Worcester County Beekeepers Association

MASS BEE FIELD DAY - Saturday, June 15, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

UMass Agricultural Learning Center, 911 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA

Beekeeping experts from throughout New England attend this field day to share their knowledge and experience with fellow beekeepers. The all-day outdoor event is free and attendance is highly recommended.

Click here for more information (Events Page), or see the Spring Newsletter 

NEXT WCBA MEETING - Saturday, July 20 at 11:00 AM (Early Start)

Dowd's Lane, Princeton, MA (Home of Scott Malkasian)

10th Annual WCBA Cookout: Scott Malkasian and Brian Faucher generously provide us with hamburgers, hot dogs, condiments and drinks. Please bring a salad, side dish and/or dessert to share. After lunch, Scott will open his hives talking about his style of management and bee issues he faced

with his hives.

Click here for more information and directions, or see the Spring Newsletter (directions are not in the newsletter.)

MA BEE AWARE SURVEY -- deadline May 31st

Have you filled out the Massachusetts Bee Aware Honey Bee Health Survey?  Please help the bees and the beekeeping community by filling out this online survey about colony health for the 2018-19 season.  You will receive a free "BEE AWARE" sign upon survey completion!

Take the survey here

HONEY BEE SWARM COLLECTION AND COLONY REMOVAL

Honeybee swarms are a natural process where the bees divide their colony and half of them leave home along with their queen, to start a new hive. Before they find their new space, they may hang around in a temporary spot for a few hours. If you see a honeybee swarm, keep your distance and please don’t panic--they are normally fairly gentle. Do call a beekeeper who will come and get them.

A list of Worcester County Beekeepers who are on call to collect swarms can be found here. Most will also travel to nearby towns.

Sometimes a swarm will decide to take up permanent residence inside a structure such as in the walls of a house. If you are in need of someone to remove a colony and the associated honeycomb from a structure, please see this link.

Honey as a Wound Dressing

Did you miss our February meeting? Would you like to get another look at those great slides from Drs. Allen and Jane Dennison? You can find them here.

2018 WCBA memberships expired on December 31, 2018

The WCBA bylaws were changed during 2018 so that the membership year is now the same as the calendar year. This means that 2018 memberships are officially expired as of December 31, 2018.

RENEW ON LINE

You will be taken to our membership web site to enter your information and create an online profile, if you don't already have one. WCBA does not store your credit card and we will never share your personal information with any third party.

To renew by mail please print and fill out the form found here and mail with your check.

77th Annual WCBA Bee School

Bee School is finished for the year. Congratulations, Bee School Graduates!

WCBA EXTRACTORS

WCBA has several extractors available for rent to our members. For details see here.

Legislative update

MA bill H.4041 did not get a vote in the House during the session ending 7/31/18. The new legislative season is upon us and we are restarting our efforts to pass reasonable pesticide restrictions in Massachusetts. Please check the WCBA Spring 2019 newsletter for a full legislative update.

SLIDES and VIDEOS from PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Insurance For Beekeepers (April 2018) -- Wendy Ashe of A&B Insurance in Westford

Beekeeping Insurance Info

Temperature Probes for your hives (April 2018) -- Max Weagle, WCBA Director

HIVE INSPECTIONS

The MA apiary inspection service will be available soon. If you are interested in having an inspector check your hive, or any hive that died, please submit an online inspection request here:

MDAR Apiary Inspection Request Form

You can also call 617-626-1801 to request a visit from an inspector.

MA POLLINATOR PROTECTION PLAN

The MA Pollinator Protection Plan has been released and can be found at http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/agr/farmproducts/apiary/pollinator-plan.pdf

DOES YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS NEED UPDATING?

If your membership is up to date but you are not receiving club emails (quarterly newletter & important announcements), please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  to update your email in our records.

MASS BEE FIELD DAY - Saturday, June 15, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

UMass Agricultural Learning Center, 911 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA

Beekeeping experts from throughout New England attend this field day to share their knowledge and experience with fellow beekeepers. The all-day outdoor event is free and attendance is highly recommended.

The Massachusetts Beekeeping Association also holds its annual State Bee Smoker Contest at this event, so bring your smoker and secret fuel. Pre-registration is recommended. For more information, to register or order lunch, visit www.massbee.org. The full field day agenda will be posted as it is finalized. Last year we had fourteen new speakers and exciting new topics. If anyone is interested in presenting please contact your club president who will forward your request to Dan Conlon of Warm Colors Apiary.

Our major vendors will include BetterBee and Mann Lake—to save on shipping costs, pre-place your orders with BetterBee and Mann Lake and pick up your equipment at Field Day!!

NEXT WCBA MEETING - Saturday, July 20, 11 AM (Early Start)

Dowd's Lane, Princeton, MA (Home of Scott Malkasian)

10th Annual WCBA Cookout: Scott Malkasian and Brian Faucher generously provide us with hamburgers, hot dogs, condiments and drinks. Please bring a salad, side dish and/or dessert to share. After lunch, Scott will open his hives talking about his style of management and bee issues he faced with his hives. Other reasons to come out and enjoy the afternoon with your fellow beekeepers:

  - Annual WCBA Smoker Contest—bring your smoker and favorite fuel

  - Tips on preparing your honey entry for the Spencer Fair
  - Honey extraction demo—great for new beekeepers
  - Tour Scott’s log cabin mansion—the view from the top is spectacular

Directions to Scott Malkasian's home

Take Rte 122A North out of Holden Center toward Rutland. Take a right onto Rte 68 N. Go 4 miles to Glenwood Rd. Take right onto Glenwood Rd and follow it for a short distance where it splits. Go left onto Dowd’s Lane which is a dirt road. Follow it to the dead end which is Scott’s house on the left. The map shows a road coming in from the opposite side, you cannot go through that way. Follow the WCBA meeting signs.

BE SURE TO SAVE THESE DATES FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Indoor monthly meetings and many of the Special Events of the WCBA are held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Manville Street, in Leicester, Massachusetts.

From Webster Square in Worcester: Follow Route 9 West into Leicester. Two miles from the town line turn right onto Manville Street, just after Entwhistle’s Garage. Entrance to the Knights of Columbus is 1/2 mile up on your left.
From the Spencer or Leicester area: Follow Route 9 East. Turn left onto Manville Street, just before Entwhistle’s Garage. Entrance to the Knights of Columbus is 1/2 mile up on your left.