General Meeting (May 2017)

The Capital Regional Beekeepers Association (CRBA) meets on the second Thursday of every month.

This meeting usually starts with a beginner’s corner 30 minutes before the regular club proceedings start around 7pm.

Agenda

• 6:30-7:00 – New beekeepers’ corner (Lower hall; Barry)
  Bee nutrition
• 7:00 – Welcome
  • What is in Bloom
  • What beekeepers are doing this month
  • Swarm Update
  • Provincial and National Update
  • Q&A with Heinz and Derek
• 7:30 – Inventions and Contraptions
  • Queen boxes – Heinz
  • Beekeeper’s tool box – Bill
  • Honey dehydrator – Mark
  • Bee calming box – Mark
  • Wasp catcher – Barry
  • Club website – Werner
• 8:30 – Social

New Beekeepers/beginner’s Corner

6:30 pm, May 11, Lower level presentation room

Nutrition

The health and wellness of honey bees, like all animals, is affected by the nutrition of their food supply. We beekeepers rob our colonies of their honey which includes a major source of their nutritional needs. Supplemental feeding of refined cane sugar, primarily sucrose, has very little nutrition. Supplemental feeding of commercial pollen patties, typically 2% pollen, also has very little nutrition. The question becomes: Is nutrition important and if so how can we provide nutrition to our honey bees?

Please join us for a brief presentation on the importance of nutrition for the honey bee colony.

Minutes

Bill Fosdick, president called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm and welcomed the members to the meeting. Bill gave the members a preamble on what to expect at the meeting this evening.

Colony survival survey

Shirley Richardson spoke to the members on the survival survey of the members’ hives. The full report is on the CRBA’s website.

• 62 members – 1 – 2 hives – 44% survival
• 50 members – 3 – 6 hives – 52% survival
• 11 members – 7 – 10 hives – 58% survival
• 6 members – 11 hives – 71% survival 3 successful – 3 50%
• 7 members – 7 – 30 hives – 6 at – 94%

Reasons for the loses – starvation, mites, wasps and a moisture problem.

Bill informed the members that there are now small groups meeting within their areas to talk about and help each other in the hive problems.

Canadian Honey Council

Stan Reist gave a presentation from the Canadian Honey Council on what is happening national. Bee colonies are on the rise in Canada. Controlling the mite count in the colonies is very critical as controlling nosema.

Stan showed a power point from the CHC that was used in a presentation to the prairie beekeepers. BeeConnected is an application that shows the beekeeper and farmer when the farmer will spray and where the bee hives are located on the property.

What’s Growing – Nairn Hollett

Oregon Grape Saskatoon berries, fruit trees and hawthorns are in bloom at this time. Cole crops that were left to go to seed are now in bloom. Some of the herbs are now coming into bloom (chives, rosemary and thyme).

What to do in the Bee Hive this month – Larry Lindahl

Keep weeds down around the hives. Harvest the first honey (if there is any making sure there is some for the bees). Check mite count – this is crucial. This should be done every 2 to 3 weeks. Check the queens laying pattern. Make sure there is plenty of room for the colony if swarm cells are present you may wish to make splits.

The Derek and Heinz show

The dynamic duo of Heinz and Derek – “what to do with this frame”

Members provided frames in difference conditions and Heinz and Derek gave their opinion on what to do with the frames. This is always a audience favourite.

Inventions and Contraptions

• Don Lambert
  • showed the members the contraption to move complete hives to yards.
  • nuke feeders made from a chicken water container
  • a newspaper excluder to join 2 hives together
  • a queen capture jar to make sure queen is not squished during inspection
  • used a pill container with holes in the lid – idea from seeing wasps captured in the house with a piece of paper and drinking glass.
• Mark
  • demonstrated his honey dehydrator
  • bee calming box
• Barry Denluck
  • demonstrated his wasp trap – good for all seasons – captures queens in early spring with sugar water – foragers in summer with icing sugar and borax. This is taken back to the nest and kills the colony
• Werner Grundlingh
  • updated the members on what is happening with the website.

Members who borrow from the club’s library, please fill out card and leave in box.

Quadra Days is May 13th.

Jen Olsen has misplaced or lost her swarm excluder at the last meeting.

Meeting adjourned for refreshments at 9:15 pm.