
Cappings
Pierce County Beekeeping Association
Monthly Newsletter
January 2025 - Volume 31 - Issue 1
President's Corner
​Well here we are, 2025. That's just crazy!! Myself and the board have hit the ground running. We had the first Board meeting of the new year last Friday. We have a lot planned and some changes coming up. We are excited to be purchasing cameras to video our classes and hopefully live stream some events. We want to do it right so it will take us some time to sort out and put a process in place but, I'm confident we'll get there. We are also lining up some great guest speakers that you won't want to miss. We will be adding resource hives to boost honey production and adding different hive types to our education apiary for learning opportunities. We will be buying bees to fill out the apiaries and new queens to give our overwintered bees a great start! We will still be participating in the same events as last year and will need your support in volunteering hours as well as support for both of our apiaries. The honey house will be up and running soon with new lights, new heater, new screen door (you will be able to have the door open in hot weather without standing in the swarm!) and the extractor heat strips are being replaced as I write this. We will be purchasing bulk VarroxSan pads as a group and offering them at cost to members on a first to request basis until all are spoken for. If you haven't already purchased your bees we will have a few hives left over from our order to purchase at cost. All in all it will be a great year and I am truly looking forward to journeying with you in our beekeeping adventure.
Getting Your Garden Ready for Spring:
A Beekeeper's Guide
by Susann Green
As the days lengthen and the chill of winter begins to retreat, it's time to start preparing your garden for the vibrant growth and buzzing activity of spring. As a beekeeper, you likely already know the importance of a healthy, pollinator-friendly garden. In this article, I'll walk you through the steps I take to get my garden ready for spring, with an emphasis on supporting bees and other pollinators along the way.
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Fall Preparations: Garlic, Bulbs, and More
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While spring might feel like it’s just around the corner, I actually begin my garden preparations in late fall. That’s when I plant garlic, a hardy crop that thrives through winter and will be ready to harvest later in the season. I also plant a variety of spring-blooming bulbs, like crocus, tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. These early blooms are crucial for bees, offering them some of the first nectar of the season.
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Late Winter: Garden Clean-Up
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By late winter, usually in January or February, I begin getting the garden in shape for everything else that's coming. The first task is to prune back any overgrown bushes and thin out fruit trees. This not only helps manage the overall health of the plants, but it also maximizes the potential for blooms and fruit production in the coming months. Be sure to do this on a frost-free day to avoid damaging any tender growth.
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During this time, I also cut back hedges that have grown too large over winter. If I find any leftover spring-flowering bulbs that I forgot to plant earlier, I'll put them in the ground as long as the soil isn't frozen. If you've got them on hand, now is also the ideal time to plant any additional bulbs you may have neglected to plant earlier in the season.
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Frost-Friendly Seeding
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Certain flowers, like Lacey phacelia and poppies, require a bit of frost for germination, so I'll sow these in late winter or early spring. These plants are not only beneficial to pollinators like bees, but they also help improve soil health by adding nitrogen.
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While I'm working on those, I also take the time to give my flower beds a good weeding. Keeping the garden tidy now will help reduce competition for nutrients later on.
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Cover Crops and Mulch
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For my vegetable beds, I rotate in my winter cover crops and turn the straw and mulched leaves I used to protect them over the colder months. These materials decompose and help replenish the soil with much-needed nitrogen. It's a great way to ensure the soil remains fertile for planting your veggies come spring.
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Greenhouse Start-Up
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If you have a greenhouse, now is the time to start some of your favorite herbs, like borage, oregano, and mint. These plants are not only useful in the kitchen but also offer a bounty of nectar for bees. I love planting borage for its long blooming period, which attracts bees from early spring through summer.
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If you have limited space, particularly for mint or oregano, I recommend planting them in pots or planters. These plants can spread aggressively, and it's easier to manage their growth in containers.
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Russian Sage and Lavender: The Bee Favorites
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One of my favorite plants in the garden is Russian sage. Not only does it bloom for a long time, but it also draws in bees and bumblebees by the swarm. I affectionately call it my "humming bush" because of the constant pollinators it attracts. Now is a great time to prune back Russian sage, and I'll often propagate new plants from the cuttings.
