BEELINE November 2014 Volume 28 Issue 6 Newsletter of the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA) www.adirondackbees.org Officers of the Board (area code 518) President: David Wood 882-9759 1st Vice President: Dan Kerwood 762-9364 President’s Column -David Wood 2nd Vice President: Michael Blendell 584-5067 Treasurer: Michael Coppola 581-8271 Secretary : Aaren Harris 632-1122 Promotions Officer: Stephanie Rozelle 584-5067 Webmaster : Bruce Raver adkbees@gmail.com Beeline Editor : Anne Frey 895-8744 The County Coordinators: Albany Stephen Wilson 861-8020 Fulton Bob Hyney Montgomery Doug Hill dhill4@nycap.rr.com Rensselaer Michael Slezak Saratoga - “Volunteering gives you a high that is completely legal and leaves no hangover.” 766-4012 chrisoc@icloud.com Christopher O’Connor Schenectady Ian Munger beekeeper@bluelinehoney.com Schoharie Leo Siemion Jr. 287-1408 Warren - Vacant ! Washington Tom Wells 746-1662 Notable Volunteers Linda Armour and Dan Jordan, who coordinated the workers for the Saratoga and Washington County Fair SABA booths. For the past 4 years I have had the honor to serve on SABA’s board as its president. The club is fortunate that we have a membership of folks with the interest, skills, and time to volunteer for the benefit of all of us. Whether being a mentor, helping at the seminar, hosting an open hive demonstration, or contributing refreshments at a meeting – our members make this club what it is. With nearly 300 dues-paying members our club has a wonderful resource of talent. The slate of nominated officers reflects this talent, and with this new leadership I am confident that SABA will prosper in the years ahead. In closing, thank you for your encouragement and support during my tenure. I speak for myself as well as for the other departing officers when I say that it has been a pleasure to be on the board. Thank you for your support! SABA’ s New Librarian Ken Hughes, who has been SABA’s librarian for this past year, has stepped down due to personal reasons. I am happy to report that Nancy Wicker has volunteered to be our new librarian. Nancy has a lifelong love of books and is eager to serve the SABA membership. Please join me in welcoming Nancy at our November meeting. May your hives in 2015 be as healthy and productive as in 2014! —-> Beekeeping Classes Offered to Members A SABA Calendar Use This to Mark Yours! SABA is offering a beginner and an intermediate series of classes in 2015. The nominal student fees partly cover class materials and teacher payment, and SABA covers the rest. All SABA meetings are at Cornell Coop. Ext., 50 West High St., Ballston Spa, NY unless noted otherwise. Nov. 17 SABA General membership meeting 7:30pm, with beginner Q+A/Ask a Beek at 7:00. Please bring a snack or dessert to share. Teas of all kinds and cold drinks will be provided. Eat, meet and greet before and after meeting! Intermediate class topics will include bee life cycle; advanced diseases/parasites; basic queen rearing; splits; nuc creation and upkeep; swarms and their prevention and use; finding, catching and marking queens, wall cutouts and product packaging. This class series is for people who have kept bees for at least 3+ years and are confident in hive manipulations. December 15 SABA Joint Board meeting, 7 pm . Both outgoing and incoming Board members, please attend! January 12 NOTE This is a DATE CHANGE. SABA General membership mtg. 7:30pm, with beginner Q+A/Ask a Beek at 7:00. To learn how to start beekeeping, building and placing hives, installing a package or nuc, feeding bees, supering, preparing for winter, treating against mites, etc., please come to beginner beekeeping classes. February 24 SABA Board meeting 7 pm March 16 SABA General membership meeting Intermediate dates: Feb 5,12,19,26. 6:30-9pm Snow date 3/5 . Fee: $75 March 21 SABA Seminar, all day in Malta, NY. Speakers: Wyatt Mangum, Meghan Milbrath, Allen Dick For the beginner series, the first class is in January, because a large part of it covers choosing equipment and bees, which should be ordered then. Notes from Mike Blendell, 1st V.P. There will be a dinner with the speaker at Augie’s Restaurant, 17 Low St. in Ballston Spa. If you’re going please be there by 5 pm. Lloyd Spear of Ross Rounds will be our Nov. 17 speaker. Lloyd will talk about promoting and selling honey. Please let me know of any ideas you have for a program, speaker or simply a topic for a future meeting. Beginner class dates: Jan. 15, March 26, April 2,9,16 6:30-9pm . Snow date 4/23. Fee $85 All classes will be held in the Saratoga County Cooperative Extension building, 50 West High St., Ballston Spa. Cancellations will be announced on the website and to the class members. In May, a final class will be held in a local bee yard. Registration will open in mid December and is limited to 20 people in each series. At the November 17 meeting we will also find out which kids are the newest youth award winners. Since 2005, 14 youths have accepted these awards from SABA. The awards are the August and JosephineWolf/Al Lounsbury Young Beekeeper Award and the Bob Stevens Young Beekeeper Award. Contact or Ian Munger at beekeeper@bluelinehoney.com or Anne Frey at annef2525@gmail.com / 895-8744 with questions. 