Cappings

Pierce County Beekeeping Association

Monthly Newsletter

October 2024 - Volume 30 - Issue 10

President's Corner

Happy Fall!!!

I hope you all are doing well and that you are finding the time to enjoy the season. I love the fall. I do have to say that even though I LOVE this state, Michigan is prettier this time of year and I kind of miss that. But, fall also signals to me that in just a few months I'll be able to slow down after all of the business of Summer, Fall and the Holidays. I enjoy the thought of "tucking in" in front of a warm fire to read a good book or binge watch my favorite TV shows. You know the stuff we don't have time for right now.
I was able to put the queen/ resource apiary to bed and now am working on my own hives to do the same. The bees are winding down to start their winter as well. Next thing I'm doing is looking forward to Thanksgiving, turkey and pumpkin pie!
Enjoy your families
Mary

How I Got to Beekeeping

by Susi Green

My Beekeeping Journey started in 2017. My friend Sonja thought we needed a new hobby, so picking up beekeeping seemed the most exciting new thing for us. We wanted to do it right, so we became members of the Pierce County Beekeepers Association (PCBA) because it was closer to Sonja's house.

Off we went sitting through the beginner classes with Larry Golden. Finally spring came around the corner and we threw ourselves into the adventure. We prepared a spot in the garden, built a hive stand, got some Langstroth boxes at Harvard Bee Supply, a nuc of bees, and off we went! Little did I know that was only the beginning on a never-ending adventure of always new things to learn.

Shortly after about mid-summer, I found out the spot I prepared and picked in my garden was not liked by the bees, and they absconded. I called Alicia H. hoping she could advise me in my distress. There is little you can do if the bees swarm and abscond.

Then came the time for the PCBA summer BBQ. I was introduced to all the wonderful people including Jim McCraig. Jim seemed to be that wise old owl that I needed to be successful. He brought me a new colony, worked them with me and boy, did I learn new things. One of them was listening, listening to the bees. I learned to be gentle to the bees and try to overcome my fear. Jim was a wonderful mentor, and I am truly thankful he took me on as a newBee.

I want to give thanks to so many wonderful people who guided me through the years and my bee keeping journey. I am still in for that ride! There are many quotes I have received that I cherish. Two of my favorites I will pass on are, "Ask 10 beekeepers a question, you will receive 11 answers" and "It all depends".

Sonja working her bees

Larry Golden Teaching

Jim McCraig working my new bees with me

My oldest and me inserting a new nuc

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Become a Member of PCBA!

It has been an amazing year and we have so much more to come! Over the year we have gathered over 750 members of our Facebook Group and over 650 Newsletter Subscribers! We are elated and honored to have had such a successful reach. Now, please be reminded that we are a Non-Profit 501c3. Membership makes a massive impact to our ability to continue full steam ahead and offer classes and programs that you all value, in fact it's the only way... We are asking all of you that are participating on our social platforms and subscribing to please sign up for membership in 2024 and help us continue to grow our resources and programs.

*** When we changed website hosts last year, everyone who became a member was considered a "New" member as far as the computer was concerned. The New Member choice does not automatically renew every year. We have just learned that anyone who signed up last year will need to join again on your expiration date.

IT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP.

Many people have expired memberships. If you got an email that told you to renew and then on the website it said that you had already purchased the membership and then wouldn't let you renew, that was a computer glitch that is now fixed.

Please check your records to find the date you joined or renewed last year and rejoin if your membership is expired by date. The automatic renewal is working for some.

If you are unsure of your status you can email president@pcbeekeepers.org

Thank you

Become a Member

2024 EVENTS & PROJECTS

Members, we need you! Pierce County Beekeepers Association couldn’t happen without you, our volunteers! 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.

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!!

Important dates in 2024
HERE IS A LINK TO OUR 2024 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

November 4th - Board Elections (during meeting) - Allmendinger Center

Holiday Party on December 2nd - Allmendinger Center

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

Donation & Fundraising Committee
Help us to be involved in our community in a big way!
https://www.pcbeekeepers.org/donation-and-fundraising-committee

Monthly Meeting Information
Monday, November 4th
Winterizing Hives & Treatments

6pm Beekeeping Classes

7pm General Meeting

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

Apiary Days are done for the season! - Club Apiary

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.

Recipes for the Holidays!

Cinnamon Honey Butter - Texas Roadhouse Style

Apple Honey Dutch Baby
Roasted Honey Sweet Potatoes

Hot Honey

Honey Glazed Ham
Honey Cheesecake

Ways to Feed During Winter
by Kathleen Clerc

Andrea Villarreal from Kalamazoo Bee Club did a good write up on the different types of winter feeding.

Fondant: This is fairly easy to do. Below is a great how-to. You can make fondant easily at home and harden it in any size mold or container you want. This is the method my husband and I usually use, assuming the bees have a normal amount of honey in the fall. We make fondant “cakes” (I harden them in a silicone muffin pan) and then in those first few weeks of spring when the snow has melted, but the dandelions aren’t up yet, we throw a few in each hive. We generally make ours out of one or two five pound bags of sugar and then make more as needed (depends how many hives you are feeding, of course).