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Lavender, another bee favorite, also needs a trim. If you haven't already cut it back, now's the time to do so. Like Russian sage, lavender attracts a host of pollinators making it a must-have in any bee-friendly garden.
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A Garden for Bees
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Ultimately, getting your garden ready for spring isn't just about preparing for your own enjoyment - it's also about supporting the important pollinators that help make it all possible. By planting early-blooming flowers, pruning carefully, and making space for nectar-rich herbs, you'll be setting the stage for a thriving garden that benefits both you and the bees.
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Happy gardening, and may your spring bloom with color, life and, of course, plenty of bees!


Become a Member of PCBA!
It has been an amazing year and we have so much more to come! We are asking all of you that are participating on our social platforms and subscribing to please sign up for membership in 2025 and help us continue to grow our resources and programs.
For those who are already members, the automatic renewal is working! Your membership will be renewed on your anniversary date. If you are unsure of your status you can email president@pcbeekeepers.org. Thank you!
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Become a Member
2025 EVENTS & PROJECTS
Members, we need you! Pierce County Beekeepers Association couldn’t happen without you, our volunteers! Ten (10) hours per year of volunteer service is required for each member.
Please sign up to help with the upcoming events. It is a great time to get to know other members and educate the community about the bees and what our organization is all about. Some of these events are fundraisers where we will be selling honey.
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From brand new beekeeper to experienced beekeeper, you have a place at our table! You pick your comfort level, from selling the honey/ raffle tickets to just talking about bees.
Come and join the fun!!
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Important dates in 2025 - Mark your Calendars!
HERE IS A LINK TO OUR 2025 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Class 2 - Honey Bee Biology, February 3 at 6pm - Allmendinger Center
Spring Fair - April 10-13, 17-20
Silent Auction - June 2
Annual Picnic - July 19
Washington State Fair - August 29-September 21
Hive Host & Beekeeper List
We have many hosts, but we need more BEEKEEPERS! We have been building a list of those who have properties in which they are aiming to host hives on, as well as beekeepers who would like to service hives on host properties. With Spring coming, it is time to sign up! To join this list and be matched with a potential host or beekeeper, please sign up here: https://www.pcbeekeepers.org/hive-host-and-beekeeper-list
Guest Speaker - February 3 General Meeting
Washington State is home to upwards of 700 species of native bees, ranging from social bumble bees to solitary sweat bees to parasitic cuckoo bees. These pollinating insects play a vital role in our ecosystems, yet relatively little is known about their ecology and conservation needs. In this presentation, entomologist and photographer Aidan Harsh will discuss native bee biology and showcase some of the amazing bee diversity of Washington. Aidan is a photographer, board member at the Washington Native Bee Society, and entomology graduate student at Washington State University, where he is researching the pollinator fauna of the endangered flower, Silene spaldingii. His photography can be found on Instagram (@photo.by.aidan) and at www.aidanhershphotography.com.
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Monthly Meeting Information
Monday, February 3, 2025
Beginner and Apprentice classes start at 6pm
General Meeting - 7-8:30pm
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D.F. Allmendinger Center
2606 W Pioneer Ave, Puyallup, WA 98371
Apiary Day & Workshop Information
Apiary Days are weather dependent will begin in May and run through October
Upcoming Apiary Days
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Apiary Days are done for the season! - Club Apiary
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BRING YOUR BEE SUIT!!
Please keep an eye on our Facebook Group to keep up with any updates on what is planned for the next upcoming, including estimated times and lesson plan.
Contact Katie Marler education@pcbeekeepers.org with any questions.

Beekeeping Class Information
Classes are available to PCBA Members only - Become a Member
Sign up for Classes on our Website
WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center
D.F. Allmendinger Center
2606 W Pioneer Ave, Puyallup, WA 98371
Classes are January - November
Please keep an eye on our Facebook Group & your email to keep up with any updates on what is planned for the next upcoming, including estimated times and lesson plan.
