General Meeting (September 2022)

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

This meeting usually starts with a beginners/intermediate beekeeper corner 30 minutes before the regular club proceedings start around 7pm.

Agenda

6:30pm New Beekeeper Corner – Don L
7:00pm Welcome – Cindy P/Will C
  Capital Regional District Native Plants – Jay R
  What to do in September – Larry L
  Funding For Sterigenics Trip in 2023 – Rinah K
  Saanich Fair Results – Victoria S
8:30pm Social
9:00pm Wrap Up and Pack Up

Minutes

Welcome – Cindy P

Capital Regional District Native Plants – Jay Rastogi

• Christmas Hill 36 acres, Swan Lake 130 acres; both sites surrounded by development
• First nations originally used these areas for Camas (grape & common) growth, using the bulbs for food
• Strongly encourage native plant use in our gardens, they better support our eco system
• Many native insects are ground nesters due to bunch grasses that are native to Victoria
• Dead wood & rocks offer nesting and sun basking opportunities
• Invasive species:
  • Swan Lake, focused on removing invasive species.
  • Currently concerned about English Hawthorne and Daphne (sp?), both growing exponentially
  • Rats & squirrels feeding on the ‘red’ berry Hawthorne
  • Sun Plants to use: Sea blush, Red broad-leaved stonecrop, Kinnikinnick, Broad-leaved shooting star, woolly sunflower, Oregon-grape (tall), Saskatoon bush, Blackcap, Miner’s lettuce, Oceanspray, Yarrow.
  • Partial shade plants: chocolate lily, Salmonberry, Thimbleberry, Red-flowering currant, Pacific dogwood, Red huckleberry, Evergreen huckleberry, Stinging nettle, Orange trumpet honeysuckle, Hairy honeysuckle, Yerba Buena.
  • Full shade plants: Western trillium, Fawn lily, Bunchberry, Twinflower, False-lily-of the-valley, Vanilla leaf, Licorice fern
  • Shared slides of a garden project at Swan Lake currently underway, was a former home that was demolished. Welcome everyone to visit, volunteers always needed.

What to do in September – Larry L

• Finish extracting, separate light & dark honeys
• Work to reduce varroa mites
• Get treatments in, colonies down to winter size
• Wintering needs: 70 lbs honey, complete syrup feeding by end of Oct, may need to keep yellow jacket reducers in place

Funding for Sterigenics trip in 2023 – Rinah K

• BEE BC Program – provided by the Province of British Columbia
• Total Grant for $1,715.68 was approved by the IAFBC (Investment Agriculture Foundation)
• Project completion date Feb 28, 2023
• Grant covers costs like, truck rental, gas, ferry costs
• Grant does not cover irradiation of equipment costs
• 2 trips will be necessary this year, one to drop off equipment, and one to pick up
• Further reporting will be necessary, as costs become realized
• Many thanks to Alanna and Bill for their support in the completion of this application

Saanich Fair Results – Victoria S

• Estimate 40,000 in attendance this year
• 10 exhibits entered – 1 deep honeycomb, 1 medium honeycomb, chunk honey, liquid honey (amber, golden, white), beeswax cake, 2 types of beeswax candles.
• 10 club members put their name forward for honey sales, 48 handouts were given out
• A HUGE thank you to all that volunteered their time over the weekend!