Worcester County Beekeepers Association

JAR ORDER FORM NOW AVAILABLE -- ORDERS DUE APRIL 24th

The spring jar order form is now available on page 7 of our spring newsletter (see link above).  Your order must be received by Phil Gaudette by April 24th.  Order now and don't delay -- you can only buy jars through WCBA once a year!

NOTE: To place your order, you must be a WCBA member in good standing.

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

NEXT MEETING - Friday April 12 at 6:30pm - CHEF SUPPER

Knights of Columbus Hall, Mannville Street, Leicester, MA

Please join us for our final indoor meeting of the year. We will begin with a chef supper (bring a dish big enough to serve 10, based on the first letter of your last name below). At 7pm we will have a short business, followed by a presentation from our MA Chief Apiary Inspector Kim Skyrm on the upcoming season's programs and services at the state level.

A-I  vegetable/side          J-R  dessert          S-Z  main course

Hope you can join us for lots of great bee talk -- spring is here!!

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 began on March 7th, 2019! The school runs 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.

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.

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.

Friday April 12 -- CHEF SUPPER

Time:         6:30pm Chef Supper 7:00pm Business meeting and speaker

Location:  Knights of Columbus Hall, Leicester, MA (see directions below)

Speaker:   Dr. Kim Skyrm, MA Chief Apiary Inspector

Please join us for our final indoor meeting of the year. We will start with a Chef Supper at 6:30pm, followed by a short business meeting beginning at 7pm. Our speaker Dr. Kim Skyrm will then give us an update on the programs and services available through the state of Massachusetts for this coming season. Bring a dish big enough to share with 10 people, based on the first letter of your last name:

A-I   vegetable/side

J-R  dessert

S-Z  main dish

Spring is coming fast! Hope you can join us for lots of great bee talk! 

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.