The following is a recap of our meeting last night. It was an enjoyable evening for those that could make it and for those that couldn’t, we hope to see you in the near future.
The meeting was graciously hosted by Dean and Barb Johnson on their acreage located on C38. A small fire made it feel like a family gathering. Hey, beekeepers are all family! There was some construction but everyone that wanted to get there seemed to have found their way. Prior to the meeting Dean allowed folks to inspect a long hive he has setting 4 feet off the ground (for those of us with bad backs) and holds about 36-38 deep frames. There was a lot of activity in that hive. He also had a demonstration of a robbing screen on a hive and a small nuc that fell prey to some chalk brood with lots of mummies in the bottom.
Barb called us all together at 7:00 with the pledge of allegiance and some brief comments on Ephesians 5:1-2. Dean asked new members how their first year went and what they hoped to learn at the meeting. Comments varied from swarm control to noticing a distinct difference in temperament of the bees from this summer to the fall when the nectar flow is dwindling down. The gals are a little more protective of the hive right now so cover upJ Discussions for winter prep focused on mite prevention, and packaging hives for winter. The two keys to winter survival are to get a low mite count early so you can raise some healthy bees with no mite damage before winter, and package the bees with ventilation and condensation control in mind. Many different quilt racks, top covers, and wraps were presented. The morale of the story was that if you ask 10 beekeepers the best method, you will get 11 different answers. All answers can be either right or wrong depending on the year. Yep, that’s beekeeping!
Rick Schipper shared his formula for oxalic acid treatments. He treats one Bomgaars shop towel between the two deeps in the fall and once in the spring. The formula he uses is 12 g/towel of oxalic acid, 13 ml/towel of glycerin, and 10 ml/towel of water. Heat the glycerin and water to about 140-150 degrees Fahrenheit and stir in the oxalic acid until dissolved. Then pour in a cookie sheet over the shop towels until they dissolve the solution. It is not advisable to use the wife’s good cookie sheets for thisJ. I found an old coffee maker works well for mixing the stuff. It was pointed out to use latex or rubber gloves and not your nice new leather bee gloves as it will eat the fingers off and the next time you put them on, you will see your finger tips poking out the end. If you have old gloves covered in propolis you may be ok. However, in using the vapor method, drip method, or the towel method with oxalic acid, the key is to remember this is an acid and you should use some caution. Randy Oliver also explains the shop towel method on his Scientific Beekeeping website with a slightly different ratio.
The meeting concluded with different displays of market options for your produce. One interesting fact I personally learned was that if you are going to sell comb honey, be sure to freeze the frames for 48 hours prior to packaging or you will get wax worms in your product that tends to not sell well at marketsJ
Thanks to Barb and Dean for a very enjoyable evening!