Have you gotten caught up in the debate about Baby It’s Cold Outside? Well it’s Not! It’s the middle of December and we are still experiencing frost free days and rain rain, rain. I am tired of swatting wasps away from the entrances to the hives. Daily temperatures of 6C to 11C don’t hold much hope and I am going to be dependent on a Christmas miracle if I think my hives are going to make it to Spring. Entrances have been reduced to the smallest of openings. Wasp gates don’t offer enough challenge for the marauders that follow bees through the maze and into the hives. Hives considered strong in October become questionable when wasps seem to appear from every angle. All I want for Christmas is enough bees to make it through to April.
And enough of the grumping! I hope you had a great bee season and that you are looking forward to an even better one in 2019.
The BCHPA conference may seem like a long time ago (October) but the final accounting and sharing of numbers has only just been done. Thank you again to Barry Denluck and the volunteers that made it a success. A special thank you to Rupert Rode who worked in the background tracking all the finances and making sure that at the end of the day expenses and revenues, were split, shared or reimbursed and the CRBA and the BCHPA could say: we balance! As a result of the clubs hosting of the event we were able to purchase a new projector, screen and protective case that we will use in 2019 and onward.
Can you balance your cheque book with what is in your bank account? Do you have a comfort with numbers? But, you are not an accountant? … then we need your help to meet with Rupert our Treasurer some time in January or early February. We need two people to go over the financial transactions for the year, with an independent eye to make sure we have not overlooked anything or been cavalier in our spending. This is not a task for accountants who are obligated to conduct more detailed analyses before passing comment. Instead, we need someone who can be objective and confirm at the annual general meeting that your club executive has done a good job of looking after the club assets and finances. Please contact Bill Fosdick or Rupert Rode to indicate your interest.
2019 Membership Fees: It’s so easy I am going to do it right now. That is, pay my membership fees for 2019 by going on-line to the club website. Skip the line-up at the January and February meetings by using our PayPal option when you pay your $32 – still a bargain after all these years!
Bee Vaccine: We know that changes to legislation have restricted our available tools for dealing with things like AFB. A recent Smithsonian article suggests help may be on the horizon (alternative link). Thank you to Tim Humphrey and Rupert Rode for providing the links to the article.
Bee Brained: Are insects philosophical zombies with no inner life? Close attention to their behaviours and moods suggest otherwise – read the article from AEON.