Minutes from September 9, 2019

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Minutes of East Central Iowa Beekeepers Association

September 9, 2019

The meeting was called to order by president Dave Irvin.

New members were introduced and welcomed.

Dave said he will not be working the Johnson County fair next year. He cancelled the liability insurance we’ve had for the event. We will discuss at the March meeting whether or not we will choose to continue our presence at the fair.

Dave also said this will be his last year as president, due to health issues. We thank Dave very much for his service and dedication, particularly with helping set up and organize the tent at the fair each year. There will be elections for a new president at the December meeting.

James Miller worked at the Iowa Honey Producer’s booth at the Iowa State fair and encouraged all to consider volunteering there, as it’s an enjoyable 4 and a half hours and you get into the fair for free.

Jim Davis spoke about the film Honeyland that is currently playing at the independent movie theater in Iowa City called Film Scene. The film centers on a woman living in a mountainous region of Macedonia, surviving by raising honey bees. It’s a beautiful film.

Floyd Otdoerfer talked about the honey flow this year, which was very strong if you had a strong hive. Matt Stewart pointed out that the flow is still going on and bees continue to bring in nectar. Some brought in more honey in one hive than they collected all of last year.

Floyd also mentioned that many had difficulties with packages this year, which was probably a result of poor queens due to bad conditions for mating this spring, in California as well as Iowa.

Floyd mentioned the dates of the annual state meeting of the Iowa Honey Producers, the 8^th and 9^th of November, in Des Moines.

He also cautioned about making sure that colonies have sufficient honey supplies for winter, especially if honey was taken from the hive. Floyd is also a strong proponent of having nucs on hand to help support colonies that may be struggling.

Ed St. John—guest speaker. Ed is the district 3 representative from the Iowa HoneyProducers Association. Ed gave a talk on winter preparation and issues surrounding that topic. Below is a summary of his points. His powerpoint presentation is available on our website, on the resources page.

--Ed presented a calendar of fall and winter preparation. He stressed that prep needs to begin as early as August. Watch for robbing, do mite treatments, and remove capped honey.

--Described the differences between summer and winter bees, with winter bees having larger fat bodies to help them survive the winter. Having a good population will ensure enough nurse bees to develop winter bees, which can live much longer than their summer counterparts.

--Keeping mite numbers low is key to healthy nurse bees and larva

--New research indicates the varroa mite attacks the fat bodies of the bees, which limits their ability to survive the stresses of winter

--Ed covered the various mite products, discussing the pros and cons of each. (Refer to the notes on his powerpoint for specifics).

--Various stressors have to be noted by the beekeeper in the fall, such as drought (dearth), rain, cold spells, wind and ventilation.

--Hive preparations include replacing the screened bottom board, assessing hive weight and feeding needs, making sure there is proper ventilation, moisture control and insulation. Top cover insulation is very important. Styrofoam insulation the top and sides can be effective, but there are other methods such as roofing felt. Various methods can be used to provide moisture control, but upper entrances and a means for air to move through the hive and out are vital.

Jim Davis asked for a volunteer to serve as treasurer. Jean Stallman stepped forward and will serve as treasurer. Many thanks to Jean!

Jim also gave a short demonstration of how to do a mite count. Pollinators.org is conducting their annual Mite-A-Thon September 7 through 21. Members are encouraged to participate by taking a mite count and submitting the results to the pollinator.org web site.

James Miller talked about a hive tool he really likes, which has a hook on the end that makes it very easy to lift frames.

Floyd talked about a technique he uses in July to help reduce swarming, by putting in partial frames so bees have something to do.

Bob Wolff emphasized the need to treat bees. With exponential growth of mites this time of year, treating is essential for winter survival.

Bob also has been talking with Robb Hogg, state representative, who is concerned about pollinators and what we are doing in Iowa that affects them. Using the honey bee as the “canary in the coal mine”, Rep. Hogg is wondering what are the one or two issues beekeepers see in our environment that affect the honey bee. With data, he would like to go to the legislature and pursue legislation that will be beneficial to bees. Bob will develop an on-line survey. A link to the survey will be sent to members so we can provide direct feedback that may, hopefully, result in positive legislation or action on the part of the state that woiuld be beneficial to our bees. The survey will be up for about three weeks.

Minutes submitted by Jim Davis, Secretary

Eastcentraliowabeekeepers.blogspot.com

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Film "Honeyland"--now playing at Film Scene in Iowa City.
A woman utilizes ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of Macedonia. When a neighboring family tries to do the same, it becomes a source of tension as they disregard her wisdom and advice.
For a link to Film Scene, click here.
Click here to view the trailer of the film.