Worcester County Beekeepers Association

SPENCER FAIR HELP NEEDED LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

Friday, August 30 – Monday, September 2, 2019

10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (Rain or Shine)

We need help manning the WCBA Educational Booth at the Spencer Fair during Labor Day Weekend. This is a unique opportunity for our members to educate the public on the importance of Honey Bees in our community. There are also ongoing opportunities to help your club in many ways. Please get involved!

To volunteer, contact Kathy deGraaf : (508)393-0140 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 WCBA HONEY EXTRACTORS !

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

NEXT WCBA MEETING - Saturday, September 21 at 1:00 PM 

Foppema's Farm (Formerly Keown Orchards) 10 McClellan Rd. Sutton, MA

SPEAKERS: Ken Warchol & Other experienced beekeepers

TOPIC: Final preparations for the winter months

Ken will open a hive and demonstrate what needs to be done in the beehive to
prepare it for the long winter months. Food stores and feeding, treatments, brood
rearing, wrapping and winter care of the hive will be covered. This is a must for new
beekeepers hoping to overwinter their hives successfully—hope to see you there.
Please bring protective equipment, folding chairs and sunscreen.

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. For more details, see our Events page.

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.

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.

77th Annual WCBA Bee School

Bee School is finished for the year. Congratulations, Bee School Graduates!

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.

NEXT WCBA MEETING - Saturday, September 21 at 1:00 PM 

Foppema's Farm (Formerly Keown Orchards) 10 McClellan Rd. Sutton, MA

SPEAKERS: Ken Warchol & Other experienced beekeepers

TOPIC: Final preparations for the winter months

Ken will open a hive and demonstrate what needs to be done in the beehive to
prepare it for the long winter months. Food stores and feeding, treatments, brood
rearing, wrapping and winter care of the hive will be covered. This is a must for new
beekeepers hoping to overwinter their hives successfully—hope to see you there.
Please bring protective equipment, folding chairs and sunscreen.

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 of these project phases:

- Review and provide input into the design of the proposed bee house (August/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 Kid's 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 Afonso 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.

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.