BEELINES January, 2005

Regularly scheduled meetings are on the 2^nd Tuesday of each month. 7 p.m.
Meetings at 1305 Pine Avenue in Snohomish in the Christ the King Lutheran Church building.

Next Meeting: Tuesday January 11, 2003

I trust you all had a great Holiday break and rang in the new year with much cheer and toasting!  It's hard to believe another year has gone by but our new roster of officers will be shepherding us thru 2004:

Please bring your suggestions for meeting topics to the January meeting.

Dates to Remember
Jan 11: January NWDBA Meeting
Feb 8: February NWDBA Meeting

Holiday Party
The holiday party this year was again a great success.  Attendance was good and there was tons of food with so many deserts I didn't know where to start!  We even had door prized for everyone thanks in great part to Val and others for thinking of us.

WSBA Update
Attached to this newsletter is a WSBA update from Tim Bueler.    Read the update from Tim for details!

Beekeeping Training
Two of our members are offering help with beekeeping classes this year.   Tim Bueler will be offering a no-charge 6:30PM  'come early' session before our regular NWDBA meetings and will be starting his sessions February 8.  Jean Bassett is also continuing her long tradition of spring classes from her store in February.  Please contact Tim at 425-334-9684 or Jean at 360-568-2191 for more info.

2005 Dues
Please bring a check to the January meeting or send dues to our treasurer payable to NWDBA.

John Bryant
9824 38th Pl SE
Everett, WA 98205

December Beekeeping
Keep the entrances free of dead bees.  This is a good time to go to beekeeper meetings and read all the beekeeping magazines that have been stacking up all year.  Repair old equipment, assemble all the new frames and supers you will need next year.  If you need apiary permits for outyards, apply for them now.

January Beekeeping
Make or order spare hives and other equipment required for the coming season.  See that hive entrances are kept clear of dead bees.  Note the amount of bee loss in your apiary notebook.  Order queens and package bees now to avoid the last minute rush.

February Beekeeping
See that hive entrances are kept clear of dead bees.  If you have not done so already, order your package bees or queens.  Lift the hives from the front to determine an estimate of colony honey stores – you should be lifting 45 to 50 pounds.  If they are light (or near starving), place two cups drivert sugar on the back end of the top bars above the bee cluster, or feed 2-4 quarts syrup in a four-hole top-feeder a using two parts sugar to one part water.

What’s happening with WSBA and upcoming events.

December 2004

Tim Bueler, WSBA Area 1 Representative

Happy New Year! What an interesting year 2004 was. On the upside we had a great picnic/short course in Pullman last June and the always fascinating annual conference, this year in Spokane. Paul Lundy has developed the WSBA newsletter into wonderful and comprehensive resource for the beekeepers of Washington State. The beekeepers survey done this year gave us important information that gives the WSBA Executive board clear direction. We are working on improving communication, developing education programs, rejuvenating the Master Beekeepers Program, continuing our support of WSU research and, of course, working with legislators to protect and promote the beekeeping industry in Washington State.

Also on the upside…in reviewing WSBA records we discovered Area 1 is supposed to have two representatives. With that in mind, and a beekeeper population chart afforded by the survey, the following changes have been made;

·         Area 1 has been expanded to include the three northern most counties on the Olympic Peninsula.

·         We then split Area 1 into two. Snohomish County and north is now Area 1a, King County and the Peninsula are now Area 1b.

·         This also had the affect of making Area 2, southwest Washington, a more manageable size.

Van Sherod, mentor supreme and candle making guru, was elected (volunteered) to represent Area 1b and I was reelected (revolunteered) to represent Area 1a. Sorry folks, you’re stuck with me for another three years.

Of course western Washington beekeepers also had our share of problems this year. Honey production was down and queen failure was up. Many of us are battling miticide resistant mites and there were several reports of American Foulbrood infections. Research continues however and, beekeepers being the resilient lot that we are, I’m confident that we will eventually overcome these obstacles.

Also of note:

v      Presidents of local associations which are affiliated with WSBA are highly encouraged to attend WSBA meetings. Your position as Association President affords you a voting position on WSBA Executive Board.

v      By now you should all have elected officers for 2005. Please send me your list of elected. I receive about a half dozen inquiries a year from people interested in locating a local association. I can’t tell them who to contact if you don’t tell me. Please include name, address, phone(s) and email address.

v      Mark your calendars now for upcoming events:

§         January 8, 2005- WSBA executive board meeting. Bar 14 Ranch House Restaurant, 1800 South Canyon Rd., Ellensburg, WA. 10AM-2PM

§         March 2005 – WSBA Executive Board meeting. Time & location TBA.

§         June 2005 - Annual picnic and field day. Time & location TBA.

§         October 28-30, 2005 – WSBA and OSBA joint conference in Newport Oregon. Watch the WSBA newsletter, wasba.org, for more information.

Tim Bueler

Email--- see wasba.org site

Phone---425-334-9684