09:30 a.m. Board meeting
10:00 a.m. General Meeting
11:00 a.m. Beginning Beekeeping Classes 9 & 10
Chimacum Grange: 9572 Rhody Dr. (Hwy 19), Chimacum, WA
Happy Spring, and welcome to all East Jefferson Beekeepers Association members, prospective members, and guests!
The next meeting of EJBees is on the 8th of April at the Chimacum Grange, located right across Rhody Drive [Hwy 19] from the Tri-Area Community Center and Chimacum Schools. After the Board meeting at 9:30 a.m., the general meeting starts at 10 a.m., and all new and old members are encouraged to attend.
The beginning beekeeping course continues into its fifth session, Classes 9 and 10, directly following the general meeting and running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As we prepare for receiving nucs and packages ordered, and for increasing activity of our overwintered hives, our timely discussion of practical tasks and spring management will continue on topics such as the following:
Some members will be setting up a new apiary, and others are evaluating and refreshing existing hives. April beekeepers need to watch for signs of robbing, and take appropriate steps to prevent it. Also watch for indications of impending swarms, especially in hives that came through winter with a relatively large number of bees in the hive.
Your first inspection will have informed you of the need for feeding, and perhaps for setting out grease patties against tracheal mites.
There is always time for Q&A, so come with bee-related questions from your apiary or your reading, or maybe from the previous class sessions. We will try to get to them all.
The 2023 Rhododendron Festival is coming up mid-May. At the club meeting you can sign up to be part of the EJBees entry in the festival’s Grand Parade, which is always a lot of fun. We could use help in preparing a mini-float or hand-carried props, and we would like to see a minimum of 15 club members commit to walking the route in bee gear or costume. Kids and other family members are welcome, too!
Thanks to all 114 of you (as of March 22) who have paid 2023 membership dues. Treasurer Catherine Slaton will be on hand to receive registration still to come in: $24 for individuals and $36 for a family for the full year of participation and benefits. (Adult offspring in their own household should pay separately.)
If you missed the start of our beginning beekeeping course, you are not too late to join–the last in-person presentation at the Chimacum Grange takes place April 8th for Classes 9 and 10. At the class meeting, you can also sign up for the final activity scheduled for April 22: a hands-on apiary visit you will not want to miss!
And if you’re just starting now, you can make up the earlier sessions or visit the entire series of 10 classes via our online version of the course available on this blog, ejbees.com. Details of the course can be found in the blog’s EDUCATION: Online Class section.
We look forward to another busy and enjoyable meeting with you all on April 8th. See you at the Grange!
The gallery below features the February 2023 meeting at which our presentations centered on typical beekeeping equipment: wooden Langstroth hives, nucleus hives (nucs), and Apimaye thermo-insulated plastic systems. It was a busy, bustling, and pleasantly overflowing meeting.
