Books and Other Cool Stuff

A link to the W.A.S. news letter – May, 2016

The Club Librarian for 2017 is Dan Mulally.  The club has several books and videos that members can check out for a month at a time.  Dan provided the following list of books currently in the library (as of October 2014).

Dan updated the Library List for 2018.  Some of the publications are listed below and you can download the full list here.

Some of the publications include:

• A World Without Bees – Time Magazine
• A Year’s Work in an Out-Apiary
• ABC XYZ of Bee Culture 41st addition
• Applying Pesticides Correctly – EPA/USDA
• Bee Keeping for Dummies
• Beekeeping and Honeybees
• Beekeeping Basics – Penn State
• Beekeeping, Bees, and Making Honey
• The Beekeepers Bible
• The Beekeepers Lament – Vivian (how one man and half a billion bees help feed America)
• Confessions of a Beekeeper
• Cooking with Honey – Joanne Barrett (Recipes)
• Guide to Backyard Bees and Honey – Grit Country Skills
• Guide to Backyard Bees – Missing from Library
• Homegrown Honeybees and Time Management
• Honeybee Democracy – Thomas D Seeley
• Increase Essentials
• Keeping Bees and Making Honey – Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum
• Letters From the Hive – Stephen Buchmann (owned by Tom Allen)
• Managing Insecticide/Honey Bee Problems – Pennwalt Corp
• Noxious Weed Control : 2003 – SDSU Pamphlet
• The Professionals Guide to Managing the Insecticide-Honeybee Problem – Pennwalt Corp Pamphlet
• Top Bar Beekeeping

Good Reads Many of our club members have personal resource libraries and often recommend books to buy (or borrow).  Per member requests, we’ve added this section to the website to allow members to post their book recommendations and any other cool things they find.

• Emma Fennel likes Beekeeper’s Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
• Sharon Oney really likes A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbell.  She gave her copy away and had to buy another for herself.
• James Ann Barlean recomends The Bible of Bee Venom Therapy by Bodog F. Beck M.D.
• Nicole Preble recommends Honey Bee Democracy by Thomas D Seeley
• Lee Alley recommends The Buzz about Bees: Biology of a Superorganism by Helga Heilmann

Several members recommend these 2 magazines:

• American Bee Journal (http://www.americanbeejournal.com/)
• Bee Culture (http://www.beeculture.com/)

Recommended Movies: Jim Green recommends ‘Vanishing of the Bees’ which can be ordered from Netflix either via Streaming or DVD or purchased from places such as Amazon.com.  It’s an 87 minute documentary detailing the economic, political and ecological consequences of CCD.

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Honey Flow Information

Per discussion in the February Meeting, this blog category will allow our members to post when they see their first honey flow, what area are the bees in, and what major nectar sources are in bloom at that time.  Later, we can accumulate comments from the web site as well as club members log information to come up with an idea of when the honey flow starts and stops in each area.

• Color Chart to identify Pollen Sources
• Pollen.com and PollenLibrary.com both allow you to enter your zip code to get a report of plants flowering in your area — including trees, weeds and grasses.

These are Don Sargent’s bees outside of Whitewood on Easter Sunday.  They are bringing in bright orange pollen and some cream colored pollen.   The Bees did not rest on their Easter Sunday.

Buy/Sell/Trade

Feel free to post any items you have to sale or trade.  Don’t forget to include contact inforamtion.  Please limit the items you wish to sell or trade to BEES and BEEKEEPING items.

Questions and Answers

Do you have a question about beekeeping?  Have you learned something about beekeeping you would like to share with the rest of the club members?  Post your questions, answers and general information here.

Give us your feedback !!

Please give us your feedback about this new site.  We would love your ideas, suggestions, links to interesting articles.  Simply add comments.  Note that all comments will be monitored and approved before they appear on the blog to keep spammers and other nasty people from corrupting our site.

November 2018 Meeting Minutes

Wannabee Hobby Beekeepers

November 14, 2018 Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Jerry Owens at 6:00 p.m. Several people advised Jerry that they would have to leave early due to other commitments. There were a number of first-time attendees so Jerry briefly told that the club was formed in 2009 primarily to promote beekeeping and assist the novice beekeepers. Our membership has been dedicated to mentoring new beekeepers and sharing ideas, successes and “problems”.

Kia Smith, treasurer, reported we have $2, 502. 62 in our checking account and $606.56 in our savings account. Due to banking regulations our savings account would have been deemed inactive so $3 will be transferred from checking every three months. She also advised that she would be collecting dues for 2019.

Under old business, Jerry presented two procedures he has written up for new beekeepers on introducing bees into a hive. These were for both packages and nucs. This was a follow-up on previous requests for procedures specifically designed for the new beekeeper. He requested feedback on these procedures.

Also under old business, Jerry gave an update on the Bee Conference to be held on February 16, 2019 at the National Guard Armory. Tim Moran is heading this effort. Jerry passed around signup sheets for volunteers to present and assist in registration and baked goods. This is one of those efforts that will require lots of support from the membership.

