October Meeting with Honey Tasting, Stop Feeding and Winterize this Sunday
Our last meeting of the 2024 year will be Tuesday, October 29th at 6:30 pm at the Flathead County Health Department (second floor) in Kalispell. Please bring a small jar of your honey to participate in the tasting contest. We’ll cast votes and the winner will receive a prize!
Our last nice, warm day is this Sunday, 10/20. After that temperatures drop too low for bees to safely store nectar you give them. They cannot dehyrdate and cap honey below 55 degree days so it will grow deadly bacteria in the comb and give them dysentery. Sunday is the perfect day to remove top feeders, put on your extra super box above the bees filled with insulation of your choosing with an extra layer of sugar of your choosing. See our Helpful Info page for feeding options.
If you missed our September apiary visit meeting where we talked about winterizing, you may watch this video from a few years ago here
August/September Meetings Combined to be Slovinian Apiary Potluck on Sept 8th
We will not be meeting at the Health Department August 27th nor September 24th. Instead, we will go visit the Slovinian Apiary created by our member, Lowell, in Polson, Montana on Sunday, Sept. 8th. We will also be covering basic winterizing tips and it will be a Potluck Lunch. Here are the details:
Location: Lowell’s Apiary
39085 Cimarron Lane, Polson
Date: Sunday, September 8th
Time: 11:30am (Potluck first, then tour and bee winterizing meeting)
Required: Bee Veil at least
Potluck: Bring what you want; but if you want to make sure we have all dishes covered, follow the general
rule of Last name starts with A-M: Sides or Deserts. Last Name starts with N-Z: Main Dishes
July 30th 6:30 pm Meeting
Don’t forget about our meeting Tuesday night at the Flathead County Health Department, Second floor at 6:30 pm! See you then!
June 25th Tuesday Meeting at the County Health Department
We’ll see you at 6:30 pm on the second floor Tuesday night this month! We’ll be talking about your July To-Dos and planning for our apiary visit this summer to a club member’s Scandinavian hives.
May 28th Meeting CANCELED
Due to influenza illness, Angela is unable to run the beekeeping meeting tonight, Tuesday 5/28. My apologies for the late notice. Please watch this page for news about our June meeting. If you have any beekeeping questions that were dependent on answers at tonight’s meeting, please feel free to email or call. Angela won’t be able to respond for a few days when her voice is back. Thanks for your understanding!
Beekeeper Colony Survival National Survey
Dear Beekeepers,
Auburn University, with the support of the AIA, has worked hard to get a US colony loss and management survey up and running given that BIP is no longer administering one. The survey can be found at https://aub.ie/colonysurvey [aub.ie]
It is now live and inviting beekeeper participation until midnight on May 31st. Beekeeping operations of any size can fill out the survey!
An announcement blog can be found on the AIA website here: https://apiaryinspectors.org/Blog-US-Beekeeping-Survey-Live [apiaryinspectors.org]
Additionally, Auburn has made an initial announcement about the survey on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/auburnbees [facebook.com]) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/auburnbees/ [instagram.com]). The handle for both is @auburnbees and the pages are called Auburn University Bees.
Thank you so much for your assistance! Participating in this survey helps inspectors better understand what is driving colony losses across the US. All information on beekeeper information is kept confidential.
Best,
Alyssa Piccolomini, State Entomologist
Montana Department of Agriculture
Secretary, Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA)
Office 406-444-3790 Mobile 406-417-1246 Web www.agr.mt.gov/beeprogram
Email [email protected] 302 N Roberts St | Helena, MT 59601
April 30th Monthly Meeting Reminder
We have a treat for you at our meeting this Tuesday the 30th, at 6:30 pm at the Flathead County Health Department! Calvin Sphuler and his wife, Hillary, will be hosting the April meeting. Calvin is a local, experienced beekeeper and hobbyist queen producer with great over-wintering success. He’ll be talking about preparing for splits in May and answering all your beekeeping questions.
Because a guest speaker is hosting the meeting, it will not be streamed on Facebook this month, come see him in person!
Tuesday the 30th
6:30 pm
Flathead County Health Department Second Floor
1035 1st Ave Kalispell
In Need of a Meeting Leader for April 30th
Due to a medical procedure that has to be done on Tuesday the 30th, Angela will be unable to facilitate the April meeting that evening. She is looking for someone who is willing to greet people arriving and to lead general question and answers. And then lock the doors as you leave. Please send her a text at 406-871-6551 if you are willing to help out on the 30th at 6:30 PM. No formal talking points are required. Just facilitating question and answers among all of the new and existing beekeepers. Thanks so much for your help!
Bee Drivers Found! Contact Us for Bee-Pools
We now have volunteer driver pick-ups for the 3 following bee suppliers. If you would like to be added to the list that are picked up by these volunteers, please reach out to Angela (406) 871-6551 for more details. Please understand there will not be extra bees for on the spot purchase, this is only for customers who have already purchased bees with the following suppliers. Instructions below:
Western Bee Packages
- Notify Western Bee (406) 883-2918 you want your packages picked up by Chelynne for Friday the 19th. Please pay Western Bee electronically ahead of time. Chelynne will not be paying for your bees on pickup from Polson.
- Arrive between 11am and 12 pm Friday April 19th at the Outlaw Inn 1701 US 93 South Kalispell to get your packages.
- Small cash fuel contribution to Chelynne would be appreciated!
Arlee Apiaries
- Tami & Kelly will be picking up your bees. Please pre-pay them for your bees and let Arlee 406-560-1307 know they will be picking up your bees.
- Contact Angela (406-871-6551) for their phone number to arrange pickup from them on May 4th.
- Small cash fuel contribution to Kelly would be appreciated!
Outdoor Bee Company
- Angela Tollerson will be picking up bees (Either May 3rd or 4th). Since they only accept cash, please contact Angela for her Venmo, Apple Pay, or Paypal information to send her money for the full balance you owe Outdoor for your bees plus gas money contribution BEFORE pickup so she can have your cash to hand over to them.
- Please notify Outdoor Bee Company 509-270-5803 that Angela will be picking up your bees for you.
Bee Nuc Drivers Needed & FVCC Class Information 2024
If you are picking up Nucs from Outdoor Bee Company in Missoula or packages from Western Bee in Polson and are willing to pick up the orders for other club members in Kalispell for extra gas money, please reach out to Angela ASAP (406-871-6551). We have a volunteer already for picking up bees from Arlee Apiary. Additionally, if you would like to take advantage of this carpool-beepool because you have ordered from the above apiaries, reach out to me. I will hook everyone up with the correct point of contact for meet-up.
My class at FVCC for Beginning Beekeeping can now be registered for online here
Dates: May 18-25, 2024
Meets: Sat from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Location: Arts & Technology Building 202
TUITION: $79.00
Explore the amazing world of honey beekeeping. Course covers basic biology, equipment, acquiring bees, bee health, easy honey harvesting and winterizing as well as an apiary field trip on the second day. Answer all your buzzing questions and learn many amazing facts and skills about honey beekeeping. How do I get my first hive of bees? What is a drone? Learn the answers to these questions and many other amazing facts and skills about Honey Beekeeping. Course covers basic biology, equipment, acquiring bees, bee health, easy and cheap honey harvesting and winterizing. A field trip to inspect a hive on the second day.
Notes:
Bring a lunch to eat in class or during short break; campus food services are not available on weekends. Beekeeper’s veil is suggested for the on-site apiary visit during the second class date. Campus Map: https://www.fvcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FVCC-Campus-Map-2023.jpg