beekeeping

Observation hives add enchantment to beekeeping

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LBA members Richard Lercari and Mike Hoyt attended the amazing class on observation hives this past Saturday, July 19, at Betterbee in Greenwich, NY.

The class was led by the incredible Dr. David T. Peck, Director of Research and Education, formerly of Cornell University, with expertise in Neurobiology and Behavior; and by Anne Frye, Betterbee’s Head Beekeeper, teacher, and videographer, who became an EAS certified Master Beekeeper in 2002. Together they shared their wealth of insight and experience, making for an enriching experience for all.

With these teachers on hand, workshop participants had an enchanting day gaining insights into the fascinating life of bees and how observation hives work. Thanks to Betterbee’s wonderful educational staff they learned how to use the live observation hives as both a teaching tool and a unique way to keep bees at home, whether short-term or long-term.

Hands-on experiences, valuable discussion, and even a trip to the teaching apiary made this class a must for anyone interested in beekeeping! If you’re curious about the incredible world of bees and want to know how to incorporate observation hives into your life, this course is for you.

You can hear more about the class on Observation Hives this Thursday, July 25, 2025 at the monthly meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association held at 6:30 p.m. in the classroom at the Fenimore Farm and Country Village, 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown.

We will have snacks, a honey tasting, and Lindsey Moroch of Kutik’s Everything Bees discussing commercial beekeeping.

Summer, Bees, and everything bee-tween

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The Dog Days of Summer are here and the bees love them. This is the season of honey production, sometimes splitting the hives, and sweaty beekeepers. This is when some of the bees most important work is done from filling the hive with resources to us beekeepers keeping the mite numbers in check ahead of autumn and the dark days of winter.

But that’s way in the future.

This month the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ are meeting up to discuss, review monthly activities and learn about the industry and craft of beekeeping. We will be welcoming Lindsey Moroch of Kutick’s Everything Bees located in Oxford, NY, to present about commercial beekeeping in the year of 2025. Some of us know her from picking up nucleus colonies, her beginners classes, and from picking up equipment from her beekeeping store.

This month, we will be changing the schedule of events. Lindsey will be speaking at 7 p.m., doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for social time and to taste the honey from the forests of Germany provided by your Vice President, Stephanie Wardwell.

After the educational portion we will hold the business meeting and a Q&A where we will be passing around sign ups for the Open Apiary.

Mike Hoyt will be opening his apiary for visitors to observe and assist with an inspection. This is a good opportunity for beginning and prospective beekeepers to get a look inside the hive and what an inspection involves. The event is free but registration is required. A limited number of veils will be available.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-apiary-day-tickets-1466539652579?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

We’ll Bee seeing you there!

The next meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association will be held Thursday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the classroom of the main building at the Fenimore Farm and Country Village (formerly the Farmers’ Museum) at 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown.

Summer and the Bees

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Summer has arrived and with it the sunshine, temperatures, and flowers that the bees and all the other pollinators love.

There are a few ways to help our bees through this heatwave. Take your entrance reducers off if you haven’t already, put spacer between the top cover and the first box to open the top just a little to allow for more airflow, and provide a source of fresh water (with something for the bees to land on).

Bring your questions and stories for the Q&A session at the upcoming meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association.

For the educational portion of the meeting, we will be welcoming Professor Jeffrey Heilveil, Entomology professor and Chair of the Biology Department at SUNY Oneonta. He will be discussing the various bee species found in our county. He’ll share insights on their vital roles and functions in the environment, along with tips on how we can enhance our interactions with these amazing pollinators!

The presentation will be followed by our own Mike Hoyt giving a practical demonstration of how to perform a mite check on a sample of bees from his own hives.

Finally, Mike will present on his trip to Denver, Colorado, and the bees that are kept on the roof of the Brown Palace Hotel. There will be a jar available to sample with the refreshments at the end of the meeting.

The next meeting of the Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association will be held Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Fenimore Farm and Country Village (formerly the Farmers’ Museum) at 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown.