Newsletter for July 2025
 

Our next monthly meeting will be an online zoom session Thursday, July 10th at 7:00 PM. We will not have an in-person meeting this month.

Here's what's up this month:

• Bee talk - Our zoom presentation this month will be by Dawn Beck on vitellogenin in honeybees. This protein is collected in specialized internal organs and is a seemingly magical part of bee biology. For more about her talk, see the additional information under "Upcoming". 
• Look for a special zoom meeting invitation - We will be sending the link in a follow-up e-mail.

This is our annual potluck summer get together where the SVBA provides burgers and dogs. We gather at the picnic pavilion near the pickleball courts. Here is all you need to do:

• Come!
• Bring a summer picnic dish to share!
• Eat!
• Share your beekeeping woes, questions, and successes with your fellow beekeepers!
• Sign up as a volunteer to staff our booth at the August Skagit Fair!
• Get queenline jars for your official entry at the Fair!
• Have fun!

That Magical Protein
Dawn talks about vitellogenin online July 10

SVBA VP and Master Beekeeper Dawn Beck is an amazing resource for us, linking science and practice. Her presentation will delve into the fundamental role of vitellogenin in virtually every aspect of bee health and behavior. 
 
Research indicates that vitellogenin impacts brood care and increases stress resilience, longevity, and immunity. It can even regulate foraging behaviors. In an article in Bee Culture magazine a few years ago, Ed Erwin summarized recent studies that found that varroa mites attack and consume this protein from their host bees. So mite control is largely about vitellogenin preservation. Dawn will provide some advice on how to keep your colonies healthy.

Bees and Brews
Not this month, but come to the picnic on July 13th

Hive Sides at the Apiary
Every Saturday
10 AM to Noon at the SVBA Apiary
(in the field behind the Terramar Brewstillery)

What are those folks looking at? It's another Saturday morning at the SVBA demonstration apiary, and they are inspecting our bees. You are invited to come watch, learn, and ask questions as each colony evolves over the summer.

The Fair!
Ready...set...
August 7-10 (Thursday through Sunday)

It's almost here. This is one of the SVBA's signature programs, and there are many opportunities to participate. We create a stunning booth and different display each year in Barn D that we staff with members. Set aside the dates - it is a fantastic old-fashioned county fair - where we display all the entries and the ribbons they earned. Rob Johnson is again our excellent official superintendent this year.
 
Our theme this year is "Pollinators". We will be featuring the role that honeybees play, and are looking to decorate the booth with lots of flowering plants to help make the point - so contribute some of your favorite blooms to our show. Here are other things you can do:

• Sign up and help staff the SVBA Booth. It is a really fun and rewarding experience. Rob will be at the annual picnic on Sunday and continue to recruit volunteers and hand out tickets to enter the Fair without needing to pay. If you choose to park inside the fair parking lots there is a charge, but you can also park away from the fair on streets with no charge. You can also call Rob at 360-770-6170.
• Help set up the booth - Board member Heather Oates is the maestro of the booth preparation. There will be a set up session beginning at noon on Sunday, August the 4th in Barn D. You can contact Heather if you would like to help: hoates@gmail.com. 
• Pre-Fair SVBA Meeting and Set-up Day, August 3rd at Barn D, Noon to 2 PM - We will have a very brief meeting at fair before rolling up our sleeves and completing the exhibit. Join us if you can! There is no charge on the set-up day. Watch for meeting times in the next newsletter.
• Enter the Open Honey Class Judging Event - Your bees deserve the chance to win something for all of their efforts, in addition to you as the beekeeper. The rules and categories are all described on the Skagit County Fair website at https://www.skagitcounty.net/Fair/Documents/book/Open%20Class%20Honey.pdf. Susan DeLawter has provided excellent coaching for those new to participating, and a few of her tips are included in our description of her June talk on the topic under "Recappings", below in this issue.
• Drop off your entries for the Honey Judging Event - Drop off tine is Tuesday, August 5th from 4 PM – 7 PM..Contact Rob Johnson at 360-770-6170 if you have questions. Remember, you have to drop off the entry in person, and you can pay the entry fee and get your entry number assigned when you arrive.

