5/22 10-2pm Field Day

As discussed at our May meeting Kevin and Liz Jones of HappBee Acres  513-918-1042 are hosting our first Brown County Beekeepers field day of 2021 from 10-2pm on 5/22 at 2694 Bergen Rd, Batavia, OH 45103. The location is off Rt 50 near Owensville. Bring your Veils and other gear and join the BCBA for a day of Q and A and demonstrations of inspection techniques and diagnostic conversation.
This will be outdoors so masks are optional. Bring your own refreshments/lunch. Please let me know if you are planning to attend so we can tell Kevin and Liz.

Meeting May 11th

The Brown County Beekeepers Association will meet on May 11th, at the Rhonemus Hall located on the Brown County Fairgrounds in Georgetown, Ohio. At 6:00 PM, club members will be available to answer questions and share information on beekeeping. The educational program will begin at
7:00 PM followed by our business meeting.

The educational program will by presented by George Anderson, owner and operator of GM Bee Farm located in Newtonsville, Ohio. His program will be, ” Queen Rearing and Beehive Splits”.
George will discuss his queen rearing operation and method for beehive splits.This will be an informal presentation with George answering questions about his queen rearing techniques.

George currently assists in running a number of apiaries in the greater Cincinnati area. He is also involved in research work to develop plants that will provide nectar and pollen for bees during a dearth period that occurs in our area during July, August and September. Additionally, he is assisting the Department of Agriculture in the study of hemp pollen and it’s nutritional value to honeybees.

George has been involved in beekeeping his entire life. Following in the footsteps of his Grandfather who maintained 100 hives.

Next meeting Tuesday, March 9th

The next meeting of the Brown County Beekeepers will be held as usual on the second Tuesday of the month, March 9th in Rhonemus Hall at the Brown County Fairgrounds in Georgetown. Informal discussion and pick up of items ordered from Kevin and Liz Jones of Happbeeacres.com begins at 6pm. If you haven’t stopped by their store they are located at 2694 Bergen Rd. Batavia, OH 45103. The meeting will cover coming out of Winter and early Spring activities by President Mark Roberto. We will also begin compiling our Swarm list and announcing the 3 Youth Hive Scholarship winners! Thank you to Dan Cotter of Patriot Bee Farm and the Jones’ for teaming up to provide the bees and woodenware for our aspiring beekeepers to the club at cost.

CDC guidelines will be followed during the meeting

Beekeeping in the City Presentation by Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller started Mueller Honey Bee Rescue in 2013 after seeing a need to publicize the importance of rescuing swarms within cities. Advocating for beekeepers, Emily has assisted several local zoning and council boards in development of safe beekeeping ordinances to allow hives for hobbyists. Focusing on education and teaching new beekeepers, Emily served as the Medina County and Summit County Apiary Inspector to expand her own education.
 
Having served on the board of Summit County Beekeeper’s Association in different positions for several years, she still teaches and works with many local programs and educational centers. Emily has advocated for beekeeping within cities for several Ordinance cases, allowing apiary practices to teach students through her YouTube channel as well as her Facebook and Instagram accounts. Her desire is to educate the public on the importance of honey bees through advocacy and public demonstration.
 

Zoom Meeting Presentation
Monday, January 18
TIME: 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Speaker – Emily Mueller
Topic – Beekeeping in the City
Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81587505233
Meeting ID: 815 8750 5233

Additional Meeting Notes:
 
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 US
+1 646 558 8656 US
Meeting ID: 815 8750 5233
 
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcAVfvuqf7
 
Here are a few items that may be of interest:
1. The conference presentations are now online for everyone to access. They are available here: https://colonymonitoring.com/4th-international-bee-and-hive-monitoring-conference
2. Please feel free to share this URL widely, i.e., with any beekeeping associations you are a member of.
3. T-shirts & other merchandise are still available, the link is here and on the conference website.
4. Thinking of putting on a Zoom-based conference yourself? Here is how we did it.
Thanks again for your interest. I think this conference marked a turning point in colony monitoring technology.
Frank Linton
Conference co-chair

