Minutes from February 9, 2026

 

ECIBA Meeting Minutes February 9, 2026

Officers present are Joe Klingelhutz-President, Will Swain-Vice President, Diane  Kuhlman-Treasurer.

Joe opened the meeting at 6:31

The first order of business was the Treasurer’s report: 

Diane reported that for those who had not yet paid dues, today was traditionally the time to do so. The dues are set at $20 per family. The current balance is $2,557.88.

Elections of officers:

The next order of business for the election of Officers. Joe reported that by the clubs by laws an election must be held every two years. A call was put out for interest in any of the positions. Jeff Milton said he thought the current officers were doing a great job. Shaun Webb motioned that they all be kept. Rob McCain seconded the motion. And it was put to a vote. There were no Nays.  

Joe noted that there was also an “at large” position which was necessary to fill. It had previously been held by James Miller who recently passed away. Joe nominated Shaun Webb. It was quickly confirmed by the club.

Will noted that secretary, Rachel Vakulich, was not in attendance due to work constraints. And due to work constraints, she had not had not been at the previous three meetings. Will asked Rachel’s father if she was still interested in the secretary position and if her work schedule would allow her to fulfill those duties. He, understandably, could not answer for her. The nomination and confirmation of the club secretary was therefore tabled until the next meeting.

Memorial for James Miller:

Joe described some options to pay tribute to long time club member and beekeeping mentor James Miller.  One option was a plaque to be placed in a park in Wellman where James had been a community fixture at the farmers market. The idea was well received.

The idea of a youth beekeeping scholarship was also presented. It too was well received, but before it could be put to a vote, clarifications of the actual amount of funds was needed. Someone articulated that If we were doing both of these ideas then knowing the actual costs of the plaque, and/or bench (the bench was another idea that was put forward) would need to be determined. 

Other ideas were also floated, which also needed more information. A beekeeping program for the Wellman Boy Scout troop, Beekeeping clubs at high schools with or without Ag or FFA programs and other ideas were also discussed.

 James Millers Bees and Equipment

When James passed away, Shaun Webb volunteered his services to the Miller family.  James had been an important person in Shaun's life and he wanted to ensure the bees were well cared for. He  knew that James’s family also needed help dealing with all the bees and equipment as they closed up the estate.  

Some equipment and bees were sold prior to the meeting and many more hives and bits of equipment were purchased directly after the meeting.  There is still equipment and some bees left.  Contact Shaun Webb via text at 319-321-1414 if you are interested.  The quality of the bees and equipment are excellent and the prices are quite low. Stuff is moving fast so sooner is better than later.

Bulk Purchases of Norroa and VarroxSan

At the last meeting Tom Long mentioned the possibilities of bulk purchases of equipment or medications for members in order to get the savings for the bulk pricing.  Will presented that there were savings in both the price and the reduction of the shared shipping cost. Specifically, the saving came to about $2 per hive and a reduction of shipping cost by half. These reductions only really help you if you have 1-6 hives, otherwise you would likely purchase in bulk anyway. Given these parameters, partnering with one other beekeeper made more sense than a large club purchase. The club meetings can facilitate these partnerships.

Jim Marshall-- Iowa Honey Producers Regional Representative.

Jim transitioned from our club's talk of a Jim Miller memorial scholarship to the  IHPA youth scholarships. And he gave some details about their program. (details can be found at https://www.iowahoneyproducers.org/youth-scholarship-program) 

He went to describe  many upcoming events:

March 25th. Honey bee day at the state capitol.  Beekeeper participation is helpful for pro-beekeeper policies

June 20th is IHPA field day. 

November 6th and 7th is the annual IHPA fall conference.

Information about these events and others  can be found at https://www.iowahoneyproducers.org/

Our Club's Field Day

This year our club's field day will be June 13 at the home of Jim Davis at 10:00. The location is just north of North Liberty. (3326 Ridgewood Country Ct., North Liberty IA.)

General Discussion

Brief discussion about winter bee mortality, Brood Minder studies, and some discussion of winter feeding. Opinions about when to start liquid feeding, when to start pollen patties, when to pick up dead outs were also all briefly discussed. 

Joe adjourned the meeting at 8:03. 

Will Swain, Vice-president

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To reserve the club's oxalic acid vaporizer, go to this link to get started.

Hope your bees are still buzzin'