Spring is buzzing and so are we.

/ leatherstockingbeekeepers / Leave a comment

Spring is here, the bees are buzzing and hopefully our new Bees have ordered their bees.

But what do you do when you’ve got them?

Stop by this months meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association to meet fellow beekeepers, share stories from the apiary, learn what to do if you find a swarm, and learn all about what to look for during the first inspection of those new colonies.

After the educational portion we will hold the club business meeting where we will be electing club officers such as the secretary, treasurer and the vice president. This meeting and elections are open to the membership.

This meeting will take place at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 25 at The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Club members Stephanie Wardwell, Larissa Ryan, Jennifer Bowen, Kirill and Oskar Grechkin, and Steve Davis were on hand for the 2024 Earth Day Festival at Milford Central School. (Not pictured Maria Ilina and Richard Lercari)

Set up a new hive, and learn why this one died this month with the LBA.

/ leatherstockingbeekeepers / 1 Comment
These bees looked to be healthy, other than being dead. Find out what happened at the next meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association.

This month learn all about setting up that first hive, featuring a hands on demonstration on installing packages and nuclues colonies with Richard Lercari.

Then Steve Davis will present on his Dead Out inspection at an LBA members bee yard. Learn about the difficulties bees face going into winter, the hazards of the transition between winter and spring, and what we can do as beekeepers to help.

Annual dues are also due by the end of the month. $10 for an individual or $15 for a family. Attend the monthly meeting, get access to the clubs honey extractor, and learn from experienced local beekeepers.

Members who attend this meeting will be entered to win a nucleus colony from Kutick’s Everything Bees to get started with this Spring.

In other business we will also be holding our elections for club officers, including the office of the president. So bee there or bee square. 

The monthly meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association will be held Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown.

Thank you attendees to the “To Bee or Not to Bee” short course

/ leatherstockingbeekeepers / Leave a comment

The Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association would like to thank the more than 40 attendees of our “To Bee or Not to Bee” Introduction to Beekeeping short course on Saturday, February 24.

Together we learned about our insect friends the Apis mellifera who are responsible for pollinating so much of our food crops, what is needed for us to care for them as beekeepers, and some of the challenges they face.

As each of us contemplate the coming year here are a few reminders from the class.

Our next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday March 28 at The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown. (The meeting will be held in the back classroom due to an event the museum is holding.) At this next meeting we will be raffling off a nucleus to an attending member of the association. This is a great opportunity to either expand the apiary or get a jump start on a new beekeeping endeavor.

The Beekeepers’ will have a booth at the OCCA Earth day festival on April 20. We look forward to seeing you there. If a member would like to help staff it please contact our secretary Richard Lercari at honeychef3@gmail.com.

Check back here and on the facebook page for other beekeeping news.

We look forward to seeing you again and welcome to the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association.