The Connecticut Beekeepers Assoc. Volume 90, Issue 2: Spring Upcoming Meetings & Workshops

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1 Honey Bee The Connecticut The Connecticut Beekeepers Assoc. Volume 90, Issue 2: Spring 2016 President s Message This has been a surprisingly busy spring. The largest issue we ve been facing is due to the state budget cuts and the potential of losing the state bee inspector. I urge you to call and write your local representative and educate them as to the importance of maintaining the bee inspector. There is an article on page 12 that will give you all the information you need to make your case. Do it in your own words, not mine, so it will hold more weight with your representative. We have had articles featured by AP in newspapers across the state, and we ve had radio coverage on local and public radio stations around the state. Help us keep the pressure on. More information can be found on our website at www. ctbees.org/case-for-the-state-apiary-inspector. (Continued On Page 2) Upcoming Meetings & Workshops Saturday, April 16 9am-3pm 123 Huntington St., New Haven Featured Speakers: Betty Menucucci & Carl Jurica Saturday, April 23 9am-10:30am Massaro Farm, 41 Ford Road, Woodbridge Spring Hive Inspection Demos - 1st Session Saturday, April 23 11:30am-1pm Massaro Farm, 41 Ford Road, Woodbridge Spring Hive Inspection Demos - 2nd Session Saturday, May 7 9am-10:30am Massaro Farm, 41 Ford Road, Woodbridge Follow-Up Hive Inspections, Hive Maintenance & Supering Demos - 1st Session Saturday, May 7 9am-10:30am Massaro Farm, 41 Ford Road, Woodbridge Follow-Up Hive Inspections, Hive Maintenance & Supering Demos - 2nd Session

2 (President s Message, Continued From Page 1) On March 16th, CBA attended Ag Day at the State Capitol. We were able to meet with state representatives. We delivered jars of honey to each representative with a message on maintaining funding for the Ag station and preserving the bee inspector position. We had Tabitha Mansker, 2016 American Honey Princess helping us reach the attendees. Governor Malloy invited us to place bees at the Governor s mansion. We will provide more information as it becomes available. The winter was milder than normal due to the El Nino event in the pacific. With some exceptions, my losses have not been as bad this year as in past years. Be careful going into spring build up. Mite levels are likely high due to queen remaining more active throughout the winter. On the warmer winter days I saw bees bringing fresh pollen into the hives, which indicates that the queens may have been laying. Prior to supering, do a sugar roll. Know your mite levels. Thanks to the American Beekeeping Federation for offering a free membership to everyone through December 31st of this year. Once you see what they have to offer, you ll want to remain a member. Information on how to get your free membership is included on page 10. Our big event is coming up on June 4th. The Connecticut Beekeepers Association will be celebrating its 125th birthday (See Flyer on page 5). We re planning a lot of events. Although we will have live bees like any field day, we are also planning family friendly activities. There will be short films, displays, demonstrations, and more. We should have a comprehensive list of events in the next few weeks. But to make it work, we will need your help! If you re willing to donate a few hours to volunteer, please let us know. Let s make this a memorable event that they will have a hard time beating at our 150th anniversary! Details about the event will be posted at where you can also sign up for different jobs. Bee School this year was a great success. We had over 220 people between the two sessions. Completed surveys revealed that the number one request of new beekeepers is to be able to have mentors, or at least someone to talk to. If you would like to be a mentor, please me. We will also have signups at the next meeting. For the new beekeepers reading this, please remember that a great way to find a mentor is to attend our meetings where you will meet other beekeepers and can ask your questions. The second request new beekeepers have is for hands-on workshops. If the Massaro workshops fill up quickly, we will look to add more. We will monitor the need and demand. Watch the website for information and signup. Finally, our upcoming April meeting looks to be outstanding. We have two speakers read their bios on page 6. More details on the meeting can be found on page 4. Remember to bring a dish to share for the Pot Luck Lunch! Happy Beekeeping! Good Luck for a productive Spring! Steve Dinsmore President Page 2

