Meeting Tonight! 6:30PM Wed 7/17 |
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Join us tonight while we discuss Treats for Varroa Mites! and can talk bees after the presentation as long as you can stay awake and online! Looking forward to talking bees with you ! SnoKing Beekeepers Monthly Meeting July 17, 2024 06:30 PM Pacific Time Topic: Varroa Choices SnoKing July 17, 2024 Meeting Time: Jul 17, 2024 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89749389082?pwd=tRaIupivbCgpVTUNUsOlfuUxn3bOY2.1 Meeting ID: 897 4938 9082 Passcode: 767944 One tap mobile +12532050468,,89749389082#,,,,*767944# US +12532158782,,89749389082#,,,,*767944# US (Tacoma) Dial by your location • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) |
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Hi, beekeepers! Let’s talk Varroa, the arachnid we despise but can’t stop talking about! Seriously, our bees need our help as Varroa populations zoom each July and August. If you have been monitoring, don’t relax as we approach the inevitable late summer/fall mite population explosion. This presentation will cover the types of Varroa treatments available and their application and timing. It will be followed on the next several Saturdays in July and August by demos of as many treatment methods at the Maltby Apiary as possible. Seeing the doses applied to brood boxes in real time should make it easier for each and every one of us to plan and carry out these treatments. |
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Photo above from WASBA manual. Microcrystals formed on worker bee after fumigation with oxalic acid (Oxalic Acid Vaporization - OAV). |
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Queen Workshop Update: Despite a cool start, the workshop heated up and we have queens! If you earned queens by volunteering 5 hours per queen, please plan on picking them up by August 1st. After the yellow jacket invasion of last summer/fall, we will be increasing security and each colony’s defenses by merging small hives. It is too hot for most of us native Western WA-tonians to work in the afternoons, so just come at the regular 10AM to noon sessions at the Maltby Apiary or arrange to come earlier by text or email. I (Eli) am up by 8, often earlier and I'm in the apiary most mornings for at least an hour or 2 Monday through Saturday until August 1st and would appreciate the help. Most of what we must continue to do is monitor, mark and verify queens, and feed. If you have not made it to the workshop yet, come before we close down that part of the apiary. We need to start the changeover to winter prep in August, plus the 11 days of the Evergreen State Fair (Monroe) take up most of the club volunteers. |
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Photo: successful use of Nicot cassette at Maltby Apiary 2024. Way to go, Queen Bea! |
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So, the first queens are being picked up. 4 are available right now and more will be this week. If you worked hours at the apiary, you should have received an email with the hours listed per volunteer. For each 5 hours worked on the project, you earned a queen. Not all queens are ready yet; they will be ready at staggered times, but as soon as you are ready to pick them up, let me know. We still have at least one ready for pickup now and a couple more soon. You must pick up the queens you earned by August 1st. We will probably also have some queen cells available after that date but we must merge the mating nucs. The YJs last year focused their attacks on mating nucs because they are defenseless compared to the stronger hives. |
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Thanks owed to our Journeyman candidates Chris Vigars and Randy Green who set up and staffed the SnoKing booth at the WASBA Pollinator FunFest Olympia, Washington June 22, 2024. |
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2024 WASBA Conference October 5-6 Conference strategy It sounds early to plan this but the talks will not be recorded. In the past, Snoking has relied on recordings when available, and on some great notetakers to let our non-attending membership know what the conference presenters covered. This year we will need to rely on notetakers because the talks will not be recorded. To see what SnoKing gathered and shared the past two years, go to our youtube channel. Michael Duncan, Master Beekeeper candidate in the new WASBA program, reported on much of it at our October meeting after the 2023 WASBA Conference: https://youtu.be/t35fW63Jpq4?si=75aapXsoaLUyfcpc. The 2022 Conference synopsis by Eli Ocheltree can be found at https://youtu.be/rOmdo3aTY2U?si=BNaFtC70QsxO2EJO These and all our monthly meeting recordings can be found on SnoKing’s youtube channel under the monthly meeting playlist. |
