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It's July!
Join Us for our Annual Picnic Meeting
Potluck, Barbeque, and Bee Chatter
Sunday, July 17th
Hillcrest Park in Mt. Vernon
Take a break from your weekend chores and join us for our annual SVBA potluck cook out and picnic.
We will be set up from Noon to 4 PM on Sunday, July 17th at the prominent gazebo near the parking lot of Hillcrest Park (1717
South 13th Street, Mt. Vernon). Please bring a dish to share with
others, a beverage of your choice, and a few beekeeping tales. There
will be some water on ice available, too. It's a terrific opportunity to
share your current beekeeping puzzles with other SVBA members, and get
some new ideas. We will punctuate the gathering with a brief meeting,
catching up on news and the plans for the Skagit County Fair in August.
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Honey Judging Jars at the Picnic
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Susan
DeLawter reminds us that official jars will be available for purchase at
the picnic for those who want to enter their extracted honey in the
upcoming judging event which will take place at the Skagit County Fair.
There will be 3 categories - extracted honey, full frames, and a poster
event for children. If you have any questions about the schedule, entry
deadlines, or other aspects of the judging, the picnic will be a good
opportunity to get the scoop.
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Bruce Bowen Mite Strips
Available at the Picnic (Free)
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Bruce Bowen
has generously offered to bring some oxalic acid vaporization
extended-release strips to the July picnic. If you are interested, he
simply asks that you do mite samples in advance, noting down the
results. Then, after you apply the strips, you will need to test for
mites again and contact him with your "before" and "after" results. The
strips are placed between the brood deeps. More information on this
treatment can be found at Randy Oliver's website: https://scientificbeekeeping.com/7701-2/
Bruce also mentioned that may also bring some mite strips that are made
in Ukraine, and are similar to Apivar. These would also be available on
the same condition that you test the results and provide feedback to
Bruce afterwards.
As Brad Raspet notes, "Bruce has always supported our club and he is
interested in helping our club's beekeepers be successful with their
adventure in hobby beekeeping." |
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Heather Oates, Feature Beekeeper
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Heather is relatively new to beekeeping, but has plunged into it - and even stepped into a role as a board member of the SVBA.
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She has found
the time to take on the adventures of beekeeping now that her kids have
gone away to college. She was encouraged by her father and some of his
senior beekeeping friends, who promised to be her mentors. After
obtaining the full complement of beekeeping equipment and her first
package of bees, she called up her would-be mentors. She then learned
that they had all fled to warmer weather in Arizona. But Heather quickly
found her way to both the SVBA and Jennifer Short's classes, and forged
ahead with her father's assistance.
Last year, the hot weather was the demise of her queen in the single
colony she was keeping. But then she successfully requeened and
overwintered them, leading to successful splits this year. She notes,
"I’m proud of my emergency cell queen. My hive had emergency cells and
swarm cells. I took emergency cells out and put them in a nuc with
honey, larva capped brood. And she made it! ... She is an amazing queen
so far."
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Heather's amazing queen and her growing bee yard
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She has
learned the benefits of multiple colonies and the complexities of mite
control, and enjoys decoding the beekeeping lingo that dominate many of
the information sources.
Whenever she digs into the on-line world of advice and information, she
has noticed that there always to seem opposite opinions about every
aspect of beekeeping. She finds that there is no replacement from the
in-person mentoring. Heather particularly noted the help that Rob
Johnson and Susan DeLawter have provided her. It's another reminder
about the mentoring in our midst, which is one of the most important
benefits of being part of the SVBA community.
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2 new Snelgrove frames for sale - Susan
DeLawter has these brand new, painted frames that have never been used.
Make her an offer on them, for which she originally paid $35 each.
Contact Susan at susandelawter@sbcglobal.net
Deeps and frames available from an ex-beekeeper - Jay
Bottoroff is retiring from 10 years of beekeeping, and is offering his
three hives (2 deeps, 1 honey super with lids and bottom boards) to
anyone in the SVBA who is interested in them. Contact Jay
at p8ordie@gmail.com
Les's Bees has a full line of beekeeping woodenware and supplies in Bellingham - For
those gearing up for the summer season, it is a good time to get in
touch with SVBA member Les Scott, who has gone into business providing
an alternative to the large mail-order suppliers. From your editor's
personal experience, the quality is high, the convenience is great, and
the prices reasonable. Check out at leszbees.com or contact Les Scott directly by e-mail, call, or text: 360-303-0396.
If you have supplies and equipment that you may be interested in
swapping, selling, or just plain giving to other interested members of
the SVBA, send a brief description, price, and contact information to
your editor, cecilbees121@gmail.com.
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SVBA Membership
Renew or Join Now
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If you haven't already sprung at the chance, your 2022 SVBA membership dues are now overdue. What a great thing to bring to the picnic.
It's easy, and you can also simply mail us your annual renewal fee of
just $12.00. For those who wish to join, it's the same price, and a
wonderful introduction to our beekeeping community with the many
programs, events, education, advice and connections that we offer. The
membership form and payment instructions are found at:
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Brad Raspet, President
360-708-9424, brad.raspet@gmail.com
Dawn Beck, Vice President
206-719-3666, dawnrunner@live.com
Rob Johnson, Treasurer
360-770-6170, rsjohnson2u@yahoo.com
Susan DeLawter, Secretary
818-259-9059, susandelawter@sbcglobal.net
Steve Cecil, Newsletter
617-719-7870, cecilbees121@gmail.com
Alvin Forar, Board
360-435-3316, alforar@hotmail.com
Heather Oates, Board
360-391-7357, hoates@gmail.com
Seth Smith, Board
360-770-0481, seth_smith@live.com
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