3 Treasurer s Note The following account balances represent the CBA s coffers as of January 30, 2016: Bank Accounts Checking- $12760 Legal Fund- $14719 Norm Farmer Education Fund- $2612 Certificates of Deposit Legal Fund CD- $6762 N. Farmer Education Fund CD- $1104 Extractor Program- $2333 PayPal- $11910 Major Expenses for 2015 Speakers - $2300 (Not including SNEBA) Ag Day - $947 Meeting Venue Expenses - $349 Books represent a sizable expense, however the cost is recouped through sales. Recurring expenses include meeting refreshments and photocopies. SNEBA 2015 CBA Net: $1154 CBA Treasurer, Mike Campion Our beautiful, handcrafted 10-frame Langstroth hives are made with care in Oxford, CT. All hives are fully assembled and available in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Each hive includes: Carey s Beehives Hive Stand Screened Bottom Board with insert 2 deep supers with 10 frames 2 medium supers with 10 frames Inner cover Telescoping outer cover with aluminum top Entrance Reducer We provide free delivery in Connecticut, west of the Connecticut River. There is a nominal delivery charge to other areas based on distance careybeehives@yahoo.com Great for beginners and seasoned professionals alike! Carey s Beehives is a proud member of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association! Page 3

4 Upcoming Meetings and Workshops Saturday, April 16 9am CT Agricultural Experiment Station New Haven 9:30 A.M: Betty Mencucci Twenty Seven Years of Beekeeping and Lessons Learned 11 A.M.: Carl Jurica Practical Queen Production in the North (part one) Noon Pot Luck Lunch 1 P.M.: Betty Mencucci The Importance of Record Keeping-Making it Quick and Simple 2 P.M.: Carl Jurica Practical Queen Production in the North (part 2) Saturday, April :30am or 11:30-1pm Massaro Farm 41 Ford Road, Woodbridge Sessions help develop basic bee keeping skills and include several hive inspections. Discussion of management techniques for spring. Demonstration of both the sugar roll and alcohol wash methods of mite detection and management. Register online: Saturday, May :30am or 11:30-1pm Massaro Farm 41 Ford Road, Woodbridge Follow-up inspections and hive maintenance. Includes a review of supering timing & techniques. Register online: Eastern Apiculture Society 2016 Short Course: July Conference: JULY Richard Stockton University, Galloway, NJ Located just 10 minutes west of Atlantic City, this year s EAS conference is coming together as one of the best EAS events ever. Presenters include James Frazier and Dennis vanengelsdorp, Jeff Pettis and Medhat Nasr, Maryann Fraizier, Sarah Red-Laird, David Tarpy and many more. The week will be filled with educational talks and workshops, scores of national and local vendors, bee olympics, honey show competitions, hands-on bee demonstrations, mead and candle-making, a tour of a large beekeeping operation, and so much more. If you are an experienced beekeeper, apply for the Master Beekeeper certification exams. Or, come to enjoy and share the comradery, knowledge, and tall tales from more than 600 fellow beekeepers. Registration will open for the event in April. Please visit the EAS website For information on registration, accommodations and more! conferences/eas-2016.html SONPAL S POWER FENCE Electric fencing for your bee hives Solar, plug-in and battery energizers Electronet, portable fencing, fence kits Gun Sonpal 187 West Side Rd. Goshen, CT gsonpal@gmail.com Page 4