2 VOLUME 28, ISSUE 6 Elections in November SABA’s Nominating Committee Reports: The Nominating Committee has completed their work gathering candidates for association officers. Committee members Linda Armour, Jennifer Ford , Anne Frey, and Bruce Raver: thank you for all your efforts! This slate will be presented on November 17 for your consideration of election: Nominations President – Chris Cripps 1st Vice President – Ian Munger 2nd Vice President -- Gregory Stoddard Secretary – Trisha Driscoll Treasurer – Trish Manning Promotion Officer – Farial English County Coordinators: Albany – Steve Wilson Fulton – Dan Kerwood Montgomery – Bruce Blender Rensselaer – Tony Antonucci Saratoga – Chris O’Connor Schenectady – Walt Wojtowicz Schoharie – Leo Siemion Warren – Alicia Purzycki Washington – Tom Wells A little Q & A via email Subject: syrup Wednesday, October 15, 2014 5:32 PM Hi Anne, I put fall syrup on one hive on Tues. It's my one Warre hive that I caught a swarm with last year. Thought I'd give them a little boost. How long should I leave it on? Should I have put it on earlier? I extracted honey last week and put the frames and some of the equipment out for the bees to clean up. I'm always amazed at the number of bees that show up and the job they do cleaning up. – Thanks, D. Thursday October 16, 2014 11:35 AM Hi D, Do Warre hives have different size top bars than Langstroths? I only ask because it is better to redistribute frames of honey rather than feed syrup, if there is extra in some other hives, instead of harvesting it as honey for humans. Heavy syrup will be taken up well this week since the days are warm. Some falls this would be too late. Normally people assess brood chamber stores and harvest in early to mid September, and feed (if needed) right then. The bees must store thick syrup while days are warm, so they can further thicken it, since it has to be as thick as honey in the cells before winter. Letting the bees rob frames is potentially dangerous, depending on where you place them. If they are within 100 yards of the hives that will rob them, it may turn into a "Let's rob our neighboring hive too, since it's weaker than us!" deal. Also, if the frames are hard to get between, lots of bees die in the frenzy. They really go crazy. If the bees are actively foraging, you can put the wet supers between the inner cover and outer cover and they should clean them. But I've seen bees totally ignore them, not bringing all honey into the brood area like I want them to. Another thing I've seen with this is that if the upper ventilation hole isn't closed, bees from other hives get in there and rob it out, causing chaos. The best thing may be to put them far away from the hives, with the frames well spaced in each super to make it really easy for them to get in and out, no crowding between frames . Cover and strap, leaving slots for bee entry. Cover because of rain (makes combs moldy) and raccoons, etc. (they destroy combs). —- Anne F (Continued on page 6) Bizarre Things I Saw This Year At left: When feeding bees with an interior feeder or jars, don’t wait too long to check the bees, or they’ll build comb all over your feeder! It is best to feed in an interior, protected feeder rather than an entrance feeder, but it’s better to use a feeder that doesn’t allow bees free access to large amounts of vacant space. They may build comb in it, especially if a nectar flow begins. More Comb Problems At the right, observe what happens if a super without frames is left on a hive. In this case, the beekeeper’s former helper, who disappeared, left it this way and nobody knows why. Maybe he meant to return later with frames. This was harvested by cutting, crushing and straining the comb. Photos by Anne Frey Enjoy the fall and winter days by making and burning beeswax candles. VOLUME 28, ISSUE 6 4 Photo Pages Please take lots of photos, and send your best to the Beeline Editor. When you get a call to deal with honey bees in a tree, do as Leo Siemion does. Cut the tree down and trim the trunk to a size only slightly longer than the colony. Screen all entrances, and lift it into your truck and then into the bee yard with your handy gripper loader. Photo by Leo Siemeon Jr. Are You Making Full Use of Your Car? At left, Dan Brudos doesn’t own a truck, but being the independent sort, he moved a live hive in his ‘98 Saturn SL for pollination. With the window rolled down halfway, it was perfect. Photo by Anne Frey Above, Praise for the Honda Fit : 16 medium supers fit in my car. They weren’t full of honey though. I was just moving supers to the barn after painting them. Photo by Dan Brudos 5 Dues Soon Due, So Do it Soon On December 31, it will be time to renew your SABA dues. If you get a paper Beeline, you can check the mailing label for your “paid through” date. If you get the e-Beeline, you can check with Mike Coppola, Treasurer, or just assume you need to pay up! Mike will have a list at the Nov. 17 meeting for you to look over. You can pay him by mail (123 Edie Rd., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866) or at a meeting or pay online at our website, www.adirondackbees.org . SABA has a variety of payment choices, such as one year for $15, 5 years for $60 and lifetime for $150. Remember, during votes at SABA meetings, only one person per current SABA membership may vote. One membership = one vote. Check with your spouse! Young Beekeepers Share Their Stories At the September Potluck, the 2013 Youth Beekeeper Award winners shared their experiences and lessons learned while working with their bees during their first year. Patrick Peters, the WolfLounsbury Young Beekeeper Award Winner, and Peter Hansen, the Bob Stevens Young Beekeeper Award Winner, shared their trials and joys of newbees. There were some disappointing mid-summer swarms, along with an entertaining tale of