Greetings and Happy New Year!

Wow! It has been a busy year already.  Between Christmas and New Years and visiting relatives we have almost lost track of time.  With our oldest here from Georgia and trying to visit all the relative while she is here, our attentions have been somewhat divided.

We were very disappointed to have missed the Holiday Party in December.  We had a small family crisis to take care of.  We were glad to hear that those who made it to the festivities had a good time.

With the New Year come new opportunities to participate in research.

q       Dr. Sheppard will probably be needing more packages of bees.  It would be nice if our association could commit to ten packages again this year.

q       We have heard about the queen breeding program at WSU.  An opportunity has been presented to us if there are those who would like to participate.  This involves receiving queens from WSU.

q       While the weather is still cold, there is preparing for the population growth in the spring, you know, splits, swarm collecting and other such mayhem.  Members may want to get together to make wooden ware, boxes and frames.

q       Educational opportunities abound.  Our association has a half dozen demonstration hives for use by members.  They are very useful for school visits.  Kids love this kind of thing and teachers appreciate such unforgettable, tangible displays for education in the classroom.

q       We need to be looking forward to Fair planning, presentation and entries.

q       There are also farmers markets and craft fairs to prepare for.  Last year there was a tremendous exchange of ideas that many members benefited from.  A few of our members found that dark honey sells well in the current market.

q       This is also the time when we renew memberships and get records updated.  Included with membership in our association you are an associate member in the Washington State Beekeeping Association.

q       We should find out and discuss---Is there a regional meeting for our association to host this October?

q       We hope to see you at the next meeting, Tuesday, January 14.

Bee Cool, Bee Good, Bee Happy!

Fred and Vickie Gower