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6 J ones Apiaries Country Rubes Bottom Boards Sundance Pollen Traps Ross Rounds Authorized Maxant Dealer llc Ted & Becky Jones Dealers for: Spotlight On Our Speakers Assembled Equipment Unassembled Equipment MiteAway Quick Strips Bee Smart Equipment Heitkam Queens Available 55 Wolf Pit Road, Farmington, CT Connecticut Beekeepers Association Officers: President: Steve Dinsmore East Lyme, CT Vice-President: Gosia Liedlich Southbury, CT Treasurer: Michael Campion Prospect, CT Secretary: Karen Parker Old Lyme, CT Program Chair: Al Avitabile Bethlehem, CT Publications and Publicity Chair: Susan Lydem Member at Large: Richard Moore Canton, CT Betty Menucci Betty Mencucci, also known as The Bee Lady, is Owner of Betty s Bee Farm. She is a past President of Rhode Island Beekeepers Association and teaches Bee School, which has grown from 12 to 200 students per year. Carl Jurica Carl Jurica received his PhD under Doctor Roger A. Morse, Cornell University. Carl has been raising Northern Queens commercially since the mid 1970 s in Johnstown, New York. After pursuing other activities, he has recently returned to raising queens in the Southern Adirondacks region of New York. State Beekeeping Officials: Deputy Entomologist Victoria Smith State of CT CT Agricultural Experiment Station 123 Huntington Avenue New Haven, CT State Apiary Inspector Mark Creighton State of CT CT Agricultural Experiment Station 123 Huntington Avenue New Haven, CT Page 6

7 Created by Laura Balliett Page 7

8 Why belong to the Connecticut Farm Bureau? The Farm Bureau is a grassroots, membership-supported organization supporting all agriculture in the U.S. My wife and I have belonged to the Connecticut Farm Bureau for the past 19 years or so. It has been very beneficial to us, our beekeeping business and to all beekeepers in Connecticut. The CFBA has helped us personally with issues that have come up in our beekeeping business, as well as issues other beekeepers have had over the years. Whether you are a profitable small farmer or a small-scale beekeeper with a couple of hives, the Connecticut Farm Bureau is, and has always been, there to help. Here in Connecticut, the CFBA stepped up to defend the Bee Inspector position when it was in danger of being eliminated, and again when the position was vacant. It was instrumental to making the Bee Inspector a full-time position. The reason I am writing this is due to the recent increase in calls from beekeepers to the CFBA to save the Bee Inspector s job. I am on the membership committee and noticed that very few of the beekeepers calling belong to the CFBA. The CFBA helps everyone who calls and are on board to help save all the jobs at the Agricultural Experiment Station. The Farm Bureau is our voice and ears at the state capitol, and we think it is worthwhile to write a check every year to renew our membership and support the CFBA s work. Having a strong membership is the most effective way to make our voices heard. The Farm Bureau is always looking for knowledgeable people to be involved in issues, so here is your chance to help save jobs at the Agricultural Experiment Station, including the Bee Inspector. I am on the Hartford Country Board of Directors, and serving with the CFBA has been a very rewarding experience working with all types of farm producers in Connecticut. Please consider joining the Connecticut Farm Bureau in your county. Visit their website at: Ted Jones CUSTOM CRAFTED BEE HIVES Custom crafted ten frame apiary kits using commercial grade ponderosa pine. Starter, as well as expanded hive components available. English Garden Hives Nucleus Hive Boxes Hive Bodies Medium Supers Painted/stained to your specifications Delivered within Connecticut For pricing and to place an order, please contact: Philip & Richard Moore PHONE: (860) nutmegwoodenware@yahoo.com Page 8

9 Coverage Under Any Roof: Please contact us today for a no obligation quote: or ddonahue@bludon.com Dan Donahue Anne Marie Labonte Stephen Donahue P.O. Box 352 Cobalt, CT Page 9

