Worcester County Beekeepers Association

THE LATEST! (See details below)

  - All Day Conference - Saturday, March 7 - 9 AM - 3:30 PM

  - WCBA Bee School - Online Registration - Class starting March 5

All Day Conference - Saturday, March 7 - 9 AM - 3:30 PM  (Coffee/Danish @ 8 AM)

Location change:  

   NOW at Grafton High School,

   24 Providence Rd., Grafton,  MA

Speakers:

- Dr. Judy Chen, USDA Bee Research Lab, Beltsville, MD

- Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, Univ of Tennessee, Dept of Entomology & Plant Pathology

Topics: 

- An Overview of Honey Bee Diseases: Challenges & Solutions (Dr. Chen)

- Foraging Behavior / Reproductive Physiology (Dr. Tsuruda)

- The Association Between Varroa Destructor Mite & Deformed Wing Virus (Dr. Chen)

- Creating a Pollinator Paradise for Honey Bees (Dr. Tsuruda)

Details: This link will take you to Conference details: Agenda, Speaker bios and addition information  (in the Winter Newsletter)

Lunch:

You can bring your own lunch,

    OR

Order lunch ($12) by mailing the form in the Winter Newsletter, Page 4 with your payment

    OR

Order lunch ($12) via the WCBA online store

Payment for lunch must be received by Feb 28

Note: The lunch form in the newsletter shows incorrect dates: 

- The correct date for the meeting is Sat. March 7 

- The date that lunch payment must be received by is Feb 28

2020 WCBA BEE SCHOOL REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE!!

You can find details and register online HERE

KID'S DAY - NATIVE BEE HOUSE PROJECT - Looking for Volunteers!

At our August WCBA meeting, Worcester County League of Sportsment's Clubs' (WCLSC) VP, Joe Afonso described their "Kid's Day" project which will prepare, assemble and distribute up to 400 Native Bee Hives to young Worcester County conservationists.

Joe and the WCLSC have asked WCBA to partner with them and are looking for volunteers in each phase of the project:

- Review and provide input into the design of the proposed bee house (Aug/Sept)

- Help acquire materials for the interior of the bee house (wood pieces w/holes, bamboo, etc. (Oct-Dec)

- Participate, if requested, at specific club Kids' Day events to promote the WCBA and explain the use of the kits (Feb - June, typically 8-10 events)

- Cut and package the kits for distribution (1 day event, late Jan/Feb)

For more information or to volunteer, contact Joe Alfonso at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or 617-939-1605.  WCLSC also has a facebook page 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.

WCBA HONEY EXTRACTORS !

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

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

If you are interested in having an inspector check your hive, 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.

NEXT WCBA MEETING - All Day Conference

Saturday, March 7 - 9 AM - 3:30 PM  (Coffee/Danish @ 8 AM)

Location change:  

   NOW at Grafton High School,

   24 Providence Rd., Grafton,  MA

 See details on the home page (here),

               or in the Winter Newsletter, Page 5 (here)

SAVE THESE DATES FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Further details as the events approach

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.