Skagit Valley Beekeepers Association

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone is well and had a chance to enjoy the holidays!

Due to the Burlington Library still being closed, our next meeting will be held Thursday, February 11th at 7 pm on the Zoom Meeting app. Brad will email everyone the link with instructions.

Even though it doesn't look it, there are a lot of things happening in the hive at this point in the season. The bees are trying to cluster tightly and rotating themselves around the queen to maintain heat within the hive. Honey is being consumed, and energy is being maintained and fanned out by their wings, creating a heat to warm the hive.
Like I have touched on in previous newsletters, there isn't a whole lot for the beekeeper to do during the winter months except for preparing for the upcoming busy spring time. Springtime will include, maintaining hive numbers, swarming, mite treatments, and feeding. There will be much more to discuss in the upcoming newsletters.
 

The Pacific Northwest has gotten quite a few bad windstorms lately. For those who have few hives, make sure your hives are secure and won't blow over. If you open the lid to your beehives, it might be wise to put a brick or something heavy on top of the lid so that it won't blow away. The bees seal the lid down with the propolis that they collect over the spring, summer, and fall months. Once that seal is broken during the winter months, the probability for a lid coming off is higher than normal. Depending on how long the lid has been off the beehive and the temperature outside can mean life or death for the bees.


 

I think we've all heard in the news that the WSDA has officially found and exterminated their first Asian Hornet nest.  Seth sent me this awesome flyer about the asian hornet removal. Above are some facts that the WSDA published and all citations are found above. 

I have provided a link to the WSDA page if you would like to see maps and data on the captures of these insects. 

https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets/data
 

I've talked a lot previously about preparing your inventory of boxes, frames, and other bee supplies. Another great way to prepare for the springtime is to prepare a garden. Planting flowers, trees, and vegetables that produce nectar and pollen helps sustain the pollinator population. Although it's true it is a very minimal help compared to the abundance that native vegetation produces, it is something. Researching which trees, shrubs, and flowers provide the best resources for our local pollinators will broaden the beekeepers perspective of local vegetation. I've provided a link below that gives a list of books/references in which attract local pollinators.

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AttractingPollinatorsV5.pdf

https://www.swansonsnursery.com/blog/plants-to-attract-bees-butterflies-hummingbirds

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/12-plants-entice-pollinators-your-garden