10 ABF Instrumental in Getting Oxalic Acid Approval The American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) started to work on the approval of Oxalic Acid for everyone in the beekeeping industry over a year ago, including going to Washington D.C. to testify at hearings and lobby for its use. Thanks to their efforts, we now have Oxalic Acid approved for general use at the federal level. Each state then needed to make sure their state regulations followed suit. Mark Creighton, our State Bee Inspector, made sure that Connecticut received approval for the use of Oxalic Acid locally. This is yet another example of how the ABF is working behind the scenes to help beekeepers. We hope you will take advantage of the complimentary membership to the ABF in 2016 to see what they have to offer! Please see the information at right to learn how! Advertise With Us! The Connecticut Honey Bee is the Official journal of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association, Inc. It is published four times a year prior to the meetings in February, April, June, and October. Advertising Rates: Full page: $50 Half Page: $25 Quarter page: $15 Eighth Page: $8 Send all news articles, announcements and advertisements to Newsletter@ctbees.org What s the Buzz? 2016 Complimentary American Bee Federation (ABF) Membership for New Members Only! We want you to see all that ABF has to offer you as a beekeeper! The ABF Board and Membership/Marketing Committee would like for you to understand what all the buzz is about. All first time members in 2016 can receive a complimentary membership! This is at no cost to you until December 31, ABF is here to serve you and your needs as a beekeeper through: Live and on demand educational webinars Online beginner beekeeping courses Nationwide conferences Legislative actions and beyond Our 2016 Complimentary Membership is free to anyone who has never been a member of ABF. You will receive electronic access to our educational webinars, discounted conference pricing, the monthly ABF E-Buzz, and much more! All memberships will expire December 31, We are excited to have you join the largest national beekeeping organization in America! Click here or visit general/register_membership.asp to sign up today. Questions? Contact Valerie Lake, ABF Membership Coordinator, at or susanreu@abfnet.org. Page 10

11 Connecticut Ag Day at the State Capitol Photos by Gosia Liedlich Meeting Minutes General Membership Meeting minutes of February 13th, 2016 Reports Meeting was called to order at 11:30 am. The first Massaro workshops are now posted. John Baker reported on EAS in New Jersey next summer. The treasurers report from the newsletter was accepted. Ted Jones requested that future reports have more detail. There was no report from Eastern or Backyard beekeepers. Old Business None New Business The 125th celebration will be held on June 4th at Lockwood farm. More details will be forth coming. Volunteers will be needed to help make this a success. The extractor program is being split up into four separate regions. The areas will be published this spring. Bee Inspector the Bee inspector is in danger of being eliminated due to the budget issues in Hartford. Action is required by CBA members. A short meeting will be held after todays program to discuss organizing to fight for this issue. Meeting adjourned at 11:55 Page 11

12 Bee Inspector As you know, the state of Connecticut is facing a $500 Million dollar budget deficit. The Connecticut Agricultural Station was informed that they would face a $900,000 cut to their budget. In testimony before the state appropriation committee, the director of the Ag Station, by name, indicated that the Apiary inspector s job would be among those cut first. The bee inspector is too important to Connecticut Beekeepers to allow it to be defunded. We need you and all of our fellow beekeepers to contact their local state representatives and state senators and let them know the impact that the loss of the bee inspector would have on beekeepers and agriculture in Connecticut. The following link will provide you information on the history and function of the state apiary inspector: We started the change.org petition in support of keeping the state apiary inspector s position funded. The signatures will be delivered to the Appropriations Committee. Please sign it now! Ask your friends, families, neighbors and other agricultural groups to do the same! You can sign our online petition here: The petition is going strong! We have over 1,165 signatures already and we need you! The comments show the strong feelings the people of Connecticut have for this important issue. We need more signatures and more comments as to why YOU think the Bee Inspector position should be saved. Make your voice heard! Ask your friends and family to sign. Keep this movement rolling. It is being noticed in Hartford! Thank you for helping us save this important state position! Page 12

