PSBA Recent News

May 19 Work Party

May 15th, 2012

PSBA President Brad Jones will be leading our work party this coming Saturday, May 19, from 2-4pm.  The work party will be going through the clubs hives for standard maintenance, as well as checking a recent split looking for a newly hatched queen, and working on cleaning up some old equipment for future use.  It’s looking like it’s going to be a nice day, so come down and play with the bees!

Work Party Tomorrow, 5-5-2012

May 4th, 2012

Work party this Saturday (May 5) from 10-noon at the PSBA Apiary, just up the hill from the Washington Park Arboretum Graham Visitor Center. We will be checking for successful release and acceptance of the queens of the new packages we installed last week. Work party leader is John Woodworth. Hope to see you there!

PSBA April 2012 Meeting, Tomorrow!

April 23rd, 2012

Hi folks,

We will have Sarah Cooke doing beginner instruction, covering April’s to-do list, especially swarm management.

Steve Sheppard, M.SC., Ph.D. Entomologist and Thurber Chair, Washington State University will be presenting his latest Research in Queens.  Check the newsletter for more detail.  Hope to see you all there.

PSBA April 2012 Newsletter

April 22nd, 2012

PSBA Newsletter April 2012

PSBA Announcements from President Brad for Week of April 2, 2012

April 5th, 2012

Hi folks,

I’ve compiled some information over the past couple of weeks while trying to figure out how to manage dissemination of information.  I’ve settled on sending out “digest” e-mails with lists of items that may or may not have been announced in the meetings or other venues.

So, without further ado:

Apiary Sites
Community members requesting that bees be placed on their property

West Seattle

  • ·             1/4 acre plot of land where the landowner will not be around much, but would like to tag along and learn as much as possible.  Reference: Kathryn-WS when you respond and I’ll get you in contact.

North Seattle

  • ·             Another person would love a couple of hives to help with pollination of her and her neighbors organic gardens.  Reference: Joan-NS when you respond and I will get you in contact

Madrona/Central District

  • Large, 2-lot garden in need of honey bees. Reference: Nina-MD

Edmonds

  • Plenty of Fruit Trees and an older house reference: Gred-ED

Greenlake:
Here is a quote from the requester, who has had sites in the past:

I’d love to host some bees if someone is looking for a quiet yard. It is not super sunny, but there is something good about the space, as the colonies thrived several years when others did not make it through the winter. Those colonies provided healthy brood over and over after tough winters.

Reference: Nelda-GL

 

Calls for Volunteers

Listed are events that may be in your neighborhood.  These events are direct requests from the organizations.  What is required is one person to take the lead on any given event.  What that means is getting the various pieces of equipment and PSBA information picked up and delivered and any other items that may be used.  The list of items that are brought to events are (but not  limited to):

  • Canopy
  • PSBA literature
  • PSBA business cards
  • Hive equipment (tools, boxes, frames, feeders, etc…)
  • Observation hive
  • Honey for sale
  • Cash box
  • Friendly attitude :)

These are always fun events.  The scale of personnel needs is dependent on the event.  Some can be handled with one person, but most require 2 or more (The more, the merrier) to allow for breaks and opportunities to look at other exhibits/presentations.

If you live in the area and are interested in representing PSBA for this event, please get in contact with me.  If you are interested in taking lead on any event, please let me know and I will assist in logistics.

Upcoming events

Earth Day in Newcastle ~ Saturday, April 21st, 2012

http://bit.ly/GMQOVM

 

Grace Stiller

Event Chairperson

425.228.7927; Cell 206.795.5783

 

Northwest Solar Fest, July 28, 2012, Shoreline, WA
http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/933591/822eff37e9/ARCHIVE

GreenLife: A Sustainability Expo at West Seattle Summer Fest, July 13, 14 and 15
PSBA has been part of this event for several years and it is a great event!  It is truly fun for the whole family.
We have the option of doing any number of days.  I believe we managed two days last year, but if we can get between 10 and 15 people, that would make it possible to make it to all 3 days.  Contact Nancy Beckett at enbee555@gmail.com  if you’re interested in volunteering for this event.


Other events

17th ANNUAL CMACC (Charles Mraz Apitherapy Course and Conference)
Learn the ancient art and science of apitherapy, the medicinal use of products from the beehive:
Honey, Pollen, Propolis, Royal Jelly, Bee Venom, and Beeswax.

GOVERNOR HOTEL, 800-554-3456
PORTLAND, OREGON
Register by September 1, 2012 to qualify for group room rates.
CONTACT: 631.470.9446;  www.apitherapy.org for details about the program, faculty, and hotel.

Other Requests

Wanted: a beekeeper willing to let a family (2 adults and 2 teenagers) to tag along and learn about beekeeping, particularly the extraction process.

National Winter Loss and Management Survey
This was mentioned at the meeting last Tuesday and WSBA is also sending out notices to drum up participants.  The potential is great that we can get some Washington statistics if we have >300 participants, so we encourage you to take the survey.
http://participate.beeinformed.org/Surveys/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=76KI4p3

Regards,

Brad Jones
President
Puget Sound Beekeepers Association

April 7 work party

March 28th, 2012

The next PSBA apiary work party will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 7. Please come!

Park at the Graham Visitors Center at the Arboretum, and walk behind the greenhouses to the apiary. We’ll be sorting equipment and doing general spring maintenance. Contact the work party coordinator, Pat Foote, at 206-286-1356 or secretary@pugetsoundbees.org to RSVP or for more information.

Plan ahead for future work parties:

  • Second half of April, coordinated by Barnaby Hoit, 206-579-4021
  • 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 5, coordinated by John Woodworth, 206-265-3295

Buds and Blooms Garden Tour

March 15th, 2012
Volunteers still needed! Promote bees and PSBA on May 12 and 13 in Federal Way. PSBA will set up a booth at the Buds & Blooms Garden Tour and provide education and honey sales to tour attendees. Free admission for volunteers. The Tour, in its fourth year, is a family event focused on gardening and healthy habitats for pollinators–and people! Note: May 13 is Mother’s Day. Details at http://www.budsandbloomstour.org
To volunteer or for more info please contact Bob Redmond (PSBA trustee) at

First Facebook Post from our website

March 14th, 2012

Hi Folks,

President Brad here (HiYa!)  In an effort to streamline our communications, we’ve connected a Facebook plugin to the PSBA website to automatically update FB when any new content arrives on our website.  This will help to get the word out about events, volunteer opportunity and just general beekeeping items of interest.

Happy Beekeeping!

 

March 24 work party

March 11th, 2012

The next apiary work party will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 24. Tasks are to prepare the hives for packages and to clean equipment. Bruce Becker is the coordinator; contact him at 206-527-0226 for more information or to RSVP.

New beekeepers are especially welcome to come and get some hands-on experience.

The following work party will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 7, coordinated by Pat Foote, 206-286-1356.

Pollinator Pathway events

March 2nd, 2012

Sarah Bergmann, whose Pollinator Pathway project is a plan to create a mile-long corridor of pollinator-friendly gardens on Seattle’s Columbia Street, will speak at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9, at the University of Washington Henry Art Gallery. General admission is $5. Ticket information is here.

Also, volunteers are welcome to join a work party installing a new garden on the pathway, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 17, on Columbia Street between 24th and 25th Avenues. For information about “adopting” and caring for a garden, contact Pollinator Pathway.