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.

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 October 7 -- All Day Speaker Conference

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Place: Quabbin Regional High School

800 South Street, Barre, MA

Speakers: Dr. Eric Mussen, Univ. of California at Davis

Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, Clemson University

Dr. Eric Mussen and Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, two of the finest apicultural scientists from opposite sides of the country, will be presenting their research specialties to us. Their topics will open new horizons about honey bees for us. All WCBA members are encouraged to attend and take advantage of this opportunity, and we invite all beekeepers in the state and surrounding states to this meeting to advance their knowledge. Outstanding speakers, their topics are varied and highly interesting. This event is FREE for WCBA members, non-members pay $10 or may join the WCBA for $15. Lunch will be provided in the cafeteria for an additional $10, but you must be pre-registered (see form here).

Agenda and Topics:

8am - 9am Coffee, Danish & Bee Talk

9:00am President's Welcome

9:15-10:30 Dr. Eric Mussen -- Nutrition Needs in the Honeybee Colony

10:30-12:00 Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda -- Behavioral Resistance to Varroa Mites

12noon-1pm Lunch (Register for lunch using this form, or bring your own)

1:00-2:15 Dr. Eric Mussen -- The Future of Bees in Sustainable and/or Organic Crop Production

2:15-3:30 Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda -- The Foraging Behavior and Other Behaviors of Honeybees Within the Colony

3:30pm Closing Raffle

Lunch Menu: Cold cut buffet, salad, bread/rolls, pickles, potato salad, chips. $10 per person.

Directions to Quabbin Regional High School: From Worcester: Take Rte 122 North. You will travel approximately 20 miles. Route 122 brings you into the center of Barre. Turn LEFT onto South Street just past Honey Farms (not next to Honey Farms, that is James Street). Follow South Street 1.6 miles. Quabbin Regional Middle/High School is on your right, 800 South Street, Barre, MA.

BE SURE TO SAVE THESE DATES FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Saturday November 4 - Thanksgiving Banquet, 5pm Leicester Knights of Columbus

Saturday December 2 - Holiday Party, 5pm Leo's Ristorante in Worcester

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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