13 American Beekeeping Federation Report A Visit from the American Honey Princess, Tabitha Mansker The American Honey Queen and Princess are crowned in January at the American Beekeeping Federation annual conference. After some intense training in all aspects of PR, media interviews and presentations, they begin a yearlong adventure of traveling across America to a wide variety of events to promote, teach and educate the public on all aspects of beekeeping. Speaking engagements are held at schools, civic organizations, fairs and agricultural events. This program is sponsored by the American Beekeeping Federation. All of the Princess and Queen s travel expenses are covered by ABF and the American Honey Queen Program, while host families provide for them during their stay. Ted and I hosted Tabitha during her stay in Connecticut. Tabitha did an interview with CT Style, WTNH, channel 8 on Monday, March 14. You can view the segment online at com/2016/03/14/honey-princess-tells-us-the-many-uses-of-honey/ On Tuesday we went up to Wamogo Agriscience High School in Litchfield to talk to the students in Natural Resources, Culinary and the FFA. That included the presentation on beekeeping, a food demo in the food lab, then a lunch that the culinary students prepared using honey in every recipe. Our next event was Ag Day at the state capital. Tabitha met and greeted our governor, several Senators and Representatives and Agriculture officials. She highlighted the importance of beekeeping, the beekeeping industry and promoted beekeepers in general. Thursday found us in Suffield at the Suffield Agriscience Program at Suffield High School. Tabitha gave a presentation to the students, includng members of the FFA, Natural Resources, Culinary programs. On Friday, we headed to the DiLoreto Magnet School to help present the Agriculture Bookshelf and books that Ted and I donated thru the Farm Bureau to the school library, where Tabitha talked about being the Princess, gave an introduction to basic beekeeping, read a story and we helped to roll some beeswax candles with the entire 3rd grade, about 140 kids. Over the weekend, we had a presentation at the Farmington Community Center. The Farmington Land Trust designed a public event specifically for Pollinators, inviting the American Honey Queen and Princess to attend. A full presentation with power point, props, a live observation hive, food demo and honey related refreshments was planned. This very successful week of promoting beekeeping and honey bees ended on Monday, March 22 as we sent Tabitha home to Texas for a few days before she headed out again to continue her travels across America. We wish to extend our thanks to the American Beekeeping Federation for this wonderful educational program! Reported by Becky and Ted Jones, representatives to ABF Page 13

14 Extractor Rental Program Update Yes, the program is still up and running and in good health! There are some big improvements, as well. We are implementing our split locations this spring so you can pick the location closest to you. Windsor Locks (Sharon Rowe ) Branford (Cara Mortillo, , ) Eastford (Colin West, colingwest@mac.com; , ) Bantam (John Post, jrpost3@gmail.com; ) The NW location will not be up and operational until the middle of May, but will still be in place in time for extracting delicious spring honey! Proposed Slate of Officers for Election During The April 16th CBA Meeting President: Steve Dinsmore Vice President: Gosia Liedlich Treasurer - Michael Campion Secretary: Karen Parker Photo Credit: Jim Baker

