research, and technology to advance survival of honeybee colonies, beekeeping, and wild bees.
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 15
Conference sessions will be devoted to a
The Conference will be a thought-provoking gathering unlike any other conference. From December 11 to 13, guided by methodology used by the Simon Fraser University Center for Dialogue and Thomas Seeley’s article “Five Habits of Highly Effective Hives,” the critical social, economic, and environmental issues that are impacting the survival of bees and pollination will be explored. Ten experts (Tom Seeley, Marla Spivak, Mark Winston, Jim Frazier, William Klett, Stephen Martin, Heather Mattila, Chas Mraz, Francis Ratnieks, and Neal Williams) will be engaged as Thought Leaders in a format led by Dr. Mark Winston, Professor and Senior Fellow at Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue.
The Thought Leaders will facilitate discussion between ninety individuals divided into nine working groups in active dialogue, using an agenda developed in advance by the participants themselves. The Thought Leaders will recommend 45 individuals for participation. The other 45 participants will be selected from Conference registration applications.
After two days of high-level collaboration, the Thought Leaders will present the findings at a Panel Discussion held at Dominican University of California onDecember 14. The Panel will be open to the general public, live-streamed and posted to the http://www.beeaudacious.com website. Dr. Mark Winston will write the Proceedings for future posting to the website.
The Outputs:
The panel discussion with thought leaders immediately following the meeting will be webcast, and available subsequently on our website, allowing an online portal for dissemination of the meeting's outcomes and global access to the conference's ideas.
Participants – including many published authors - will be encouraged to write about all aspects of the conference. Additionally, Mark Winston, award winning author of “Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive,” will produce a readable and comprehensive post conference report that will be freely available online. We have engaged an experienced research assistant to coordinate note taking and summarize the extensive notes from breakout groups, insuring that all the conversations are included as part of the conference outcomes.
Participants have regional and international influence and are the perfect conduit to disseminate information from the conference and work towards Conference sessions will be devoted to implementation of ideas generated. Conference sessions will be devoteda to addressing how those attending can carry the conference's outcomes back to their home communities.
Conference Details: Main Conference: 12/11/16 – 12/13/16, Marconi Conference Center, Marshall, California Panel Discussion: 12/14/16, 7:00pm, Dominican University of California, San Rafael f Website address: http://www.beeaudacious.com For more information, contact:
Bonnie Morse, Project Manager [email protected] tel: 415-250-9720
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 16
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These combs of resources allow bees to
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Plan to plant summer flowering bee-forage. C
Plan to plant summer flowering bee-forage. C
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EDITORS CORNER
It's now the first days of August, and, as I catch myself thinking this every year: "How do the months pass so quickly?" So, having said that, let's get down to brass tacks.
My general advice to 1-2 year, new beekeepers at this time is to continue to go in hives and learn about your bees. You NEED to continue to go in the boxes to find out things about the nectar flow at this time of year. Are there combs filled up with honey and pollen? If so GREAT, write that down and make a note of it in your journal, the more combs that are filled with pollen/honey is better. These combs of resources allow bees to continue to raise healthy brood during summer dryness. August starts the time of year when we need to pay attention to the hive's nectar/honey stores and it's parasite load. This monitoring continues through the final days of October. If you bought package bees, START YOUR HOMEWORK on figuring out the best treatment/feeding regimen for you and your bees. If your colony is from a swarm, let it ride but observe them.
couldFor maximum be a good success, thing for beesyour bees.that start The from colony swarms should or be packages populous shouldand well not stocked be honey in food, andharvested the queen-replacement in the first year. event gives them time to focus on winterizing the nest. If everything goes well from the inside of the hive, the main thing to be concerned about is if There is a saying that, regarding bees, the actions that we make today show up in our beesthere enoughabout two drones months in the later. area The to have point good that mating I wish success.to make here Since is that only ALREADY, Big need toColonies start planning make for planting drones season. inSoon, the October summer, will be here, our so gogardening out and get the garden beds built and amended. Plan to plant summer flowering bee-forage. Click here toefforts find out whichreally garden do zone matter. are you in?Don't Does know your what garden to plant? get sun? Observe Shade? which Wind? Coldperennials Pocket? the Pickbees out are some on and goodies then plant for your more bees, of that. the planning starts now!