Candyboard - This is similar to fondant, but a better option if you need to feed long-term (like all winter, ahem). Here’s a nice tutorial. You basically make a giant fondant board and place it at the top of the hive, so the bees can eat all winter. Making one of these requires about 12-16 lbs of sugar. Beverlybees.com did an excellent job of explaining how to make and install a candyboard.

Dry Mountain Camp Method - The Mountain Camp Method, simply put, is feeding with dry sugar. It differs from the methods listed above because you use no water or heat to prepare the sugar.

The name came from a beekeeping message board on BeeSource.com. A user, named Mountain Camp, introduced it. It plays on the idea that when you are camping, you often have to rely on simplified methods of doing things and so he offered this simplified feeding method.

It’s pretty simple. In fact, so simple that when my husband and I finished our first hive I said, “There’s no way this will work. It’s too easy!”

What we did was take the hive cover off and placed a rim feeder that my husband built. It was maybe two-three inches deep. You could probably use an empty box, but we didn’t want to run the risk that the bees would build comb in there. Not to mention, in the winter we want as little air space as possible to keep the hive warm. You can buy rim feeders, but we built ours out of scrap wood.

We then put down a layer of newspaper, just one or two sheets thick. Lay this right on the tops of the frames. It doesn’t need to fit edge-to-edge, in fact a piece that lays in the middle and leaves about an inch around the edges works great. Most importantly, you don’t want any of the newspaper to hang outside of the hive. If this happens, the paper will get wet and the moisture will move right down the paper into your sugar and into your hive.

Then, we poured in sugar, direct from the bag. You’ll just pour as much sugar over the newspaper as you can fit without spilling into the hive.

The bees keep the interior of the hive quite warm during the winter months and this heat and condensation works to kind of melt the newspaper as well as turn the exposed sugar into candy. When you make a fondant cake or a candyboard, you are basically adding water and heat to solidify the sugar. When you use this method of feeding, you are using the heat and moisture from the hive to do the work for you. Here’s what it looks like after the bees have started eating

How to Make Bee Fondant - By Glory Bee

As we get closer to winter and the weather starts getting cooler, it's time to start thinking about switching from liquid feed to solid feed for your honeybees. Liquid feed shouldn't be fed to bees when the nighttime temperatures get below 50 degrees F. When it gets this cold, bees aren't able to condense the liquid in order to eat it. Using fondant is an excellent way to feed your bees during the winter. Not only do they really like it because the smaller crystals are easier for bees to digest, but it is also easy to make using the recipe below.

Supplies

Large stainless steel pot
Candy thermometer
Parchment paper lined cookie sheets (2 or 3)
Wire whisk
10 pounds white sugar
1 quart water
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Stand-up mixer or hand mixer

Instructions

Combine water, sugar and vinegar in a large stainless steel pot. Place on stove top set to medium-high heat.
Heat until the mixture starts to boil and reaches a temperature of 235 degrees F. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly as it heats to prevent caramelization. Boil at this temperature for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool to 180 degrees F. To speed up the cooling process, you can place the pot in the sink filled with cold water. Stir the mixture every few minutes as it cools.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl being extra careful as the mixture is still very hot.
Mix with a stand-up mix or hand mixer set on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes opaque white and thick.
Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheets so that the mixture is approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Cool completely and then cut into 3" wide strips. Rewrap the strips in parchment paper, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

When you use fondant as winter feed, it is important to make sure there is a space for the feed in between the frames and the cover. For this reason we recommend to use an inner cover and telescoping top which provides the additional space. Place two strips of fondant on the top bars of your brood box. The natural moisture in the hive will allow for the bees to feed on the fondant efficiently. Check in your hive every few weeks to see how much the bees have eaten and add more strips of fondant as needed.

I don't know about you but a lot of my colonies just didn't make a lot of honey this year. Then a visitor that came to the booth at the fair showed me this Penn State study. I found it interesting and something to ponder.

Why are bees making less honey? Study reveals clues in five decades of data.

Click on the button to go to the study

PSU study

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

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

Ask a Washington Beekeeper - WASBA
WASBA’s ongoing project “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” has two episodes in the books. The first, in October, featured Jeff Ott and Bri Price, whose presentation about preparing for winter reached about two dozen interested beekeepers via both Facebook Live and Zoom. WASBA board member Dawn Beck graciously shared her presentation about the honeybees’ fat bodies and how these relate to honeybee health. In both cases, the presenters fielded questions from the audience with questions ranging from combining hives to winter survival rates. “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. Our 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.
After a break for the holiday, “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” will resume on January 18th with WASBA president Alan Woods sharing his knowledge about integrated pest management. Future programs include information about packaged bees vs. nucs, a panel discussion, and information about the nectar flow. 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. We’ll see you there!