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Bee Season is Here!! I hope this finds you well! :-)
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The next BeeGroup Meeting is upon us!
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The next meeting is Monday, March 16th, 6.30pm, the third Monday of the month at the Olive Free Library. We all look forward to seeing you all, and hopefully you all look forward to seeing all the other beekeepers...
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Queen 16 Days, Worker 21 Days, Drone 24 Days...
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As always, something to listen to whilst your read on... Opens a new window.
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In light of the Beekeeping classes listed below with Roger Patterson's visit and as a guest lecturer in some of these courses, the May BeeGroup Meeting will be moved to the second Monday in May so that Roger can attend and speak at OUR Bee Group Meeting. Not bad, eh? To that end, the May BeeGroup Meeting will be Monday, May 11th. How can you miss this?
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I want to impress upon you the usefulness of attending one of the below beekeeping courses. Me and the Missus took the season long course a couple years ago with Rob and Tom, as did about 10 other people. We spent May - September in the bee yards with them. It definitely moved forward our beekeeping knowledge several years. In addition, Tom and Rob get bees through the winter. They have a slightly different method and perspective than most in the Hudson Valley and lose a significantly lower percentage of bees than do other beekeepers. Many people are talking about losing all their bees this year. If you lose your bees every year, you might want to consider the boot camps or the season long course. The bootcamps are good for newbies and for beekeepers with just. few years under their belt. You will definitely learn not only the basics of anatomy and biology of bees, but also get an intensive in handling them and gaining an understanding of what you are looking at. You will learn the basics on how to manage them. As a result, I'd like to think that, as Rob often says, we've become "critical thinkers" in our beekeeping. Our strongest hive last year looked liked it died in December due to a mite infestation. We confirmed this by sending a sample of bees to the Beltsville Lab in Maryland. As a result we gave all the hives a treatment of oxalic acid--this was at time when there was no brood or laying happening, so we could reach most of the mites--in winter, mind you. For the heck of it I treated the hive we thought died. I also stuck a small 5 watt light bulb under it for the entire winter because I knew if they were alive the number of bees were tiny and could not keep warm on their own. Here we are, March the 9th at this writing, and that hive is flying! We couldn't be happier. But in our first year, we'd have done nothing and watched them die, and we did. Please consider taking one of these courses. I can tell you that you will be very happy that you did. I won't guarantee your personal success, but this is an opportunity to move forward your understanding of keeping bees. And I have to say, we made some great friends from the class that we'll always have. --Bill
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Available this spring are the following beekeeping classes for all levels of beekeeper. Tom Sotiridy, Rob Overton and special guest professor, Roger Patterson, Master Beekeeper in the UK, will be visiting in May. It is advised you sign up quickly as space is limited and should fill up fairly quickly.
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Please click on the linked headlines for more info and to sign up.
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MAY 19 9 AM-3 PM
MAY 20. 9 AM-3 PM
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Locally bred and locally acclimatized. No Florida package sh#$ here!
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A new beekeeping blog from Tom Sotiridy.
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Beltsville Lab: If your bees die, God Forbid!, please send a sample to the Beltsville Lab in Maryland. The analysis is free and they will email you the results. They check for Nosema and Mites. I sent a sample down a month ago and my hive was loaded with mites -- in December! Please share results with Rob,Tom and the BeeGroup so we can help keep tabs on what is happening in the 'hood. Thanks! CLICK HERE for details on how to submit a sample.
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If you have any topics, ideas, selling bee equipment, or questions, feel free to contact us at BeeGroup@HVHiives.com.
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Please whitelist beegroup@hvhives.com to ensure proper mail delivery from Hudson Valley Hives.
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Practical Beekeeping With Roger Patterson
A New Zealand Beekeeping audio podcast with Roger Patterson...
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The Outer Limits ZZZZZ
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VERY INTERESTING... I stumbled on this the other night on Hulu. Intense, spooky, the Queen Bee wants to invade earth! Will she succeed? We control your television set... CLICK HERE to view video...
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Honey bee and pollinator facility officially opened
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Washington State University celebrated the opening of its new Honey Bee & Pollinator Research, Extension and Education Facility today with a formal ribbon cutting and self-guided tours of the building. CLICK HERE to read on...
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There's a honey bee shortage, but they're still pollinating Almond Orchards
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Kern County is buzzing now that almond orchards are in bloom and that's mostly from the help of hard-working bees. For 2- 4 weeks this bloom season will keep beekeepers and their worker bees busy. Owner and beekeeper of Kern County Bees Breanne Corley says, “The quality and quantity is dependent on a healthy pollination." CLICK HERE to read on...
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About Honey Bees - Types, Races, and Anatomy
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There are different types of bees in a honey bee hive: Worker, Drone and Queen. Each has its own important roles and performs specific duties in a bee colony. CLICK HERE to read on...
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Ditch the Lawn, Save the Wild Bees
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“There are around 4,000 native bees in America that don’t create honey and don’t sting: tiny bees the size of a grain of rice. And they are important pollinators,” says U.S. wildlife biologist Sam Droege. He leads the U.S. Geological Survey Native Bee Laboratory. CLICK HERE to view video...
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Resources:
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For Honeybee information, videos, podcasts and workshops please visit the links below. Workshops are being updated as we speak!
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Dave Cushman Beekeeping Website maintained by Roger Patterson.
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NOSEMA: Treatment Procedure. Don't forget to treat for Nosema! Click Here for procedure.
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HONEYBEE LIFE CYCLE - Very Important to know. This is the building block of understanding your hives.
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Queen 16 Days, Worker 21 Days, Drone 24 Days...
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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Where: Olive Free Library, West Shokan
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When: 3rd Monday of the Month - 6:30PM
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Hudson Valley Hives is a beekeeping group that meets at the Olive Free Library on a monthly basis and discuss all things beekeeping. The meeting is driven by members questions and sharing experiences with the goal of spreading timely knowledge among fellow beekeepers. It is very informal and we welcome anyone interested to participate. If you are just thinking about getting started in beekeeping, a new beekeeper, or a seasoned beekeeper, you will benefit from the group discussions. There is no membership fee. The Olive Free Library graciously provides a meeting place for our group and we encourage you to make a donation to the library if you find the BeeGroup helpful.
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Have family or friends that might be interested in beekeeping? Forward this email so they can Subscribe to our Mail List.
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