FfffFeb. The Diablo Bee. Monthly Meeting: Thursday, April 10 th - 7:00 pm

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1 FfffFeb The Diablo Bee a monthly newsletter of the Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association April 2014 Monthly Meeting: Thursday, April 10 th - 7:00 pm The Gardens at Heather Farm ~ Camellia Room ~ 1540 Marchbanks Dr., Walnut Creek, CA In this issue: Page 1 - NEW MEETING START TIME! Page 2 - Program, President s Message Page 3 - Spring Workshop Page 4 - Financial Report, Raffle, Dues Page 5 - Community Education, Member Findings Page 6 - March Meeting Snapshots Page 7 - Classifieds NEW MEETING START TIME IS 7:00 pm! Bee Chat 7:00-7:15 Business & General Meeting 7:15-7:30 Program 7:30-8:30 Break/Raffle 8:30-9:00 April

2 2014 Meetings & Programs January 9 Program - Neil Hannigan, Mann Lake Ltd. February 13 Program - Joy Pendell, Pendell Apiaries March 13 Program - Mike Harrel, G & M Honey April 10 Program - Panel Discussion April 12 - Beekeeping Workshop May 8 June 12 July 10 August 14 September 11 October 9 - Annual Barbeque No meetings November and December President Mike Harrel 2014 Board Members Vice President Sylvia Goemmel Secretary Lois Kail Treasurer Ann Moser Community Education Kelly Bradley Membership Jan Spieth Member Education Gabrielle Harrel Newsletter Editor Debórah Walker Director at Large Brian Wort MDBA President s Message Another month gone. My bees are getting really tight in the boxes. I have been moving honey out of the brood nest and into the upper box along while allowing ample space for the queens to lay. At this point in the year most of my hives are pushing 8 or more frames of brood and 12 frames of bees. This is the time to get those empty sheets of foundation drawn out in a hurry. The pollen and nectar is coming in fast and heavy. The recent rain should boost pollen and nectar availability. Swarming is here. I have kept space in the brood nest and found only two queen cells being drawn out. One was capped and only a few days from disaster! I would hate to have one of my GREAT queens take off and be left with a queen that is not going to be laying for a week or two, and mate with who knows what. Swarms in my neighborhood are not really appreciated, so swarm prevention is part of being a good neighbor. Open mating is not bad. In fact I saved the capped cell and am hatching it in a cell protector right now so she can hatch and mate once the rain stops. I prefer to choose when my hive divides rather than see it swarm off into the sunset. Don't get "honey bound." Bees will gather resources to the point that there is no place for the queen to lay. Because of the lack of space the colony may begin to make preparations for swarming or the colony population may suddenly drop and the hive may die as the hive has become unsuitable for the bees to live in. A lack of room for bees to grow is a colony killer and they know that. Be proactive, not reactive. We look forward to seeing you at the April 10 th meeting and the Spring Workshop on Saturday, April 12 th. Details are on the next page Best regards, April 10 th Meeting Program This month s program is a panel discussion on what you can do now to prepare your bees to make it through the next winter. The panel will be answering questions that are submitted prior to the meeting. To submit a question please vpmembered@diablobees.org. Mike Harrel, MDBA President 2 April 2014

3 MDBA SPRING WORKSHOP This is a FOR MEMBERS ONLY event! SATURDAY, APRIL 12, AM to Noon TWINVIEW DRIVE, PLEASANT HILL HOME OF GARY AND JOAN LAWRENCE MARY ANDRE will have your packages of Italian bees in the garage. JAN SPIETH and LOIS KAIL will register you on the front porch. MIKE HARREL will have your Italian queens on the front porch. MARELLA HONEY B s will have some beekeeping equipment for purchase in the front driveway. VALERIE SCHMIDT will make coffee and coordinate breakfast snacks on the deck. Please speak to her if you are bringing something. MIKE STEPHANOS will have your packages of Carniolan bees (from Slovenia) on his truck in the back lot. THREE BEEKEEPERS with loud voices will open three hives simultaneously and describe what they are doing as they pass frames around for you to inspect. Some honey may be gathered and extracted manually. STEVE GENTRY with GEORGE helping JUDY WEATHERLY with NANCY helping MIKE VIGO with MORGAN helping MAJOR BRANZEL will install a package colony in Gary s hive. GARY LAWRENCE will mark queens for use in demo hives. THINK SUNSHINE! But know that we will proceed rain or shine. Please bring last year s clean, empty package bee boxes (no cans) to the April general meeting. Bringing them to the Spring Workshop is too late. April