15 CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS CONNECTICUT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION, INC. CONSTITUTION Article I: NAME This association shall be known as the Connecticut Beekeepers Association, Inc. Article II: OBJECT The object of this association fostered by a strong bond of union among beekeepers shall be the promotion of scientific beekeeping. Article III: OFFICERS The officers of this association shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The duties of these officers as are assigned to such officers and the terms of office shall be one year, and until successors are elected and qualified. Article IV: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE There shall be an executive committee consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and one member of the Association who does not hold office. It shall be empowered to act for and on behalf of the Association and to call special meetings when there is a need thereof. Article V MEMBERSHIP Any person owning one or more colonies of bees may become a member of this Association by payment of annual dues, and shall continue to hold such membership as long as the annual dues are paid by January 31 Persons not owning bees but interested in apiculture or related fields may become members of this Association on payment of annual dues, and shall continue to hold such membership as long as annual dues are paid by January 31. Associate members persons under 18 and qualifying for membership, may become non-voting members without payment of dues. Honorary membership Persons of outstanding work in the Bee Industry may be made Honorary Members of the Association by the vote of the members. Each member, in good standing, shall be entitled one vote on each matter submitted. Article VI: MEETINGS There shall be four Regular Business meetings held annually. February Regular business meeting April Annual business meeting and elections June Field meeting October Regular business meeting Article VII: AMENDMENTS This Constitution may be amended by a twothirds vote at a meeting, provided notice of this proposed amendment is mailed to each member not less than one week prior to a meeting. Article VIII: GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS No profits shall proceed an Officer, Shareholder, Director or member of the organization. In the event of Dissolution, the net assets after payment of debts will proceed to a group qualifying under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. BY-LAWS ELECTION SECTION 1. At the February meeting the president shall designate a committee of five to make nominations for officers for the ensuing year, to be voted for at the annual meeting. The committee shall consist of ex-presidents present, the committee shall be augmented by additional members to fill the quota. SECTION 2. The officers of the Association shall be elected by majority ballot, or if so decided by a two-thirds vote of the members in attendance, the election shall be decided by a show of hands. SECTION 3. The non-ex-officio member of the Executive Committee shall number one, to be elected bi-annually for a term of two years. VACANCY SECTION 4. In the event of death or other unavoidable loss of an officer of this Association a member may be elected at any meeting to fill a vacancy thus occurring. DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT SECTION 5. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at all meetings; to call for all reports of officers and committees; to decide upon all questions of order; to uphold the Constitution and By- Laws of the Association; to count the votes at all times; and at the expiration of his office to deliver an address before the Association. Page 15

16 PARLIAMENTARY RULES SECTION 6. The rulings at the meetings of this Association shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order VICE PRESIDENT SECTION 7. It shall be the duty of the Vice President to assume the duties of the President s office and Powers in the absence of the President. Is a member of the Executive Board. May head some specific phase of the Association s activities if so directed. DUES SECTION 8. Dues The Annual dues shall be $15.00, and are due on the first of January. SECRETARY SECTION 9. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to report all proceedings of the Association and read the minutes of the previous meetings at each regular meeting, record the same, after approval, in a book kept for this purpose; to conduct all correspondence of the Association; and to take the name and address of every person who becomes a member of the Association. The Secretary may sign checks for payment of accounts in case the Treasurer is unavailable. TREASURER SECTION 10. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive Annual Dues; to Render a written report of all receipts and expenditures of the Association at each annual meeting, and to make such report at any time upon request from the Executive Committee. Every October the secretary will cause to be sent a letter stating that the Dues are payable to the Connecticut Beekeepers Association, Inc. and remitted to the Treasurer. AUDITOR SECTION 11. The Treasurer shall at or before the Annual Meeting have the books audited, the person auditing the books to be named at by the Executive Committee at the February Meeting. SECTION 13. There shall be two regular meetings of this Association, viz., in February, April (annual meeting, elections), June, and October. The fee, if any, of the invited speakers at any meeting shall be approved in advance of the meeting by the Executive Committee. The programs for the four regular meetings shall be the responsibility of the Program Committee. SECTION 14. The Executive Committee or the Program Committee shall not contract or spend more than $ without the vote of the Association. AMENDMENTS SECTION 15. Any member who may move to authorize the printing of the Constitution and By- Laws as amended. Each member and new member shall receive a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws. SECTION 16. These By-Laws may be amended in like manner as provided in Article VII of the Constitution. OTHER OFFICERS SECTION 17. In addition to the Association Officers and Executive Board, there shall exist the following committees. The Chairperson of these Committees shall be appointed by the President at the June Meeting. Publicity, Program, Publication, Historical Library. QUORUM SECTION 18. The Members entitled to vote, present in person at any regular meeting of all members, shall Constitute a Quorum for such meeting. SPECIAL FUND SECTION 19. The Special Fund shall be maintained, with interest, in a separate account. This fund will be used for legal purposes only in line with its original intent of defending beekeeping interests. MEETINGS SECTION 12. At each regular meeting, all business not transacted before eleven o clock must be postponed to the afternoon session. Page 16