On this page:
--County Fair Sign-up
--Notes from the 2021 IHPA Summer Field Day
--Link to recordings about entering items in the State Fair
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We're going to the fair! After a year off for the pandemic, the Johnson County Fair is going to be open and running this July. And again, as in the past, East Central Iowa Beekeepers Association will have a presence at the fair. Unlike in the past, we will be inside, in one of the exhibition halls. That should get more traffic past our stand and allow us to engage more with people about bees. So, if you enjoy talking with people about bees, this is the event for you. Promoting education about bees and beekeeping is one of our mission statements, and this is a fun way to fulfill that.
The fair runs from Sunday, July 25th through Wednesday, July 28th. The following schedule shows the available time slots to sign up for. Ideally, it helps to have two people at a shift, to allow short breaks, but one person can handle it.
Check the schedule and email Jim Davis at davisjk@southslope.net and indicate the time slot you wish to work. Also indicate if you will have anyone with you. We hope to see you there!
An "X" indicates the time slot has been taken.
Sunday, July 25
9:00-11:00 AM (Set-up) ( X) ( )
11:00-3:00 ( X) (X )
3:00-7:00 (X) (X)
Monday, July 26
11:00-3:00 ( X ) ( X )
3:00-7:00 ( X ) ( )
Tuesday, July 27
11:00-3:00 ( ) ( )
3:00-7:00 ( X ) ( X )
Wednesday, July 28
11:00-3:00 ( X ) ( )
3:00-7:00 ( X ) ( X )
8:30-9:30 PM (Takedown) ( X ) ( )
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Soggy Notes from a Fun Day
Notes from the IHPA Summer Field Day
"It was a dark and stormy night..." No, wait, that's the opening line from Snoopy's great American novel.
"It was a cool and rainy day..." but participants still had an enjoyable time getting together face to face and talking/learning about bees. Tents with chairs were set up at Adam Ebert's property in Mt. Vernon, which provided shelter enough to stay pretty dry even though drizzle continued throughout most of the day. Fifty plus people were in attendance, and a nice lunch provided in spite of a mishap that resulted in our original lunch being prepared for Mt. Vernon, Missouri! Thanks to the coordinators for scrambling to find lunch elsewhere.
IHPA President Roy Kraft opened the activities and kept events running on time.
First to speak was state apiarist Andy Joseph, who talked about some new changes, particularly for youth participation, in the Iowa State Fair competitions. Young people will now be able to participate in their own honey bear competition. Another event is the Best of Iowa honey competition, which the organizers are excited about.
Andy also spoke about chalkbrood, which has been particularly prevalent this season. Chalkbrood is a fungal parasite that consumes the larval stage of the bee. Look for a spotty brood pattern, with the larva shrinking to a hardened pellet in the cell. You may see pellets on the landing board that the bees have drug out. There is no registered treatment but environmental conditions can be managed to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease, such as keeping the hive out of a shady location, maintaining good air flow throughout the hive, and making sure not to transfer infected frames into another hive.
Entomologist Dr. Matt O'Neal of Iowa State spoke about the STRIPS (Science-based Trails of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips) project, which has a two-fold aim at promoting pollinators by providing nutritional diversity among the rowcrops and helping preserve soil through the planting of perennial prairie plants.
Iowa State Extension Entomologist Randall Cass led the group through a problem solving exercise determining the question of why a given colony was dying.
Beekeeper Pat Ennis and Randall Cass spoke about mite treatments, oxalic acid in particular. Both the dribble and vaporization methods were discussed. Testing for mites is essential in determining when to treat. Pat continually stressed the importance of following correct procedure and maintaining proper safety measures.
Dr. Matt O'Neal lead the group through an interesting exercise in learning about the ways in which insects are classified.
A beekeeper panel comprised of Tom Hart, Pat Ennis, Ed St. John, Jamie Beyer and Phil Ebert conducted a question and answer.
Breakout sessions in the afternoon included Queen Making (Jason Foley), Mite Checking (Randall Cass), Extraction Tour (Adam Ebert), and Smoker Concerns (Roy Kraft)
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Link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hmtu89etl2hcutc/AACeLNwC5XF280LBpThO7fDqa?dl=0
Password: 20210529
You can stream the individual files or download them and watch on your device at any time.
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