This is not the announcement for the monthly club meeting in over a week. Instead, this is mid-month notice of 3 meetings this Tues/WedThurs:

WASBA Board Tues 11/5 - open to all WASBA members

TROPHALLAXIS Wed 11/6 - open to WASBA Journeyman candidates, Journeymen, and Master Beekeepers

THE HIVE MIND Thurs 11/7 - open to beginning to intermediate beekeepers

Also, a few updates and reminders are included. The full monthly newsletter will be sent a week from today, Monday December 11th, with the zoom link for the December 13 SnoKing meeting.

CONTENTS:

Meetings 11/5 to 11/7

  WASBA Board Tues 11/5

Trophallaxis Wed 11/6

The Hive Mind Thurs 11/7

SnoKing club meeting - December 13

Membership/Fair Volunteer Drawing Winners

'State of the Hive'

Fall/Winter Monitoring at Maltby

FLIR & Broodminder

Yellow Jackets

Journeyman Opportunities

Discussion Groups

   The Hive Mind 2nd Thursdays

   Facebook closed discussion group

  Trophallaxis 1st Wednesdays

Classes

"Auditing" classes - free for members

Beginner starts Jan. 11, 2024

Journeyman starts Jan. 14, 2024

Club Apiaries - closed for the season until further notice

The first meeting this week is Tuesday. The link may be easiest to access directly from News on www.wasba.org but here it is, just for convenience:

https://wasba.org/board-meeting-12-5-23/

 Join Zoom - Tues. 12/5 7pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86765407378?pwd=R1VHdGNKbFZBK3YrUlRPMW45eWYzUT09
Meeting ID: 867 6540 7378
Passcode: honeybee
One tap mobile +12532050468,,86765407378#,,,,*96014974# US
+12532158782,,86765407378#,,,,*96014974# US (Tacoma)

TROPHALLAXIS

Masters, Journeymen and Journeyman candidates:

     Trophallaxis, a Journeyman and Beyond online networking and sharing group for all who have taken or are taking the academic portion of the WASBA Journeyman, is meeting by zoom on first Wednesdays. Although hosted by SnoKing Beekeepers, this discussion group is open to all Washington State Beekeepers who are Journeyman or Masters, and those who are taking or have taken the academic course of WASBA Journeyman certification.

We used the first meeting Nov. 1st to introduce ourselves and talk about what we would like to do as an intermediate to advanced beekeeping group.

     We can choose the format(s) we want to try. For right now, the group decided to meet monthly on zoom. We can expand to a social media or online forum later if desired. We can share our beekeeping journey, encourage and support each other, let each other know about business/service opportunities, give or practice giving presentations, explore research topics, etc.

      For the zoom link or for more information, call or text Eli Ocheltree 206-859-7392 or email eliochel@snokingbka.org . This is a closed group because we do need to limit this group to beekeepers in Washington State with Journeyman or Master Beekeeper certification or working on Journeyman certification. This group can concentrate on meeting the networking and information sharing needs of the intermediate to advanced beekeeper, while other groups such as The Hive Mind can meet the needs of beginners and intermediate beekeepers.

If this is not the group for you, please remember we do support beekeepers at all levels. So, for a beginning to intermediate beekeeping discussion group, see the information below in this newsletter for The Hive Mind (2nd Thursdays) and the SnoKing Beekeepers Facebook Discussion Group. 

NOTICE: 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."

DRAWING WINNERS: 

  We drew the winning names for the Fair Volunteer/Membership Drawing during the November 15th meeting. 111 members were entered, some with multiple entries for dues and/or fair shifts, so the total number of entries was 214. The drawing was truly random, so not surprisingly three of the winners were members who had only a single entry each, but the majority of the prizes went to members with multiple chances due to shifts worked at the fair. The first member whose name was drawn was Becky Glaze who chose the gorgeous quilt crafted by Anna Filson, followed by Bill MacFarlane choosing the Mann Lake single deep hive setup. 9 more members continued to choose prizes - books, craft items, t-shirts - in the order their names were drawn, and their prizes have been mailed to them if not already picked up.

Thank you to all who volunteered at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe and/or renewed their dues. You make SnoKing Beekeepers the best club around!

FUTURE SNOKING MEETING TOPICS:

The December 13th meeting presentation will be the detailed summary and analysis of the WASBA October 7 & 8 Conference talks, IF the conference recordings have been released by then to attendees. We hope to find this out at the WASBA Board meeting this Tuesday.

Please note: the December meeting has been moved to the 2nd Wednesday for December only. The 13th is not so close to the holiday weekends, which so many beekeepers use for a much needed break.

STATE OF THE HIVE

Hi, beekeepers! We need to have done our best and relax. Remember beekeeping is supposed to be simple: Keep the bees dry, fed, and treated for mites and “do no harm. Here’s hoping for a warmer drier 2024 spring than 2022 and 2023!

  Clearing entrances remains one of the most important maintenance chores. At the Maltby apiary, the first noticeable drop happened the second week of November, almost enough to block entrances. If you can't check and clear entrances frequently, consider that a colony may need that small upper entrance for cleansing flights.

Yellowjackets update:

All the slideout boards under the vertical stacking Langstroth show bee legs and other parts, but the stronger hives only show the debris near the entrances and less of it, so perhaps that is the evidence of attacks repelled. There are no wings on the slideouts of most of the hives as there were earlier in the fall for a couple of hives clearly in distress. Horizontal Langstroths appear to have repelled the YJs much more effectively, perhaps because they were designed with smaller entrances placed above the hive floor, not below on the landing board, aka 'robbing platform". With temps as cold as they have been, it's impossible to know the extent of damage done for at least the next few months.