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DISCUSSION GROUPS 7/22 Mon 6PM-7PM The Hive Mind fourth Monday meeting. A monthly chance for beekeepers of all levels to check in with each other and ask questions. To join, email Gina ginacuff@gmail.com for the Zoom link. 8/7 6:30PM – 8PM Trophallaxis first Wednesday meeting for Journeyman, Masters, and those who have taken or are taking the academic portion of Journeyman. To join the discussion, email Eli eliochel@snokingbka.org for Zoom link. |
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QUEEN PROJECT ENDS AUGUST 1st August 1st Queen workshop at Maltby Apiary ends. Arrange queen pickup by then.The queen rearing project has run for almost 2 months and students have been coming when they can, mostly on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Although we are at the queen pickup stage, we still need to maintain mating nucs and verify (‘proof’) the productivity of those queens. Contact Eli 206-859-7392 eliochel@snokingbka.org for more information and to volunteer. An overview of the purpose and method of the club queen rearing project is presented at: https://youtu.be/oi0wMU6-59c?si=ZIzAN9DtTwkidE9T . |
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EVERGREEN STATE FAIR in Monroe, WA 8/22-27, 8/29-9/2 SnoKing booth signup at Evergreen State Fair: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DAEAD2FA0FAC07-50146697-2024 Don’t be shy about signing up. To keep this event the fun team-building event it has been for the last several years, we need at least 3 beekeepers per shift, 3 shifts a day, for the 11 days of the fair. It’s a great way to meet other beekeepers and earn Journeyman service credits. The grand prize for the fair volunteer raffle will again be a single deep hive setup donated by Mann Lake. We particularly appreciate this donation because the hive is used as a bee-free demo at the fair. We can’t bring anything with propolis or wax on it that will attract bees into our booth, so a brand-new hive that can be the grand prize in the annual fair volunteer raffle, is the perfect demo setup. Photo below shows Fair Chair Walt Filson and Eli Ocheltree using last year's grand prize to talk bees with the public. |
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OLD BUSINESS Win awards for your honey and bee products at the Fair! Tim Ade spoke at our last monthly meeting https://youtu.be/m-hRT5Bm900?si=KU7WQKwm8uatyTjh to explain how and why to enter honey, wax and other bee materials in the Open Class competitions at the fair and here’s his message to us: “Please share this link with the club. All that sign up will receive free parking and fair entry tickets for each slot taken. All times qualify toward WASBA Journeyman credit. httpwww.signupgenius.com/go/20F054BAEA728A5F85-50147162-esfochoney All beekeepers are invited to join the "Evergreen State Fair Open Class Honey Group" on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1082380179706587 Please contact me with any questions. Text will sometimes get a faster response.” Tim Ade Superintendent O/C Honey 425-239-9959 |
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CLASSES are offered year-round via zoom with SnoKing Beekeepers Assn. All classes include manual, online testing, WASBA certificate, annual SnoKing dues, and WASBA 2024 dues. Beginner is currently in progress through August 12th. Apprentice is in progress 6:30PM Thursdays through August 8. NEXT CLASSES START: Beginner, Apprentice & Journeyman new classes will all start September/October 2024. Master Beekeeper Certificate at Cornell University Cornell is still offering 33 1/3% discount for SnoKing members. Ask Eli Ocheltree for the discount code. |
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Announcements: Swarm List: to join, call or text Myke Gheparde 425-501-8100, par.none@yahoo.com Apiaries open: Granite Falls - Ron - beebuddy.skba@gmail.com 206-719-3604 Maltby - Eli - eliochel@snokingbka.org 206-859-7392, Saturdays through August 10 Queen Rearing Workshop Classes: Beginner, Apprentice & Journeyman start Sept/Oct 2024 Master Beekeeper Certificate - Cornell University offers 33 1/3% discount for SnoKing members Discussion Groups: The Hive Mind 4th Mondays for novice to experienced – July 22, 6-7PM Facebook SnoKing Beekeepers discussion group – all levels Trophallaxis 1st Wednesdays – August 7, 6:30PM-8PM |