Contact Katie Marler education@pcbeekeepers.org with any questions.
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Other Educational Resources
Here are three upcoming free webinars offered by the WSU Honey Bees + Pollinators Program. For the unfamiliar, this program is part of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS). The program's mission "intertwines innovative research, community engagement, and education to safeguard pollinators, pivotal to our food security and environmental health."
February 5 - 12pm-1:30pm - Webinar: Gardening for Pollinators
March 8 - 11am-12:30pm - Webinar: Honey Bee Nutritional Needs
March 22 - 4pm-5pm - Webinar: Deadout Necropsies
We will provide links to the WSU's webinars each month. For a full listings of their offerings, visit this site.
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The WSU Honey Bees + Pollinators Program is listed on Michigan State University's MSU Extension Pollinators & Pollination site which lists beekeeping and pollinator webinars from university extension programs across the United States. You can access these programs from wherever you are in the country at their website here.
Spring Honey Recipes
Here are three honey recipes from the Little Bee of Connecticut to celebrate what we hope will be an early Spring, longer days of sunshine, and the return of busily buzzing bees!
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Beekeeping Articles & Topics of Interest
Beekeeping, for Veterans - https://wafarmvetco.org/healing-through-hives
Northwest bees flying during mild winter weather are less likely to survive till spring, WSU researchers find -https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/02/northwest-bees-mild-winter-survival/?outputType=amp​​
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WSU Bees + Pollinator Program - https://bees.wsu.edu/september-2024/
Resource List for Diagnostic Testing of Honey Bees 2024
(information provided by, Bri Price, WSU Honey Bee Program Extension Coordinator)
If you want an answer on the cause of the death of your bees, the following is a list of organizations in the United States that may be able to assist you. For a compete list of diagnostic labs and what they will test go to this website: https://apiaryinspectors.org/page-18060.
If you believe the apiary was damaged through the use of pesticides and if you have registered your hive(s) with the State Department of Agriculture, you can also contact Katie Buckley (Pollinator Health Coordinator) with the WA Dept of Agriculture, and report the situation as a potential bee kill: kbuckley@agr.wa.gov. They usually only formally investigate if it is a large number of hives that were killed. WSU Bee Program used to have a diagnostic lab but does not currently have one. For now, they recommend that people send their bees to the Beltsville Bee Lab; it’s a free source in Maryland. This facility tests for bacterial, fungal and microsporidian diseases, two species of parasitic mites, and other honey bee pests. They also test for American Foul brood when requested. But this lab does not test for viruses or pesticides.
The following all charge for their testing services:
VIRUS TESTING (not pesticides)
• North Carolina State (https://www.ncsuapiculture.net/queen-and-disease-clinic) o Fees range from $24-320
• National Agricultural Genotyping Center (https://www.genotypingcenter.com/honey-bee-pathogen-panel/) o Fees range from $60-300
PESTICIDE TESTING (not viruses)
• Cornell Chemical Ecology Core Facility (https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecf/the-facility/) o $90
• USDA-AMS National Science Laboratory (https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/lab-testing/nsl) o $450
• Synergistic Pesticide Laboratory (https://synpestlab.com/services/) o This is a lab that WSU’s bee program has used, direct contact: Camille Holladay cholladay@synpestlab.com o Fees range from $160-365​
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Ask a Washington Beekeeper - WASBA
WASBA’s ongoing project “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” is publishing new episodes in 2025. “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” is a collaboration between WASBA and GRuB and is designed to reach beekeepers who may be in outlying areas without access to a mentor or a beekeeping club. Their goal is to provide information, education and mentoring to as many people as possible, including veterans who are interested in beekeeping. An educated beekeeper is a better beekeeper and is better for the beekeeping community.
Programs are each month on the third Thursday starting at 6:30pm. Check it out and tell your friends – here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/AskAWABeekeeper. You can watch past episodes, such as Dr. Kevin Oldenburg presenting information about overwintering bees from January 16; or catch the upcoming February 20th episode which will be an Overview of Queen Rearing.
We’ll see you there!