4 MDBA Financial Summary The locally world famous MDBA MONTHLY MEETING RAFFLE will, once again, give you the opportunity to add to your beekeeping supplies Raffle Ticket Prices: 12 tickets - $10.00, 6 tickets - $5.00, 1 ticket - $1.00 Magnetic Name Tags Ordering and paying for a magnetic name tag is now at the discretion of a member. Lois Kail, Secretary, will take orders from new and renewing members who wish to purchase a magnetic MDBA name tag for $12. Name tags are no longer included in the dues. Paper name tags will be available at each meeting, should you prefer to write your name and wear the tag during meetings Membership Dues Now $25 You may pay at the monthly meeting or visit for the membership form. You will need to print it, fill it out and mail it with your check to: Join us on Facebook Find us on the web at " " " MDBA " " " PO Box 4688 " " " Walnut Creek, CA Questions? Jan Pinkerton Spieth at VPMembership@diablobees.org 4 April 2014

5 MDBA s Local Activities Submitted by Kelly Bradley Spring is in full swing and the volunteers with Community Education have been out in force! Gary Lawrence and Jan Spieth have been visiting school classrooms, school science fairs, libraries, scout troops, and such. Bring their demonstration hives and vast knowledge to the eager to learn children. If you are interested in having a MDBA Community Education volunteer come to your school or program, please contact me at the below, or click on the link on the MDBA website at Please know that school visits and science fairs are usually booked way in advance so we can coordinate everything. On April 12 th, from 9am to noon, the Annual Bee Work Day will be held at Gary Lawrence's apriary. The packaged bees that were ordered will be delivered for pick-up. For the small price of membership, you can go too. The information and hands-on learning is priceless. Also, please be as careful as possible when parking so Gary s neighbors are not impacted unnecessarily. Swarm training and education is off and running and doing well. If you are interested in being listed on the MDBA Swarm List, please sign up with Jan Piekerton for the important meeting. It is good for the club and members to all be on the same page regarding our practices. Finally, the Lindsay Wildlife Demonstration Hive is going strong. If you have not seen it, plan a visit with your children. It is a great exhibit! Please contact me with any questions, Bee well, Kelly For more information or if you have questions, please contact Kelly Bradley VPCommunityEd@diablobees.org MDBA Member Findings Occasionally you come across some information and think Hmm, why not? MDBA member, Dimitri Montalvanos, contributes the following findings about the health benefits of honey and cinnamon from the website PEAS Health. (MDBA has not tested these claims of effectiveness and are that of the author and not of the Association or its Board.) Here is a sampling of some of the 25 remedies explored: 1. Anti-bacterial paste Honey possesses anti-bacterial properties. This claim is supported by numerous studies. It fights against external and internal infections. Cinnamon also possesses antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. When combined together, they form a great potion for external infections. 12. Boosting Energy Honey is rich in many minerals and vitamins, while cinnamon contains calcium, iron, vitamin c, vitamin K, manganese and fiber. When combined they make a great immune boosting tonic. Taking honey and cinnamon tea regularly boosts energy levels, physical strength and mental alertness. 16. Insect Bites Great for itching or pain resulting from insect bites. Take one teaspoon of honey and mix it in two teaspoons of water. Add half a teaspoon of cinnamon and apply it to the affected area. It relives the pain or itching instantly. April

6 MARCH Meeting snapshots Featured Speaker, Mike Harrel 6 April 2014

7 Classified Advertisments FOR SALE 5 FRAME NUCS An established nucleus colony is 8 weeks ahead of a colony started with package bees. Includes: 5 frames with comb 2014 laying queen Brood Bees $ Italian Queens Locally bred and mated 1-4 $30 each 5+ $25 each Nucs and Queens available April 15 th Contact Terry Holcomb wa6kah@aol.com CLUB EXTRACTORS FOR RENT For more information contact Lois Kail (Concord area) lois.kail@gmail.com or Leo Tscharner (Alamo area) leotscharner@comcast.net Rates: $10 for 1 st day - $5 for days 2 thru 5 - $10 per day thereafter. WANTED: Help in the kitchen before and after the monthly meetings! Cappings Requested If you have unwanted cappings I will melt and clean them for the beeswax. AND: Bee Suit Repairs Please contact Lois Kail lois.kail@gmail.com or Beekeeping Supplies MarElla Honey B s 1960 Monument Blvd.Concord, CA Traveling north on Monument Blvd. turn right into the driveway at the Happy Donut. Phone: Fax: To submit articles for consideration or ads for the classifieds please contact Debórah Walker at NewsEditor@diablobees.org Deadline for submission is the 20 th of each month. April