Under new business, Jerry proposed a change in the by-laws basically combining the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. The reason for this was that neither of the two offices required a great deal of time and it is often difficult to get people to accept positions. There was general discussion on the merits of this. Some felt that if we had only three officers, it would not be enough if one or two were absent. Also, a member may want to perform the duties of one of the offices but not the other. There followed a general discussion of the duties of the offices that will be open for nomination and election at the December meeting. Kia explained that the President is responsible for running the meetings and that she brought in speakers and had demonstrations when she was president. The president answers many questions and assists members as needed. The vice president is responsible for conducting meetings in the absence of the president and may be in charge of special projects, such as the bee conference. The treasurer collects dues, keeps the bank records and writes checks as needed. (So far only a few have been written). The secretary takes notes at the meetings and submits the minutes to Linda Anderson, web master, for posting. Bob Roberts added that as president you always have to be looking ahead. Jerry stated that when the club was established it called for a president to only serve one year. This was so that there would be new ideas and new participants each year. Tina Mulally suggested a two-year term may be more appropriate. Dan asked if there was anything in existence as to what has gone on in the past. Jerry shared that there is a “president’s book” that is passed on from president to president.

December’s meeting will be a potluck. Members whose names begin with A-M will bring a main dish, N-Z will bring a salad or dessert. Nominations and elections will be held.

Wes Barnes shared what he does to prepare his hives for winter. He begins in late August or September when the nights drop down to the 40’s by feeding the bees sugar water. (A couple of members shared that they add Honey Bee Healthy and/or essential oil to their sugar water). His hives are behind a fence that serves as a windbreak and are about 3 ½ feet above the ground. Later, when the weather allows, he covers about ½ the top brood box with newspaper topped with sugar. Any moisture turns the sugar into a candy paddy that the bees feed on all winter. He does not cover his hives with anything. Jerry asked Bob Roberts about his hives in the high hills. This year Bob has moved his hives into the garden shed (doors open) and has added candy boards. He felt the key was to keep the bees cold so they don’t break cluster and not be able to get back into cluster in time.

The meeting closed at 7:35.

 

Respectfully submitted by:

Patty Pate

September 2018 Meeting Minutes

Wannabee Hobby Beekeepers

September 12, 2018 Minutes

The meeting was brought to order at 6:00 pm by Jerry Owens. He made several announcements one being the upcoming Pheasants Forever Banquet and the other showing Bryon Eberly’s honey which won several ribbons in completion in Edgemont. He also thanked Dale Freeman for participating in the Youth and Family Services’ Fall Harvest by bringing in his “bee jar”.

Kia Smith, treasurer, reported the club has a balance of $2,447.63 in checking and $600.49 in savings. Dan Mulally has not yet investigated CD rates but it is on his to-do list.

Under old business Tom Allen reported that there was little to no notice of the club having a space at the fair and therefore it went unstaffed some of the time. Next year we will be better prepared and will have advanced sign up for volunteers.

Under new business Dan Mulally demonstrated and discussed the Hogghead Comb system for gathering honeycomb. There was a lengthy discussion on honeycomb and also some discussion as to pricing for honeycomb and a more standardized pricing for honey in general.

There was also a discussion on harvesting honey: when and how to do so. This included discussion on water content, bottling, and crystallized honey.

We once again discussed mite treatment in conjunction with the discussion on winterizing. Also discussed were various methods of winterizing the hive which ranged from basically doing nothing, to using straw bales, insulation covering and other means of protecting the hive from winter elements.

There was a general discussion on how to keep honey not yet spun out. This included putting frames in a sealed container until it can be spun out, and keeping it cool so it won’t crystallize.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:30.

The next club meeting is October 10, 2018 at 6:00 at the Out Door Campus.

Submitted by Patty Pate

August 2018 Meeting Minutes

Wannabee Hobby Beekeepers

August 8, 2018 Minutes

The meeting was brought to order at 6:00 pm by Jerry Owens.

Kia Smith, treasurer, reported the club has a balance of $2,447.63 in checking and $600.49 in savings. She suggested we may want to consider transferring some of the funds into a CD account to earn a little interest.

Jerry asked Tom Allen to give a brief update on the scholarship committee. No committee meeting has been held yet; however, the procedures and application process had been presented and discussed at a previous meeting. Both were passed around at the previous meeting but have not yet been posted on the web page. There was general discussion regarding the scholarship program. Tom indicated he will be gone again this winter.

Tim Moran gave a brief update on the September Bee Conference. The project for this year has been dropped. Planning for the event for next year will be started earlier in the year with two major thoughts: do it right and advertise.

There was a general discussion on when and how to medicate hives for mites.

Jerry asked what topics the club members would like to hear about. There were several suggestions: flow hives (how reliable and successful), new thoughts, trends, products in the “bee world”, and Dan Malaney will do a honey comb demonstration using the Hogg Comb system.

The rest of the meeting was used for members to report on their hives, ask questions, and open discussion. Dale Freeman brought in a mason jar “hive” to show and share.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:40.

Submitted by Patty Pate

December 2017 Meeting Minutes

WannaBee Club Minutes 12-17

November 2017 Meeting Minutes

WannaBee Club Minutes 11-17

October 2017 Meeting Minutes

WannaBee Club Minutes 10-17

September 2017 Meeting Minutes

WannaBee Club Minutes 9-17