URGENT!! -- HIVES ARE STARVING AGAIN!!
Ken is seeing many starving hives on his inspection rounds this week. Recent rains have washed away the nectar and pollen from the last of the fall plants that were blooming. PLEASE check your hives and feed ASAP if their stores are light!
NEXT MEETING -- NOVEMBER 3 - THANKSGIVING BANQUET
TIME: Saturday November 3, 5 PM
LOCATION: Leicester Knights of Columbus
FAMILY STYLE DINNER: 6:00 PM - Celebrate with a fresh turkey dinner with all the fixins', dessert, coffee & tea. Board nominations for 2 director positions will also be taken.
SPEAKER: BOB DURAND - Bob served as Secretary of Environmental Affairs in the early 2000’s and is now a beekeeper himself. Bob will talk about Wildlife of Massachusetts.
AND MORE: AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS & TEACUP RAFFLE
Details can be found on our events page and in our Fall Newsletter, page 4.
Reservations must be received by October 26th! Reservation form on page 7 of the Fall Newsletter.
CALL FOR THANKSGIVING RAFFLE ITEMS
Once again we will be raffling off 4 baskets full of Thanksgiving goodies at the November banquet. Barbara has graciously offered to arranged the baskets again this year and is in need of help filling them. We will need 4 of each item (one for each basket). If you are interested in donating items please contact Barbara MacPhee at (508) 829-4556 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Preparing Your Hives for the Winter Months
Did you miss our September 15 meeting? You can find Ken's notes on Preparing Bee Hives for the Winter Months here.
Thanks to everyone who helped at the Spencer Fair!
We had over 50 volunteers this year and despite some hot weather, a good time was had by all! Our booth was as popular as always and we answered many questions about honeybees and beekeeping. Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers, this year's fair was a tremendous success. And if you missed out on the fun, please join us next year!
WCBA EXTRACTORS
WCBA has several extractors available for rent to our members. For details see here.
HONEY BEE SWARM 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.
Current WCBA memberships are good through December
The WCBA bylaws were changed earlier this year so that the membership year is now the same as the calendar year. This means that current memberships are good through December 31, 2018.
For new memberships, and for renewals (before Dec. 31) print, fill-out and mail the form found here. Membership renewal is no longer due until December.
Update on MA House bill H.4041 "An Act to Protect Massachusetts Pollinators"
Update: This bill did not get a vote in the House during the session ending 7/31/18. Stay tuned for next steps!
Background: H 4041 is a reasoned, extremely moderate use restriction of systemic neonicotinoid pesticides by homeowners. Your Representatives have told the Speaker they support this bill. One hundred Massachusetts scientists support the bill. Now the Speaker needs to hear directly from you!
INSURANCE FOR BEEKEEPERS
Did you miss the insurance presentation at our April meeting, by Wendy Ashe of A&B Insurance in Westford? Here is a link to her handout:
TEMPERATURE PROBE INFORMATION
Did you miss the temperature probe presentation at our April meeting by WCBA member Max Weagle? Here is a link to the probe information:
PROPOSED APIARY REGULATIONS FOR MASSACHUSETTS
The draft regulations can be found here: 330 CMR 8.00 - revised draft
The current regulations can be found here: 330 CMR 8.00 - current
WCBA BY-LAWS
OCT. 7, 2017 VIDEO AVAILABLE ONLINE
We have posted an online video of Dr. Eric Mussen's talk on Advanced Honey Bee Nutrition from our Oct. 7 conference:
Nutrition Needs in the Honeybee Colony
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
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.