honey-bees

What’s coming up in Beekeeping?

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Honey Bees are never idle and neither is the beekeeping world. Check out the below events and make your plans early.

NY Bee Wellness SPRING SURVEY 2024 now open!

NY Bee Wellness has been conducting a spring survey for over 10 years. It provides
good information on honey bee health within NY’s bee population. I
encourage beekeepers to participate. Below is the survey link.

Please use the following link to complete the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/
r/JTFZKDW

Leatherstocking Beekeepers’ Association monthly meeting

7 p.m. April 25, 2024 at The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown

Meet fellow beekeepers, learn about catching swarms as the swarm season approaches, and find out what we should bee looking for the first time we inspect our beehives. Followed by business meeting open to all members.

The Buzz about Pollinators (May 11 – October 31, 2024)

The Farmers Museum Main Barn Exhibition Space

This interactive exhibit is all about bees and the many other insects and organisms like
them that help make farming possible. It explores the topic of pollinators in New York
State and their important role in the production of some of the state’s leading crops,
including apples, honey, and maple syrup. The exhibit also examines climate change
and other threats that pollinators face and how everyone can help them continue to
thrive. Sponsored in part by Nellie and Robert Gipson, and NYCM Insurance.

Betterbee’s 20th Annual Field Day on June 22, 2024

Join us for the chance to learn from some of the most knowledgeable beekeepers in the field and
take part in open hive demonstrations (weather permitting) to learn new, hands-on skills that you can
put to use right away in your apiary. Plus, you’ll have the chance to enter to win products from your

wishlist through the raffle!

https://www.betterbee.com/classes-and-events/2024-field-day.asp

NY State Beekeeper Registration Form

“Honey bee health is a critical issue today. The goal of the New York State
Department of Agriculture and Markets is to assist beekeepers in maintaining
their colonies in a healthy condition.”

https://beekeepers.agriculture.ny.gov/registration

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

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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

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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.