Worcester County Beekeepers Association

Established1900

Announcements

MITE ALERT!!

Our bee inspector Ken Warchol is seeing lots of hives around Worcester County with high mite counts -- deformed wings and headless brood. If you are seeing this in your hives, he advises treating NOW with oxalic acid or Apivar -- don't wait till November.

EXTRA QUEENS?

Are you combining hives? Have an extra queen to give away? Please contact Kathy deGraaf to help find someone who needs a queen.

THANKSGIVING BANQUET NOV. 4

Join your fellow beekeepers for our annual turkey dinner, raffle, and awards ceremony. Our speaker will be Dianne Benson Davis on Eagle One: Raising Bald Eagles. Don't forget to get your reservation in by Oct. 27! You can find the form on page 7 of the fall newsletter.

We need donations for the food baskets to be raffled -- please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you can help!

OCT. 7 VIDEO AVAILABLE ONLINE

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

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

President -- Kathy deGraaf

Vice President -- Barbara MacPhee

Secretary -- Angela Hogue

Treasurer -- Phil Gaudette

Directors for 2017-2020 -- Dick Callahan & Norman Mercier

A HUGE THANK YOU to our outgoing President Mary Duane for all her work these past two years, and to our outgoing Secretary Barbara MacPhee for her many years of service in that role. THANKS MARY and BARB!!

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

WCBA EXTRACTORS

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

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 our treasurer Phil Gaudette to update your email in our records.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS DUE AUGUST 31

Membership has its benefits! Quarterly newsletter, discount on beekeeping trade journals (Bee Culture and American Bee Journal), free admittance to the WCBA indoor meetings which include our March and October speaker meetings, discount honey jar ordering, club honey extractor program and much, much more. Don't delay, renew today!

Membership renewals are due by August 31 every year. Dues are $15. You can renew by mail or at any of the club meetings. The membership renewal form can be found here.

Events

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Saturday November 4 -- Thanksgiving Banquet

Time: 5:00pm social hour, 6:00pm dinner

Place: Leicester Knights of Columbus

Celebrate with a fresh turkey dinner with all the fixins', dessert, coffee & tea!

Your reservation must be received by Oct. 27. See the form on page 7 of the fall newsletter.

Speaker: Dianne Benson Davis -- Eagle One: Raising Bald Eagles

Dianne spent four months living alone as the caretaker for eight baby bald eagles in the remote Quabbin Reservoir area as part of an ambitious and successful effort to reintroduce the endangered bald eagle to the skies of New England. Her book, Eagle One, A Wildlife Memoir, is a record of her time with the eagles and will be available for $20 (a $5 discount).

Awards and Presentations:

Presentations will be made for Beekeeper of the Year, Honey Queen, Spencer Fair Winners, and Appreciation.

Raffle: Bring a gift from the garden, the kitchen or the hive, a handmade craft, some bee equipment, a gift certificate or even a bottle of spirits for the teacup raffle.

Also, food items are needed for the large baskets to be raffled off -- please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you can donate something for those.

Saturday November 11 -- Mass Bee Fall Meeting

Time: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Place: Scanlon Hall, Westfield State University

Westfield, MA

Speakers: Dr. Meghan Milbrath, Michigan State Univ.

Rachael Bonoan, Tufts University & Boston Area Beekeepers

Mass Bee's fall meeting with be in Westfield this year with some terrific speakers and topics (varroa management, overwintering with nucs, honeybee nutrition). You can find details in the Mass Bee newsletter:

https://www.massbee.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fall-Newsletter-2017.pdf

Saturday December 2 -- Holiday party

Time: 5:00pm Cocktail hour

6:00pm Buffet dinner

Place: Leo's Ristorante

11 Bracket Court (off Shrewsbury Street)

Worcester, MA

Relax and kick off the holiday season wining & dining with your fellow beekeepers.

Menu: Rolls, Antipasto, Meatballs, Homemade Macaroni, Eggplant Parmesan, Sausage/Peppers/Onions/Mushrooms, Chicken Masala, Chicken & Broccoli with Ziti, Sliced Roast Beef, Dessert (vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce), Coffee & tTea

Yankee Swap: Bring a $10 gift to swap with your fellow beekeepers

Your reservation must be received by Nov. 24. See the form on page 7 of the fall newsletter.

BE SURE TO SAVE THESE DATES FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Friday January 12 - Chef Supper, 6:30pm Leicester Knights of Columbus

Friday February 9 - Chef Supper, 6:30pm Leicester Knights of Columbus

Directions to the Leicester Knights of Columbus

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.

Bee School

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75th ANNUAL WORCESTER COUNTY BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

BEE SCHOOL

WCBA Bee School 2017 is over -- CONGRATULATIONS to all of our 2017 graduates!!

Many thanks to all who generously volunteered their time to make it a success.

Each bee school attendee received a pro-rated WCBA membership through August 31, 2017 and an email subscription to the WCBA quarterly newsletter. If you are not receiving your newsletters, please contact our treasurer Phil Gaudette to confirm your email address and membership listing.

You can find the 2017 class schedule and syllabus here. Additional details and the 2017 registration form can be found here.

Watch this space for information about our 2018 Bee School (registration begins January 1, 2018) -- we encourage every beekeeper to attend twice!

Recipes

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WCBA has published a cookbook that is chock full of tasty treats for you to make at home. The book is available for $15 at club meetings, or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Sugar Patty recipe for winter feeding

Beeswax hand cream

Some recipes from the old site can by found on the amazing 'way back machine'.

The Apiary News

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The Apiary News is produced by Charice Kalis.

Current Issue

WCBA Library

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