Worcester County Beekeepers Association

NEXT MEETING - SATURDAY MARCH 2,  9 AM - 3:30 PM

Grafton High School, 24 Providence Road, Grafton, MA

The WCBA brings in the top speakers in the country to advance your knowledge in beekeeping so we can all be better beekeepers. WCBA members are encouraged to attend this free conference and we invite members from other organizations to attend. This event is FREE for members, non-members pay $10 or may join the WCBA for $15. Buffet lunch is available for $14 if ordered by 2/22 via this link.

For agenda & details, click to the events page or see the WCBA Winter 2018-2019 Newsletter (pages 4 & 5)

Speakers:

Dr. Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota
Dr. Christina Grozinger, Penn State

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.

Note: If you are planning to sign up for 2019 Bee School, your Bee School registration will include your membership for the year. In this case there is no need to join or renew separately and you can safely ignore the renewal reminders.

77th Annual WCBA Bee School

Bee School begins March 7th, 2019! The school will run for eight Thursdays from 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM at the Grafton High School in Grafton, MA.

The fee is $35 which includes membership in WCBA through the end of 2019.

NOTE: Registering for WCBA membership does not sign you up for bee school. You must complete the separate bee school application.

For more details including syllabus and schedule, see the Bee School page here.

To register online, please use this link.

To register by mail, please download and mail this form with your check.

Preparing Your Hives for the Winter Months

Did you miss our September 15 meeting? You can find Ken's notes on Preparing Bee Hives for the Winter Months here.

WCBA EXTRACTORS

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

HONEY BEE SWARM 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.

Update on MA House bill H.4041 "An Act to Protect Massachusetts Pollinators" 

Update: This bill did not get a vote in the House during the session ending 7/31/18. Stay tuned for next steps!

Background: H 4041 is a reasoned, extremely moderate use restriction of systemic neonicotinoid pesticides by homeowners. Your Representatives have told the Speaker they support this bill. One hundred Massachusetts scientists support the bill. Now the Speaker needs to hear directly from you!

INSURANCE FOR BEEKEEPERS

Did you miss the insurance presentation at our April meeting, by Wendy Ashe of A&B Insurance in Westford? Here is a link to her handout:

Beekeeping Insurance Info

TEMPERATURE PROBE INFORMATION

Did you miss the temperature probe presentation at our April meeting by WCBA member Max Weagle? Here is a link to the probe information:

Temperature Probe info

WCBA BY-LAWS

We have posted an online video of Dr. Eric Mussen's talk on Advanced Honey Bee Nutrition from our Oct. 7 conference:

Nutrition Needs in the Honeybee Colony

HIVE INSPECTIONS ARE AVAILABLE

The MA apiary inspection service is now available. 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.

Saturday, March 2, 2019, All Day (9 AM - 3:30 PM)

Grafton High School, 24 Providence Road, Grafton, MA

Speakers:   Drs. Marla Spivak and Christina Grozinger

Speaker bios can be found as side bars in the Winter 2018-2019 Newsletter, page 5.

Agenda & Topics

8:00-9:00     Free Coffee, Danish & Bee Talk

9:00             WCBA President's Welcome - Kathy DeGraaf

9:15-10:30   Dr. Marla Spivak

The Benefits of Propolis to Honey Bee Health

A discussion on 10 years of research on how a propolis envelope within a bee colony benefits bees’ immune systems and helps them fight off diseases, and our work in identifying the plant sources of propolis in our area.

10:30-12      Dr. Christina Grozinger

Bee Nutritional Ecology: From Flowers to Landscapes

Scientists at Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research are evaluating how the nutritional quality & quantity of floral resources shape bee foraging preferences, and are using this information to identify flowering plant species that provide optimal nutrition for different bee species. We are also examining how landscape features determine
forage quality & quantity, and how forage resources interact with other factors (including pesticide use, population density of managed honey bees, weather & microclimate) to determine bee health.

12:00-1:00   Lunch

Register for a buffet lunch ($14) by 2/22, using this link - or bring your own lunch.

1:00-2:15     Dr. Marla Spivak

The Results and Findings From a 5-year Study Monitoring the Health and Survivorship of Migratory Beekeeping Colonies: “SIMPLE WAYS TO KEEP OUR BEES ALIVE”
Dr. Spivak will discuss research by her PhD student, Katie Lee. Katie collected 5 years of data from 23 commercial beekeeping operations that maintained their colonies in the Upper Midwest during the summer months, and transported their colonies to California to pollinate almonds, or to the southern US to raise new queens during the winter months.

2:15-3:30     Dr. Christina Grozinger

Cooperation and Conflict in Social Insect Societies: From Pheromones to Genes

While honey bee colonies are often thought of as harmonious “superorganisms”, studies have revealed a nuanced and sophisticated pheromone communication system that balances cooperation and conflict among members of the colony. Our studies provide insights into genomic, epigenomic, physiological and chemical mechanisms that regulate the variation in pheromone production and responses to these pheromones that shape social behavior in bees.

3:30              Closing and Raffle

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.

The slides for those two talks are pretty comprehensive.