a dog and honey bees. One hive had to be moved because of some backyard wedding plans. However, SABA members benefitted from the fine public-speaking talent of the young beeks. Both young men have a future in beekeeping, as well as public speaking. Special thanks to both Peter and Patrick and their mentors, Aaron Morris and Michael Slezak. Bravo! — Marsha Williams, Youth Award Committee Chairwoman, and the Committee: Brian Cuttler, Betsy LaClair and Tess Smith ESHPA Meeting, 6 Speakers Q&A continued from page 3 Subject: a little different hive set up? The Empire State Honey Producers Association’s fall meeting will be held on November 21-22, 2014 at the Embassy Suites, 6646 Old Collamer Rd., East Syracuse, New York. Discounted rooms available. Hi Anne, I have two 1st year hives started from nucs. Because I started with deep nucs and didn't change to mediums this season, brood chamber is a deep with 2 mediums on top (I plan to rotate deeps out next spring). Should I put another medium on top for them for the winter to make sure they have enough food? Thanks, D. Hi D, From what I'm seeing in my hives in late September, some are not using their bottom box at all. It's just dry, empty walk-through space. So it's possible what you think of as one deep below two mediums is really more like two mediums in use, with stores. If you don't want to/can't get right in there and check that, you should add an extra medium with honey, or more. ---Anne F Featured speakers are Dave Mendes, Karen Rennich, Greg Hannaford, Bob Talklewicz, Paul Cappy & Lauren Williams. Live auction, honey show with prizes. See www.eshpa.org for more details and registration form. Remember: When traveling to other bee meetings, you can apply to SABA to request funds to help pay for the trip. See Education Scholarship Fund on our site: www.adirondackbees.org . 6 POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT Southern New England Beekeepers Assembly Department of Entomology College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Cornell University Ithaca, NY POSITION: Extension Associate STARTING DATE: January 1, 2015 LOCATION: Dyce Laboratory for Honey Bee Studies Cornell University 209 Freese Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 BASIC FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITY: The successful candidate will develop a program for monitoring the impacts of pesticides, parasites and pathogens on honeybees. Initial focus will be on the needs of NYS commercial beekeepers, who have suffered the most severe economic losses. In addition, the candidate will be expected to contribute to general education for commercial and smaller scale beekeepers, such as hobbyists. This is a two-year term position, renewable depending on funding, available work, and performance. QUALIFICATIONS: MS degree in Entomology, Biology, or related field. At least 3-5 years of experience in beekeeping. Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills. Excellent written and oral communication skills. SALARY: commensurate with experience SUPERVISION: Dr. Bryan Danforth and Dr. Thomas Seeley APPLICATIONS: Applications should be sent by email to Cheryl Gombas (cag45@cornell.edu). Please include a CV and cover letter sent by email in one PDF file. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. SUPERVISION EXERCISED: none Please connect to the link below to view the full announcement, as the above is an excerpt. Saturday November 22, 2014 Groton Inn and Suites 99 Gold Star Highway, Groton, CT 06340 Keeping Honey Bees Healthy Co-sponsored by the: Connecticut Beekeepers Association Wicwas Press Speakers: Dan Conlon Debbie Delaney, Ph.D. Adam Fuller David Westervelt, Chief Florida State Apiarist Dr. Larry Connor, Ph.D. About this year’s program: This will be an all day event (8:00am 6:00 pm), which will include current research and practical information in lecture and panel discussion form. More information will follow soon. Any questions, please contact Larry Connor, 269-344-8027, LJConnor@aol.com Steve Dinsmore, 860-949-5924, steveandden@sbcglobal.net Register at www.wicwas.com/ SNEBA_2014 https://cornellu.taleo.net/careersection/ jobdetail.ftl?job=25745&lang=en&sns_id=gmail 7 VOLUME 28, ISSUE 6 Volume 28, Issue 6, November 2014 Treasurer Mike Coppola 123 Edie Rd. Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Classified Ads, Reminders, Thank Yous, Deadlines THANK YOU to the Stevens Family for their continued support of the Bob Stevens Young Beekeeper Award, which began in 2011 with their first annual contribution of $400. AMAZON LINK : When shopping Amazon you can help SABA earn money by going first to the club website, then clicking on the Amazon link to enter the Amazon site. That’s all it takes to get 3% of your purchase price sent to SABA! It’s amazin’ . For sale: Two cedar hive stands – 8 frame – used just over 1 year. Paid $14 each. Asking $10 each. White plastic helmet, sells for over $10, asking $8 . 2 medium division board feeders. Paid $6 each. Asking $4 each. One extra screen free. Contact Linda Armour by email larmour1@nycap.rr.com or call 895-2962. Beeline Deadline for the January issue will be December 31. Please submit your articles, photos, announcements, etc. to the Editor via email at annef2525@gmail.com. Photos should be reduced in size before emailing. Or mail to Anne Frey 4808 Skyline Dr. Delanson NY 12053. Questions? Call 518-895-8744 For Sale: Steel votive candle molds and wicks. $8 for each set of 6 molds. 5 sets available. Wicks, 100 for $5 . Anne 895-8744