Minutes from our virtual (ZOOM) meeting 12-14-2020

As the Pandemic has continued month after month, more groups are offering online, virtual meetings, conferences and discussions.  Please check our Classes and Events page for a listing of upcoming virtual events, featuring such notable bee experts as Randy Oliver, Mike Palmer and others. 

 December Agenda

Dear Members,

As we move through the Thanksgiving holiday and enter the final month of 2020, I think we can all give thanks that this year is about to be put behind us. I hope all is well and that you have had a successful bee season, which for many, it seems, has been a very positive note to an otherwise troublesome year.  I've heard reports of tremendous growth in hive populations, number of colonies, possibly a record swarm season.  Many this season were scrambling to find enough hardware to accommodate their growth.  Hopefully you were among them and have strong, healthy hives going into the winter.

We have a couple things to share with you.  First, since we are still unable to meet in person, we will be holding a virtual meeting using the Zoom platform on December 14th, from 6:30 to 8:00.  This will be our first endeavor with this internet format, and I hope you can join us.  It is possible to join the audio portion of the meeting via phone, so even if you do not use the internet you can still join in the conversation.  Details follow below.

Our guest speaker will be Julia McGuire.  Julia teaches a Beekeeping 101 course for which students can earn credit for the Great Plains Master Beekeeping program.  She is also the creator of BeeLaws.org and coordinates for her local club, Des Moines Backyard Beekeepers. Julia has kept honey bees in rural and urban settings since 2011.  She plans to talk about varroa and this past summer's swarm season.

We will also be introducing a young person who wishes to be a Honey Princess, representing East Central Iowa Beekeepers. 

Rachel Vakulich is a student at Kirkwood Community College. She sends us this brief bio:

"I am Rachel Vakulich, the 2021 East Central Iowa Honey Queen. I am studying nursing at Kirkwood Community College. My hobbies are baking, cooking, video editing, playing violin, singing, going to church, and beekeeping.  As the East Central Iowa Honey Queen, I (plan to) travel around Johnson County and the surrounding areas educating the public about bees, honey, beekeeping, and pollination. I (will) educate the public at farmers markets, schools, fairs, and festivals. I would love to come to an event or school to raise awareness about honey and bees."

Rachel is seeking a volunteer to help coordinate her attendance at events in the coming year.  If you are interested in helping Rachel, please contact her at:

rachel-vakulich@student.kirkwood.edu

We look forward to meeting Rachel and helping her with her goals.

Log on information for the Zoom meeting.  To join the video conference you will need to download the Zoom app for your smart phone or the Zoom client on your computer or laptop.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81436857463?pwd=SDR2ZW0zK1RkN25VeXpoTSszWHdWZz09

Meeting ID: 814 3685 7463        Passcode: 054813

To join the audio portion of the meeting, you can dial in from a phone if your phone plan allows unlimited long distance calling, as there are no toll-free numbers for this.  Select any of the numbers listed below and follow prompts to enter the meeting ID and Passcode.

+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

One additional note to pass along: Boyd Palmer, 82, of Central City, passed away suddenly recently.  Older club members may recall Boyd as a longtime bee inspector for the state.  Our condolences go out to Boyd's wife and family.

Hope to see you on the 14th!

Jim Davis

Secretary, ECIBA

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Looking for a class for 2021?  Please check our Classes and Events page.  Also while there, consider taking a brief survey to help some students at Brown University who want to learn about your beekeeping practices.

September Agenda

Greetings fellow beekeepers.

I hope this finds you well and intact, surviving COVID-19 and the devastating storm called a derecho.

  Have you honey to harvest this year, and have you done so?  From reports I've seen this is the second fine honey season in a row.  Hopefully you have been able to experience that.

Due to concerns about meeting face-to-face yet at this time, we will not be meeting at our regularly scheduled time and place yet again.  Instead, thanks to Dan Clark, a member of ECIBA and the founder of Heartland Bee Club, we will be able to join an online Zoom meeting.  You do not need to join the Heartland Bee Club Facebook page though you are encouraged to do so.  

The online presentation will be by Dr. Meghan Milbrath, an entomologist with Michigan State University.  Dr. Milbrath will be talking about small scale queen rearing.  

If you are unfamiliar with using Zoom, don't fear.  It really is fairly simple.  You can find information about how to download and use the Zoom platform here. Basically, you need to download the app for your phone or computer, create a simple account with user name and password and enter the information below at the time of the meeting.

Zoom Meeting Information

You are invited to a Zoom meeting with Heartland Bee Club, East Central Iowa Beekeepers Assoc.
When: Sept 10, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItduCrrzspGNPc8QfJNj8QzVLph783vSD3

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Check back to our website here prior to the meeting to see if there is any updated information.

If you have questions about Zoom that you can't find an answer to, please email me and I'll try to help.