Here's hoping for early spring in 2024. May your mite counts be low!

WINTER MONITORING at Maltby Apiary

FLIR photos and reading some of the Broodminder sensor require unwrapping the reflectix around the hives. A collage of Hives A, B, C and D is shown above and E, F, G & H below. We are hoping to monthly capture colony position within hives without opening them and see how many of the colonies actually move gradually upward through the hive as reported in beekeeping publications. Some colonies in these pictures taken first week of November are still in the bottom box(es) as they were when these hives were readied for Fall & Winter. "Brood to the bottom; stores to the top!" is the ideal start to Fall/Winter 2022-2023.

The FLIR camera can not focus well through the thick-walled long hives such as above, except by opening the observation window as in the photo.

Fall/Winter 2022-2023 Monitoring at the Maltby Apiary continues via broodminder and flir, however interpretation is not always easy. Flir picture collages shown are from the first week in November with feeders left on the hives because the temperatures fell before they were removed. Temperature sensors in the Maltby apiary hives were placed above the cluster, some as high as a super above the cluster,except for the 2 temperature sensors built into the hive scales. Those 2 show daily swings in temperature but the temperatures recorded are higher than ambient, so heat leakage from the screened bottom board of the hives must be influencing the readings. Also, any sensor placed too close to the opening in the inner cover can give readings showing daily fluctuation close to ambient day/night temperatures.

So data creates more work for the beekeeper in the interpretation. For example,the downward trend in weight for the two hives with scales doesn't tell us directly how much decrease is in bee population and how much in stores used to support the bees. In clearing the entrances, only one hive had noticeable bee drop on the bottom board, and undertaker bees were not flying in the recent weather conditions. Therefore, recent weight loss might be assumed to be mostly stores.

FAIR COMMITTEE meetings are on hold until after Easter and then have a check-in meeting to see what we really want to undertake in 2024. Ideas discussed at the meeting included changing to an open, walk-through booth and opening up all 4 sides and creating a How to Start Beekeeping brochure with emphasis on a timeline to follow for success. If we missed you, email eliochel@snokingbka.org for the notes, or if you wish to join that committee. If you can not attend, but have comments or suggestions for the committee, please email them to

Fair chair: Walt Filson waltfilson@gmail.com

DISCUSSION GROUPS:

ASK A BEEKEEPER sessions will pick up again in spring; dates and times TBA.

THE HIVE MIND networking group for beginning (and advanced!) beekeepers continues on 2nd Thursdays, meeting this Thursday December 7th. Contact Gina Cuff ginacuff@gmail.com for information and zoom link.

SNOKING BEEKEEPERS Facebook discussion group is open to all Western Washington Beekeepers and continues throughout the year. Ask to join on Facebook or by emailing beebuddy.skba@gmail.com Ron Robinson with the email that you use on Facebook and he can invite you to join.

AUDITING CLASSES: SnoKing offers an unusual member benefit: a member can audit a class for free for any level already achieved. Email eliochel@snokingbkar.org to be placed on the weekly class email list at no cost for current members. This is of particular benefit to those who took classes pre-2019, before the major rewrite of the manuals. Any member who previously earned a certificate is welcome to join a current class and see that current level information presented.

In particular, some of you Journeymen might wish a review of academic material before applying for the new Master Beekeeper program expected to begin in June 2024.

Journeyman is the most completely rewritten and improved of the course levels and of particular interest to experienced beekeepers. The newer print manuals can be purchased even if you have already earned Journeyman. The easiest way to review the new Journeyman curriculum if you already have earned the certificate, is to audit as an “alumnus”. Email eliochel@snokingbka.org and ask to receive the weekly class emails with link, handouts and other information.

The next Journeyman 10-session course starts January 14, 2024.

JOURNEYMAN OPPORTUNITIES to earn service credit point during the winter can include writing articles of interest to beekeepers (2 service credits per article).

Suggested article topics:

-- personal evolution as a beekeeper

-- scaling up your beekeeping operation, or down, or both

-- review of a favorite speaker or research source/topic you have researched

-- summary of the beekeeping season just ending (your experience or a general perspective of 2023)

More journeyman service possibilities:

-- Teaching WASBA Beginner*

-- Moderating or presenting at discussion groups or meetings.

     *We are aware that WASBA allows anyone who has completed Apprentice with one year beekeeping experience to teach Beginner, as long as they are under the supervision of a Journeyman or Master, but SnoKing limits teaching to beekeepers that have completed at least the academic portion of WASBA Journeyman.

CLASSES via Zoom with SnoKing Beekeepers Assn.

All classes include manual, online testing, and WASBA certificate plus WASBA 2024 membership upon course completion.

APPRENTICE - TBA. The first 2024 Apprentice will start late January or February 2024.

Next BEGINNER starts Thursday, January 11. Registration and more information at www.snokingbka.org/beginnerapplication

Questions? Call or text 206-859-7392 or email eliochel@snokingbka.org.

Next JOURNEYMAN starts January 14, 2024. Registration and more information can be found at www.snokingbka.org/journeymanapplication

     Although the academic course is only part of Journeyman certification, many Journeyman candidates find that it gives them knowledge and confidence to complete the other requirements, particularly the service hours requirement which may include mentoring, presentations, and other club & community service hours.

CLUB APIARIES:

Closed except by appointment

Maltby - Eli - eliochel@snokingbka.org  206-859-7392

Granite Falls - Ron - beebuddy.skba@gmail.com 206-719-3604

We look forward to talking bees with you at 3rd Wednesday monthly meetings. Zoom link for the next meeting will be in next week's newsletter.

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.

"We talk bees!" at SnoKing Beekeepers Association.