AsRegards, many a beekeeper is aware: it's possible to delve into the bee hobby/world as far as youScott want. Jorgensen Pick a few sub-genres and go for it!
In my own top bar hives, my bee year now really winds down in activity. I still check my ant protection, and also on the hives in my 2' boxes. If these boxes are packed full, I will upsize them into large boxes July/NOW, so that they can have some time at least to winterize the new box and reduce the swarm impulse. If I have extra comb, I will give them some so they can bag a honey flow. If the 2' box is half-mostly full I just keep an eye on it for now looking for a future problem with queenlessness or starvation.
Hives in 4' boxes, by and large, always have food reserves in the comb. As long as there is some empty comb in the boxes, they are less likely to swarm. In these boxes I just do a quick check in on the brood pattern.
If a strong hive starts QUEEN SUPERSEDURE now through perhaps September, then this
f
Supering a Top-Bar Colony in summer.
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 17
If you are i
If stings really b
The Diablo Bee Classifieds
WANTED Queens Cappings Requested I have a couple of Russian Queens from Bee Genetics in
If you have unwanted cappings I will melt and clean them Vacaville.
for the beeswax. I am willing to demonstrate how to remove bees from an
AND: Bee Suit Repairs existing hive with my bee vacuum and then add Queen to
Please contact Lois Kail create a colony.
[email protected] or 925.356.2602 I need to find homes for a couple or Queens. Call 925-838- 5600 or try email
breeder on August 6 or 7. Picking and caging queens plus take a queen of your FOR RENT The MDBA honey extractors (electric) choice home. Cost is $50 for half day excursion. AND $10 for 1st day and $5 for days 2-5 QUEENS AVAILABLE for the August 11 meeting. Call to $10 per day thereafter place order to make sure you get yours. For Concord area contact Lois Kail 925.356.2602 f Wayne Scott 707-372-7712 [email protected] For Alamo area contact Leo Tscharner 925.838.5600 [email protected]
FREE FOR SALE Approx. 500 back issues of American Bee Journal and Bee Grafted Queen Cells from a cell builder colony (my best Culture stock) FREE (but you have to come to my house to get them) Cells available in August. Pick-up only, in Livermore. Contact Major Branzel $10/cell, Place order ASAP so that know when to make the 707.643.9433 next batch e My operation uses organic miticides and IPM only Contact Scott Ball BEE INSURANCE If you are thinking about getting into Beekeeping or have 925.997.0336 or [email protected] been a Beekeeper for years and are thinking about insuring your equipment or need liability coverage, we offer FOR SALE a policy designed for you. Here are some of the benefits: 4-deep Hand Crank Honey Extractor • $250, very good condition Planning on selling honey at a farmer’s market? Most will Contact Margarito Leon require you to have liability coverage. • 925.395.3776 Do your neighbor’s or others have concerns about the safety of your bees? The liability on this policy provides FOR SALE coverage for any harm your bees do including bee stings Extractor 18/9 Frame For Sale. • If a theft, vandalism or similar damage occurs to your bee Used Once in Concord $1,000.00. boxes or other equipment you would be covered there too.
Viktor Yusupov 415 706-1843 This policy costs at little at $310 per year for all these
benefit and many more not listed If you would like to learn FOR SALE more, get a personalized quote please contact my BEESWAX office: [email protected] or 925-866-2929 or 510-548- Lemon-yellow, candle grade 2929 $7/lb or $6/lb if 20lbs or more Bill Cervanka, Cervanka Apiaries Thanks Steve Bauer, State Farm Agent. 650.365.5548 or [email protected]
Hercules Bees FOR YOUR CURIOSITY Top Bar Beehives and Top Bar NUCS Steve Etheridge and Leo Tscharner have offered www.herculesbees.biz instructions on how to make your own bee vaccuum. 510.421.3671 Follow up with them at the meetings if this interests you.
HoneyM Ell Bee HAttractant/Swarm B' Attractant Great for marking bait hives. Many local testimonials $22 for a 0.5 oz bottle 415.272.0596 or [email protected]
To Submit Articles or Classified Ads Have you got something to share about bees? Contact Scott Jorgensen at [email protected] Deadline for submission is the 25th of each month
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association • PO Box 4688 • Walnut Creek, CA 94596 • www.diablobees.org 18