ARE YOUR BEES STARVING???
This year's severe drought in southern New England has brought a dearth of bee forage to many areas, and Ken is seeing many instances of starvation on his inspection rounds. Both nectar and pollen are in short supply. Please check your hives and feed them if needed!
DON'T MISS OUR OCT. 1 ALL DAY SPEAKER MEETING!
Please join us for our first indoor meeting of the year with three fantastic speakers: Dr. Wyatt Mangum, noted top bar hive expert, Dr. Meghan Milbrath from the Michigan Pollinator Initiative, and Dr. Robert Gegear from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. We'll gather for coffee and danish at 8:30am, with talks starting at 9.
This program is FREE for WCBA members. Non-members must pay $10 or may join WCBA for $15 at the door.
Details can be found in our fall newsletter.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED AT THE SPENCER FAIR!
We had a great time educating the public about honey bees and beekeeping. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to make our booth a success again this year -- we could not have done it without your help!
RESULTS OF THIS YEAR'S HONEY AND BAKING SHOW
WCBA Extractors
WCBA has several extractors available for rent to our members. For details see here.
MEAD RECIPE FROM OUR JUNE 4 MEETING
If you didn't get a copy of the mead recipe sheet from our June meeting, you can find it here:
REQUEST YOUR HIVE INSPECTION!
In 2016 your hives will not automatically be inspected unless you file a request with the Chief Apiary Inspector, except in the case of a health emergency. YOU WILL NEED TO SHOW YOUR HIVE INSPECTION FORM IN ORDER TO BORROW A CLUB EXTRACTOR. Please submit your form as early as possible to allow for planning of inspection rounds! The form can be found here:
MA apiary inspection request form
You can submit the form by email, snail mail, or phone.
To submit by email: simply click on the form and fill out the fields online, save it to your computer, and then attach the saved file in an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The form does not need to be signed.
To submit by snail mail: print the form and fill it out (or fill it out online and print it), then mail it to:
Department of Agricultural Resources
101 University Drive, Suite C4, Amherst, MA 01002
To submit by phone: call the MA Chief Apiary Inspector Kim Skyrm at 413-548-1905
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 ARE 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.