Hope to see you then.

Jim Davis, Secretary ECIBA

jim.nwjh@gmail.com

July Update

Hi.  Hope everyone is having a good summer.  Reports on honey production in the area is mixed, with most seeing at least some  supers getting filled.  
At this time, we still  have no idea if  we will be able to  hold a face-to-face meeting in September.  A decision will be made soon and members will be notified on this website and  via email.  Stay tuned!
If you are looking for some other activity bee related, please see the  information below.  Hopefully you will find something interesting.

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Do you have extra honey? 

 Feed Iowa First is a grass-roots community of businesses, faith organizations, schools, farmers and volunteers that unite in relationship-based service to help our neighbors to ‘Combat Food Insecurity by Growing Food and Farmers’.  The organization serves those  in the greatest need of fresh produce by sharing locally grown food.  If you have extra honey, please consider a donation to Feed Iowa First.
For more information or do donate, please contact:
Carter Oswood
Executive Director, Feed Iowa First
(319) 775-0149
https://www.feediowa1st.com/

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Looking for a film to watch?  An award-winning film, The Pollinators, is now available for free through several  local libraries.  Links to the Iowa City Public Library and  the Cedar Rapids Public Library are listed below.
Iowa City:
https://icpl.kanopy.com/product/pollinators

Cedar Rapids
https://crlibrary.kanopy.com/video/pollinators

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The Heartland Bee Club in  Cedar Rapids will be hosting an online speaker.  Dr. Meghan Milbrath will be  talking about small scale  queen rearing.  The dates will be September 10th and  11th.  Search for Heartland Bee Club on facebook.  Dan Clark is the administrator of the group.  You will need to  ask to be a member of the group.  Information is available on the Events page.

Summer Activities Cancelled

After consulting with the  people at Kent Park and seeing the slow lifting of restrictions on public gatherings in the  state due to  COVID-19, it has been decided we would not proceed with trying to have a summer field day this year.  Hopefully we can plan that for next summer and look forward to that possibility.

At this point, we are hopeful to be able to meet at our  regularly scheduled time in September.  It isn't possible yet at this  time to schedule a meeting room at the Coralville Public Library, so alternatives will be considered such as meeting  outdoors.   Notice as usual will be posted here as well as through email or the U.S. postal service.

It's been a busy early bee season with what seems to be a record number of swarms.  Hopefully that is an  indication of a lot of strong colonies making it through the winter.  Have fun with your bees and we hope to  see you  in September.

June Meeting Update

East Central Iowa Beekeepers Association

May 25, 2020

Dear Members,

Due to restrictions currently in place for the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be able to hold our quarterly meeting, scheduled for June 8^th. Hopefully, we will be able to meet at our next scheduled date on September 14^th. We will notify you via email, our website (https://eastcentraliowabeekeepers.blogspot.com) or postal mail of our status prior to that date.

In lieu of being able to hold a meeting in June, we are tentatively scheduling a field day activity on July 12, 1 to 4 pm at Kent Park, in Johnson County. We would meet at the Conservation Education Center (see map below). Plans are still being formulated for this date but may include a short meeting, presentations, and refreshments. This, of course, will be dependent in most part upon easing of group restrictions by the governor prior to that date and by determining if, regardless of restrictions, the club officers feel it is prudent to have a large gathering at that time.

Any feedback on this alternative plan you would care to share would be appreciated. If you have ideas about presentations you would like to see or would like to present, or would like to a part of the planning for this proposed event, please contact our president, Floyd, at 319-351-7428, vice-president Joseph at jo.aloysius@gmail.com or me at davisjk@southslope.net.

We will keep you informed. Hopefully, all are well into a successful bee season and will be able to meet again soon.

Sincerely,

Jim Davis, Secretary

For a map of the  location of Kent Park, as well as a map of the park, follow this link.

June Meeting Update

At this time, due to the situation with the COVID-19 virus, which has shut down libraries across the state, it is uncertain at this time if we will be able to meet at our regular time and place in June.  We are  monitoring the situation and  will provide further  information  here as we have a better idea how we will be proceeding.  We have some options available, including possibly meeting at an outdoor location or having an online opportunity.  We will keep membership safety first and foremost in whatever decision is made.

In the meantime, there are some opportunities to learn more.  See below for information about an online presentation by Andy Joseph, State apiarist.  You need to do  the simple registration procedure with Zoom software and click on the registration link to join this interactive presentation. 

If you are just starting into beekeeping and have your first set of bees and have questions, please don't hesitate to check out our mentoring information or contact  any of  the officers of the  club.  We are starting into a very busy month with  the bees, doing splits and preparing for swarm season, helping  our colonies grow.  Always try to  keep two steps ahead  of the bees!  Good luck, stay tuned and stay healthy.