Beginner Beekeeper Internship Pilot Program by the OSBA

Our club has been asked to be a part of a new Pilot Program provided by the OSBA, which has been dubbed the “Beginner Beekeeper Internship”. This program will offer a regular reoccurring webinar providing new beekeepers with the educational tools needed to become a successful beekeeper, through the power of Zoom. We are excited to be a part of this program and hope you will be too. Please click the link below to access the form with more information regarding classes and registration. If our club members have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kelly Morse. She can be reached by email at newbeekeeperoutreach@ohiostatebeekeepers.org or via phone at 859-468-4560.

Internship Registration Form

Introduction to Beekeeping moved to a Virtual Program

Due to the current situation in the State as it pertains to the Coronavirus. This Monday’s scheduled “Introduction to Beekeeping” class hosted by the Clermont County Library and present by our Education Coordinator Gary Keuffer has been changed to a Virtual Program. Signup now at http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=5338&EventID=423775&PK= and join the Zoom Meeting from the comfort and safety of your home. Because the presentation is being handle via Zoom, there still be plenty of opportunities for a Q and A session following the end of the presentation.


The Wild Bees of Cincinnati: Learning about tiny bees that live in the big city.

Ohio is one of the best places in eastern North America to find bees, with over 500
species! Even as Ohio’s cities grow, and native habitats for bees diminish, many
continue to flourish where habitat and floral resources are provided for them. How can
Cincinnati support these small, beautiful, and essential creatures?

Join Dr. Olivia Carril and Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo, for a live
webinar on October 26th at 4:30 EST. They’ll introduce you to some of the amazing
native bees that can be found in the Cincinnati area, and discuss how we can better
provide for some of our busiest, and most overlooked citizens — our wild bees.

Have specific questions about pollinators? Thane Maynard and Olivia Carril will answer
your questions during the live webinar. If you can’t make it, sign up anyway, and we’ll
send you a recording.

What you will learn:

Take a dive into the wild world of solitary bees and learn how they live, what they do,
and where to see them. See how the Cincinnati Zoo is supporting Cincinnati’s bees and
find out what you can do to help these small but important creatures.

Bios:

Olivia Carril

Dr. Olivia Carril has been studying native bees and the plants they visit for more than 20
years. Recent evidence has hinted at a possible decline in native bee species in North
America. Olivia has been involved in several long-term bee monitoring projects
throughout western North America where nearly 3/4 of the US bee species are found.

Thane Maynard

Thane Maynard is one of the most prominent directors of zoos across the country and
is internationally known for his innovation and dedication to wildlife preservation,
research and education. Maynard is recognized as well for building both educational
and research partnerships between the zoo and University of Cincinnati.

Register Online at https://lu.ma/osmia-bee-cincinnati-zoo

A Great Educational Field Trip

Saturday’s education field trip was a resounding success, providing ample learning opportunities and visual aids. Education Coordinator Gary Keuffer facilitated a show and tell format with many veteran club members providing insights and demonstrating  equipment they personally utilize.

While instructing on the correct way to perform a full hive inspection, Gary did a thorough break down of what a beekeeper should expect to see on frames.  Items covered included size of the bees, brood patterns, honey and pollen stores and their importance going into winter. He also covered warning signs and provided suggestions on different methods to deal with any concerns.

The Apiary was provided by Karl Sekol who had an assortment of different feeders that he has used throughout the years along with explanations as to why he chose to continue or stop using certain types of feeders. There were also visual demonstrations of different types of oxalic acid treatments commonly used for Varroa mites, different types of hive beetle traps and deterrents, and finally, example frames of wax moth infestation with a discussion on the damage they can do to a hive.

2020 has been a rough year for education, which is why it felt so good to see so many in our local bee community come out to learn and share knowledge. We look forward to seeing many of you again during our next meeting at Rhonemus Hall in the Brown County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, October 13th. Remember, even though the meeting starts at 7PM, the space opens at 6PM to allow fellow beekeepers to interact with each other 1 on 1.