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VETERAN REIMBURSEMENT AND SUPPORT: GRuB (Garden-Raised Bounty) www.goodgrub.org . Jennah Kemp, Veteran Program Manager (jennah@goodgrub.org 360-358-1910 and Alex Cumings, Veteran Program Coordinator 360-338-2256 alex@goodgrub.org GRuB’s Veteran Program consists of a number of projects with a shared goal: to support military Veterans and their families access and utilize available resources that will help them achieve their personal and business goals, including through education, mentorship, one-on-one coaching, and community building. Its two main projects are Healing Through Hives and the Shepherd Project, both coordinated in partnership with the Washington Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition (WA-FVC). |
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Swarms Reporting a Swarm: Names and phone number of the 3 primary contacts are on the www.snokingbka.org Home page. To get on the Swarm Call List if you wish to collect swarms in your area, call or text Swarm List Manager Myke Gheparde 425-501-8100, or email him at par.none@yahoo.com |
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CALENDAR of UPCOMING EVENTS: Saturdays 10AM-noon Basic Hive Monitoring, Maltby Apiary 7/22 Mon 6PM-7PM The Hive Mind fourth Monday meeting. A monthly chance for beekeepers of all levels to check in with each other and ask questions. To join, email Gina ginacuff@gmail.com for the Zoom link. 8/7 6:30PM – 8PM Trophallaxis first Wednesday meeting for Journeyman, Masters, and those who have taken or are taking the academic portion of Journeyman. |
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Club Apiaries - Email eliochel@snokingbka.org for exact address for each Hiveside, to confirm that there are no last minute changes to date and time, and to tell SnoKing that you are attending. If the decision to come is last-minute, text/call to make sure there have been no changes. We have spare bee jackets and veils. If you are interested in attending the apiary classes at either location, email eliochel@snokingbka.org and we will put your email on a list to notify when the dates and times each of the apiaries will be open. Maltby Apiary is open Saturdays April 27 through mid-August; dates and times can be found on the Calendar page at www.snokingbka.org . We also occasionally post them on the FB group discussion page but it is best to get on the email notification list by contacting Eli. |
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There are also a few opportunities to come by on weekdays during the summer and talk bees and help out, usually because some volunteers are working on the queen rearing project those days. Contact Ron or Eli directly for those opportunities. Stay in touch and stay tuned for updates. Apiary Managers: Granite Falls - Ron - beebuddy.skba@gmail.com 206-719-3604 Maltby - Eli - eliochel@snokingbka.org 206-859-7392 |
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FREE for pickup by SnoKing members at the Maltby Apiary. Free cinder blocks and burlap bags donated to our club by fellow beekeepers. Text Eli 206-859-7392 or email eliochel@snokingbka.org . |
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Policy Statement: There will be one essential rule at Trophallaxis and at any meeting or activity hosted by SnoKing Beekeepers. Ron Robinson stated it best for our Facebook discussion group, when he said: "SKBA prides itself on the fact we are not like other groups on Facebook. We have become known as a safe group for keepers of all levels to comfortably ask questions and opinions without being blasted or publicly humiliated for asking what may seem like a very basic question to others. Any harassing, bullying, demeaning behavior, or such will not be tolerated. We have a zero tolerance policy and such behavior will result in immediate removal from club and all club activities." |
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We look forward to talking bees with you at 3rd Wednesday monthly meetings. Zoom link for the next meeting: Treats for Varroa Mites July 17, 2024 06:30 PM Pacific Time Topic: Varroa Choices SnoKing July 17, 2024 Meeting Time: Jul 17, 2024 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89749389082?pwd=tRaIupivbCgpVTUNUsOlfuUxn3bOY2.1 Meeting ID: 897 4938 9082 Passcode: 767944 One tap mobile +12532050468,,89749389082#,,,,*767944# US +12532158782,,89749389082#,,,,*767944# US (Tacoma) Dial by your location • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) |
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The mission of the SKBA, a 501c3 member club of WASBA, is to provide educational opportunities, networking and support to beekeepers and people interested in honey bees, particularly those involved in small-scale beekeeping in Washington State west of the Cascades. |
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"We talk bees!" at SnoKing Beekeepers Association. |
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