Heartland Bee Club Online Conference

Everyone,

Join Heartland Bee Club for our May Meet-Up via Zoom.  The Indian Creek Nature Center Amazing Space is currently closed to the public.  Our meeting will be via Zoom conference.  The online meeting will be at 6:30 pm, May 14th.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqfuypqDIqE9QQzJcLdLWUh0gpLl5ld3wz

You will need to copy this link into a browser.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  You can call in or connect online.

 

Our meeting will feature guest speaker, Iowa State Apiarist, Andy Joseph.  We will also have time to chat and discuss beekeeping.

About Andy: Iowa State Apiarist, since February of 2008, Andy Joseph’s enthusiasm concerning apiary opportunities in Iowa is contagious. While based in Ankeny, Andy can be found crisscrossing the state providing vital services and outreach to beekeepers and those interested in pollinators.

Andrew Joseph, State Apiarist

Entomology & Plant Science Bureau

Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

Iowa Laboratory Facility

2230 South Ankeny Boulevard Ankeny, IA 50023

(515) 725-1481

Andrew.Joseph@IowaAgriculture.gov

(Haven't used Zoom?  Learn how here.)

Also just for fun, East Central Iowa Beekeepers have been invited to participate in a science trivia game.  Info on that  event is  below.

Sciences Library Trivia Night

We will hold Trivia Night every Friday at 5pm from May 1 to Jul 10! The trivia will be led by student emcees Madison and Mason. We will use Zoom and Kahoot, so join Zoom on your computer to see the trivia questions and use the browser on your smartphone to input your answers. We will do two rounds of questions. The Zoom link is the same for each week, so registration with your name and email address to receive the Zoom link is only required once. Our prize (a water bottle) is only for our students, but the greater reward is having a good time with friends!

Best wishes,

Laurie

Laurie Neuerburg, MSLS, MS (Biomedical Sciences)

Sciences Reference & Outreach Librarian

University of Iowa Sciences Library

(319) 467-0216, laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu

Minutes from March 9, 2020

Minutes from March 9, 2020

East Central Iowa Beekeepers Association

Floyd Otdoerfer, president, called the meeting to order at 6:30. Officers were introduced. New members were asked to introduce themselves and tell a bit about their beekeeping.

Jean Stallman, treasurer, reported we have $30.20 currently in our budget.

Several members passed away in the past several months. Matt Stewart talked about Dave Campbell and Larry Spina, and Jim Davis mentioned the passing of Ken Kuhlman. All will be missed and we wish the surviving families all the best.

Floyd brought up the subject of possibly increasing club dues. Initially, an increase to $10 was suggested. Paul Gardner made a pitch for higher amounts to be able to do more as an organization. After some discussion, the club voted to increase dues to $20 per household per year. Dues will generally be collected in March. Members can pay at any meeting during the calendar year, however.

Jim Davis passed out copies of a draft set of by-laws for the club to consider. These were drafted by the committee of Paul Gardner, James Miller and Jim Davis. The draft copy is also posted on the website. Members were directed to consider any changes, additions or deletions they would like to see and bring those suggestions to the June meeting, at which time a final draft will be voted on.

Dan Mahoney, with the USDA, spoke about an event coming up on Thursday, April 2, called “Pollinators: Growing Rural & Urban Habitat”, to be held at the Walker -Homestead, 3867 James Avenue SW, Iowa City. Several will be presenting on topics related to pollinators. (Note: Due to the COVID-19 virus, this event has been indefinitely postponed as of this date.)

Ed St. John, district representative of the Iowa Honey Producers Association, talked about Iowa Field Day, June 27^th, at Dordt University in Sioux Center. Check the Iowa Honey Producers website for information about speakers and events. The Buzz, official newsletter of the IHPA, gives the requirements for state fair entries in the latest issue. IHPA is investigating a potential class action suit against large grocers who sell Midwest Honey. Tests have shown that the honey is not strictly a midwest product but contains pollens from South America. Ed also mentioned that his hives are already getting yellow pollen brought in and other members confirmed the same.

Floyd asked the membership about having a continuing presence at the Johnson County Fair. In the past, ECIBA has shared a tent at the fair with Burr Oak Land Trust. We have had model hives, handouts, and an observation hive. This involves setting up, taking down, and manning several shifts for four days of the fair. James Miller suggested it would be good to move to a better location at the fair where there would be more traffic. Former president Dave Irvin owns the tent that has been used and would be willing to sell that. A Fair committee was set up with Will Swain, Mike O’Leary, Joseph Klingelhutz and James Miller volunteering to participate.

Need bees?  Paul Gardner of Precious Bees, Homestead, will be selling bees for $130 plus tax.  Delivery dates will be April 19th and May 7th.  Call  Paul at 319-400-4228.