Preparing your Honey Judging Entries
Susan DeLawter charts the pathway to prizes

Susan DeLawter served as an excellent coach and promoter of our annual honey judging event  that will be held at the Skagit County Fair. As our June meeting speaker, armed with props and pictures, she described how you can boost your chances for a ribbon. But just participating has its own reward as another path to better beekeeping. 

Here are just a few of her tips:

• Filling your jars a few days in advance and let them sit - That gives time for small bubbles to rise and clear the honey.
• Filling the jars to the right level - The honey jars should be filled to a level that is even with the bottom of lid when viewed from the side - near the top, but leaving a small gap so that the honey does not contact the lid. She said to be careful when you bring them so that they stay flat and the honey doesn't splash up onto the cap - a cardboard beer bottle pack works great to move them around.
• Framing the frames - For your comb honey, the frames should be filled and capped with light colored wax to the edges. If you have a good-looking frame, pull it out early and set it aside so that the bees don't discolor the wax as the foragers trudge in and out of the hive. For the heavy frame division, looks don't count. Competitors often remove neighboring frames in a booming hive to create massive amounts of honey.
• It's not about taste -  The honey gets tasted to make sure that it is not tainted, but the actual flavor is irrelevant; personal preference plays no part.
• Novelty jars must be clear - The judges need to see the honey inside of those cool containers, but they must be able to see all the way through, even if the sides and tops are tinted, textured, or decorated.

There are a number of judging categories - pick one or several categories that apply to you. There are categories for adults (18 or older), youth (ages 6-11), and youth (ages 12-17). 
 
Classes for entries include:

• Extracted honey in official glass jars, sorted by color: light, light amber, amber, and dark
• Novelty jars - Curious and interesting containers count for points.
• Frame honey categorized according to the size and type of frame. This also includes a special category, "heaviest frame" that is judged on weight only!

Journeyman Beekeeping Class?
Contact Dawn Beck if you are interested

For those of you thinking about moving up a rung on the beekeeping ladder, you may be interested in the additional training that leads to getting your Journeyman Beekeeper certificate. Dawn Beck is considering setting up a class at this level; if you are interested, send her an e-mail at dawnrunner@live.com

It's been a great start to the summer for bees, and for beekeepers, too. Hopefully the swarming is over, and the honey flow is...flowing. Here is what to will keep you busy this month: 

• Early harvesting - You can harvest blackberry honey now if it is plentiful, or wait until later.
• Checking varroa mite counts - If colony counts are excessive, you should treat them. Make sure to use methods that are approved to be consistent used simultaneously with honey flows, if you plan to harvest any of the honey in the hive.
• Drones - If you use drone frames or remove drone cells as a mite control method, this month remains an important time to remove those cells where they are at least 50 percent are capped.

Membership in the SVBA
Get with the program...
 

Annual membership dues are a fantastic deal, and it is the perfect time to renew or join and be part of our beekeeping colony. Annual dues are only $20 for an individual or $30 for a household. It's a high value investment and supports the wide range of programs and events that we offer.

The membership form and payment instructions are found on our website or by clicking HERE.

The online payment option can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Skagit Valley Beekeepers Association

Brett DeLawter              President  brettdelawter@gmail.com
Dawn Beck                    Vice President   dawnrunner@live.com
Domie Bourgeois         Treasurer/Website Manager domie.bourgeois@gmail.com
Brenda Crossley          Secretary   brendacrossley49@gmail.com
Steve Cecil                    Newsletter  cecilbees121@gmail.com
Don Johnson                Board   homebrewtwo@gmail.com
Jim Kohl                        Board
Heather Oates               Board  hoates@gmail.com
Seth Smith.                   Board   seth_smith@live.com
Chris Zimmerman        Board  gocougs87@gmail.com
Matt and Nikki Jones   SVBA Equipment Managers  lamesican@gmail.com