MBA Newsletter

August 2024
Zoom Link
August Agenda
Minutes April

MBA August Meeting 2024

MBA Monthly Meeting August 8, 5:30 to 7:30, Heberton Hall, Keene Public Library
We will be voting on the new Bylaws - please make sure you have read them! Click here to review the revised bylaws
Speaker: Ken Warchol - Evaluating Colonies and Preparing Hives for the Winter Months
We are thrilled to have Ken Warchol as our speaker this month. Ken is a 6th generation beekeeper, going back to Poland. His father immigrated to the US in 1947, and Ken joined the family beekeeping tradition at age 5, continuing even while he was in the military. He currently manages 150 hives in and around Northbridge, MA. He was an apiary inspector in Massachusetts for over 40 years, and for many years worked closely with Chensheng (Alex) Lu, PhD, studying the sublethal effects of pesticides on honey bees. He also worked with Jeffery Pettis when he was at the Beltsville Bee Laboratory to understand the effect of treatment for Asian Long-horned Beetles on honey bees.
Ken taught history at Northbridge High School for almost 4 decades and is currently a co-chair of the Historical Commission in his hometown of Northbridge MA. Ken frequently has speaking engagements around New England on two of his loves, honey bees and history. To Join online, click Zoom link in banner.Meeting ID: 815 1915 8631Passcode: 993883

New Bylaws Will be voted on At the August Meeting

We have updated our bylaws for more clarity and detail. Please read the draft document by clicking the link below. We plan to vote on the bylaws at our August meeting.
Bylaws Draft
Good turnout and much fun was had by all at the July social meeting! Suzanne Broulette’s beautiful gardens and Slovenian apiary were on display, with a make-your-own sandwich bar plus delicious sides and desserts supplied by attendees. Thank you for hosting, Suzanne!

Next MBA Meetings:

September - a beekeeper from Zimbabwe and North Carolina will join us by Zoom. Nominations for 2025 officers.
October - Heather Achille will speak on the Winter Hive Wrap study she has been working on. Election of 2025 officers.
November - end of year Potluck Supper For details please see our Meeting page.
September Beekeeping Calendar* There is a second swarm season in August and September. Monitor your hives and provide space before the swarm urge starts. A swarmed colony may not be able to survive the winter.* Colony population starts to decrease and the brood area may start to contract.* Bees emerging in August are the nurse bees for winter bees, which will be emerging from the end of August into September. * Measurable Varroa population peaks in August and September, and can spike rapidly due to natural population growth, movement of mites from drones to workers, and mites coming from neighboring colonies, so frequent monitoring and early treatment is critical. Mites thrive in healthy colonies.* Make sure the hive has plenty of room for the queen to lay a robust cohort of winter bees and plenty of room to accommodate the fall nectar flow. Goldenrod flow peaks in August, resulting in an especially "fragrant" (has been compared to dirty socks!) and delicious honey.* Nutrition: A full-sized colony will need 70-90 lb of honey to get through the winter. If you are feeding your colony, use 2:1 sugar syrup so bees can evaporate it faster. Avoid feeding pollen, since the bees use reduced pollen flow as a cue to start raising winter bees. You may want to plan on providing pollen or pollen substitutes in late winter/early spring to support spring build-up, but now is not a good time to do that.* Make sure there is a water source; bees use water to cool the hive on hot days. Providing an upper entrance will help with ventilation and nectar evaporation on hot days.* Check every brood frame carefully for American Foulbrood. If you see signs, it must be reported to the state apiarist.* Consider combining or equalizing weak and strong colonies now, if there are no signs of disease. Now can also be a good time to requeen with a young mated queen; she will start laying in earnest in the spring.* Check your electric fences frequently. Bears are getting ready for winter too.

Member Buzz

Register your hives!Registering your hives and apiaries with the state of New Hampshire is voluntary and free. We strongly urge all beekeepers to register so that we can be counted and the state is aware of how many beekeepers there are. This can help us protect our bees. There is strength in numbers.https://www.agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/apiary-registration.pdf
MBA Website UpdateYou may have noticed that the look of our website changed. We are still making working on the site, updating content and cleaning up the overall appearance. If there is anything you would like us to include, please reach out to anja.deluca@gmail.com.
Are you selling honey, bees wax or any bee related products? Are you looking for a local beekeeper or bee specific items? We are launching a "Forager" section on our MBA website where MBA members can market their products. This will be a great resource for members and "foragers" looking for local honey and other honey bee products and for those who are selling these items.
If you are interested to market your products on the MBA website, please contact Anja DeLuca at anja.deluca@gmail.com.
We are looking for volunteers to man local events!Volunteers are needed to man MBA booths at upcoming events or markets. Extensive beekeeping experience is not necessary, as long as you are able to engage with the general public (chances are that even a new beekeeper will know more than the general public!). We will have everything you need - we just need you to be there.For more info contact: Michelle Randall mrdrhw01@yahoo.com

B(ee) Q&A at the Next Meeting

Not sure what you are seeing in your hive? Confused about what to do or when?
Join the BQ&A discussion from 5:30- 6:00pm at every meeting. Bring your questions to an experienced beekeeper and be part of the conversation.