Will and Joseph(foreground)

Speakers: Joseph Klinelhutz and Will Swain on the topic of spring management.

Highlights of their presentation follows:

--Joseph has been a beekeeper for several years and had experience working with commercial beekeeping in New Zealand for 1 and a half years

Will has been a beekeeper for over 30 years

--For new beekeepers, Joseph recommends Honeybee Biology and Beekeeping by Dewey Caron and Lawrence John Conner

--Will talked about the challenges that continue to face beekeepers, even when one has extensive experience.

--Winter set-up is critical to success in the spring. By mid-March, the queen is already laying and brood is building up. Early and mid-spring are critical times for colony survival.

--As temps warm up into the 50’s, inspections for feeding are critical. It is important to remember to not disrupt the brood area. Popping the cover and insulation off is ok at 50 degrees but more extensive intrusion should be done with much caution. If the hive seems light on food stores, putting some crystal sugar onto a small piece of newspaper on top of the frames can give essential energy. Pollen patties can be put on the hives at this time. Pollen will help increase brood production. Will pointed out that pollen substitute can be used at this time as a supplement and bees will go to the natural pollen as it becomes available. If you put out pollen, be sure to continue to have it available because the larva will die if the supply suddenly ends. Recipes are available on the internet for a variety of pollen patties.

--Use a spacer on top of the top box allows for extra room for patties, sugar, etc.

--When weather starts to stay in the upper forties and fifties, it is good to check on hives about once a week to make sure they have food. Liquid feed can be applied at a 1:1 sugar/water ratio but make sure your hive has good moisture control and temperatures are staying above freezing in the daytime. Inner feeders are best at this time of year.

--Hive reversal was explained. Although temps have been unusually warm already, this is generally best to do in April. Do not separate brood or mess with the order of brood frames. Bees should all be pretty much in the same box to do reversals. Reversals help reduce the tendency to swarm by letting the bees know there is space to move into. Older frames can be culled out at this time, which helps reduce the possibility of disease. Honey and pollen frames can be put alongside the brood frames if the existing frames do not contain enough honey or pollen.

--With early warm temperatures, should winter insulation be removed already? Will said he took off enough tar paper to be able to lift top boxes to assess weight but has left insulation on the bottom. Joseph took his off, but all suggest continuing to keep top insulation on the hive.

--Why has my hive died? Starvation (bees found dead with their abdomens sticking out of the cells); population too small going into winter to be able to maintain warmth; disease (such as deformed wing virus or nosema); excessive humidity within the hive are the most common issues. For moisture control, moisture boxes for the top of the hive were explained. Keeping a hole in the spacer on top of the hive, facing the opposite way of the hive entrance, can help keep air circulating within the hive.

--Clean out and/or move dead colonies away from the apiary to reduce the risk of disease spread.

--Use screened bottom boards or tip hives so water cannot enter the hive.

--Keep good records! Record what you observe and how you interact with the hives.

--Make sure bees have a good water source available.

--Mid-to-late spring, maintain good swarm control methods.

--Will: “A swarm in May is worth a bale of hay, a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon, a swarm in July isn’t worth a fly.” Swarms control can help with varroa control as well. Hive splitting is very important as a means of preventing swarms, increasing your colonies and disrupting the varroa life cycle.

--Queen cells—what to do with a frame with multiple queen cells? Carefully remove all but two queen cells and place on a frame in a nuc and let the other two decide which will survive.

--Prepare for splits and new colonies by having equipment ready (nucs or complete hives).

--Expanding your colonies: nucs (with laying queen), packages (with fertilized queen)

Prices are generally high this year, as high as $190 per package. Paul Gardner will be selling packages he delivers directly from Georgia for $139.10, April 19 and May 7. Italian/Carniolan cross. (Go to our web page for information on buying packages).

--Early mite control is essential for colony health and monitoring mite counts and treating/disruption from springtime on will help decide how successful/healthy your colony will be.

Next meeting: June 8, 2020

Minutes submitted 3/21/2020

Jim Davis, secretary

******* Please let me know if you are no longer wishing to receive communication from ECIBA. You can email me at jim.nwjh@gmail.com

Club website: http://eastcentraliowabeekeepers.blogspot.com

********* To read a copy of the proposed by-laws, click here.

Agenda for March 9, 2020

Meeting Agenda
East Central Iowa Beekeeper's Association
Monday,  March 9^th, 2020
Doors open at 6. Meeting 6:30-8:00

* Tribute to recently deceased members

* Discussion and voting on change in club dues

* Distribute and discuss draft set of by-laws
* Discussion of continuing presence at Johnson Co. Fair

* Speakers:
 Will Swain and Joseph Klingelhutz
  Topic:  Spring Management

* James Miller—discussion of possible field day/social event

* General Discussion/Questions

To View the Proposed Constitution, click on this link: Constitution