September Meeting
Wednesday, September 10th at 7 PM

We look forward to you joining us for our September meeting, which has been shifted to Wednesday, September 10th at 7 PM. But the location isn't new - it will be at our regular meeting place in the Central Skagit Valley Library in Sedro-Woolley.

Here's what's up this month:

• A Beeginners Q&A and Bee Chat beginning at 6:00 PM - We enjoy a pre-meeting time to share tips and tales with a few refreshments to which everyone is invited.
• Bee talk - Our presentation this month will be by Dawn Beck on preparing your colonies for winter. She brings sound advice that works, and it is time to get your winterizing started.
• Zoom option - If you can't come, but want to participate, you can join us by Zoom. An e-mail with the link will be sent to members before the meeting.

Skagit County Fairgoers were once again drawn to our busy booth, filling our corner of Barn D. The theme this year was "Pollinators", and the booth had a flowery display of plants that are co-dependent with bees. 

The remarkable symbiotic relationship of bees and flowering plants was described in posters and fed the conversations between our volunteers and the thousands of visitors who stopped by. As always, there was great gawking at the bees inside the demonstration hive and lots of queen bee hunting, rewarded with stickers for those lucky enough to spot her.
 
Thanks to Heather Oates for choreographing the booth and all of those who helped with fitting it up and taking it down.

The honey judging event was conducted by Susan DeLawter. All of the entries were prominently displayed at our booth, along with the ribbons that tagged the outstanding submittals.

• Our apiary host, the Terramar Brewstillery was a special feature entry and was awarded a Blue Ribbon for honey in a novelty jar - one of its Thomas Edison-inspired light bulb-styled whisky bottles.
• Jim Kohl won both a Blue Ribbon and Best in Division award for his honey that was displayed in a novelty container - an elaborate brandy bottle
• Tom Zimmerman's grandkids floated to the top, with Harper gaining a Blue Ribbon and best in division for her novelty jar, and Wyatt with a Blue Ribbon and Judges Choice award.

• Domie Bourgeois won a Blue Ribbon, Best in Division and Best in class for extracted honey.

Rob Johnson was our essential Fair Superintendent for the SVBA, watching over preparations, rustling up the volunteers, and keeping us aligned with the Fair's schedules and procedures.
 
Thanks to our small swarm of volunteers who staffed the booth, which included Judy Calhoun, Brenda Crossley, Brett DeLawter, Mike and Michelle Gibson, Alerd and Pat Johnson, Don Johnson, Joan Johnson, Nathan Lee, John and Julie Legg, Heather Oates, Elsie Pemmant, Jasson and Eyvie Peterson, Les Scott, Pete Stark, Gretchen Taylor, Chris Zimmerman. 
 
Rose McNaughton not only helped staff the booth, but she also won the raffle for volunteers and took home the observation hive colony.

Winterizing: Keys to Colony Survival
Dawn helps us get prepared
Wednesday, September 10th at 7 PM
SVBA Meeting

Dawn Beck will demonstrate how she sets up hives for overwintering, and explain what is going on inside the colonies as they alter their summer behaviors and accomplish different critical tasks. 

She will suggest some inexpensive approaches to insulating your hives from the cold winter temperatures that can stress a colony while they gather around the overwintering queen to keep her near a constant temperature of over 90 degrees F.

But, like so much of beekeeping these days, mite control in early fall is essential. She will explain how the queens in early fall breed the worker bees that must survive for many months. They must remain numerous and healthy to serve as nurse bees in the Spring, when the queen starts laying brood for the next season. If varroa mites are actively infesting the fall brood, the subsequently hatched bees will be so weakened that they won't have the oomph they need come April. It may seem like you have a full, busy hive in the fall, but if you have a busy flock of varroa mites inside, that hive is likely to become a deadout by Spring.
 
So what can you do? Come, watch, listen and bring your questions to find the answers.

Bees and Brews
and
Hivesides at the Apiary

Part of winterizing is putting these two favorite programs on the shelf, so that we can pull them out next year with a fresh start. See you in the spring.

Mason Beekeeper Conference
October 23-25, Woodinville

Mason bees are within the vast category of "other pollinators", and there are folks who are focused on that part of the bee spectrum. We received this notice of an upcoming event:
 
"On October 23 - 25, 2025, the Orchard Bee Association Annual Meeting is happening in Woodinville, WA & Virtually!  Annual meeting registration is $125 per person. The ticket includes meeting admission and membership for one year. The meeting will provide lunch on Friday and Saturday for in-person attendees.
 
This association is currently a relatively small group of people but has a swath of wonderful resources about managing mason bees."
 
You can find more information and register at this website: https://www.orchardbee.org/. For a list of speakers and topics, click HERE. 

Wannabe a Journeyman Beekeeper?
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

This month is all about cleaning up after a busy season and getting ready for winter. Here are some beekeeping tips, drawn in part from former SVBA President Brad Raspet's checklist:

• For a few of you, there may be some end-of-the-season harvesting to do; the last few years around here, some colonies are still capping honey in honey supers into September.
• Combine weak hives with strong hives to get ready for winter.
• Make sure to remove and properly store honey supers and any "dead-outs", which are brood supers for colonies that did not make it through the season.
• Treat for varroa mites, now that the harvesting is done, using your preferred method.
• Install entrance reducers as the weather turns colder.
• Add fall feeding to your colonies at a ratio of 2 parts cane sugar to 1 part water.

Membership in the SVBA
Get with the program...
 

If you forgot to pay your dues, annual membership payments are always welcome from past members. It is also the perfect time for new members to 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 

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