Sticky highlights from last nights meeting

The Honey Bee Club of Stillwater meeting last night was a sticky and caloric affair.  Honey from our own beekeepers was passed as well as exotic honey from places afar such as Norway and Hawaii.  Honey truffles, cookies, and Darlene Sitko's amazing baklava were all passed.  The only thing missing was the mead to toast Bob and Darlene's 52nd wedding anniversary!  52 years must be the Honey Anniversary.

A clever idea for 'set' honey
Brady Maroney showed us his honey liquefier, that will de-crystallize a 5 gallon bucket of honey overnight using a 100 watt bulb.

Outlaw!

Gary Gehrman is looking for help to change the beekeeping ordinance in Oak Park Heights. Gary kept bees in OPH, but was booted out after a complaint of a possible bee allergy by someone in the hood.  Since Gary is not an Oak Park Heights resident, it would be helpful to have a resident to help spear this project.  The Honey Bee Club of Stillwater will do what we can to help in his endeavor.  

Time Change Alert

It was agreed to start the meetings at 6:30 instead of 7:00.  This change will start for the January meeting.  

Other topics briefly discussed:

• A membership list for our members
• The possibility of someone learning how to use the camera at Valley Access TV to shoot hive filming
• Organizing a public viewing of "The Vanishing Of The Bees" at the Stillwater Public Library
• Getting a group together to assemble hive equipment
• Ordering supplies from Mann Lake as a group

The Russians Are Coming!

We hope to see you ALL next month when we have Mary Wingfield discuss her experience with Russian bees.  

Year End Update

As our first full year is coming to a close we want to thank all our members and speakers for their participation in our club.

January 18, 2013
Initial meeting, 33 in attendance, open discussion, introduced ourselves and club mission,
"This is an informal monthly peer exchange for honey bee enthusiasts to share our experience hobby beekeeping." Discussed goal of having speakers/presentations limited to 30-45 minutes so every meeting can include open discussion time.

February 18, 2013
More member introductions, Open discussion included: spring prep, Turf to Native grant, extraction space, information about our forum, U of MN Bee Lab bonding bill action items, Warner Nature Center Apiary plans and fundraising needs.

March 18, 2013
Adrian Quiney gave a presentation, "Overwintering Nucs - the Path to a Sustainable Apiary", release of topic survey, updates to U of MN pest treatment recommendations

April 15, 2013 Meeting moved to Bradshaw due to Family Means conflict
Nelson Coffey: Physical Therapist advice on lifting and moving hive boxes and exercises to strengthen your core for beekeeping.

May 20, 2013
Bob Sitko, certified Master Beekeeper gave a presentation on swarming and fielded questions.

June 17, 2013
Blane White, past State Bee Inspector gave a presentation on honey bee diseases and treatments.

July 15, 2013
Jerry Linser of Honey-Pine Apiary presented marketing advice and comb honey production.

August 19
Joanne Sabine gave a presentation on Honey Harvesting.  Club library started with a multiyear magazine donation of Bee Culture and American Bee Journal.

September 16, 2013

Marcie Forsberg of Green City Gardeners gave a presentation on plants for pollinators which was attended by beekeepers and gardeners. Home made wax melters were also shown.

October 21, 2013
End of Season open discussion called "Hive Rap".  We each talked about how our year went, shared advice and discoveries including some demos.

November 18, 2013
Laurie Schneider gave a presentation on pollinator conservation. Bees Kneez gave us a brief introduction to their work.

December 16, 2013
Plans are set for a honey tasting and discussion about 2014 club plans.

In 2014 we plan to use this blog more frequently to post recaps of our meetings and follow-up information like links and photos.

Welcome Beekeepers

The Honey Bee Club of Stillwater has grown to 143 members and is approaching its first year anniversary.  We are beekeepers and bee enthusiasts caring for bees in the beautiful St. Croix River Valley around Stillwater, Minnesota.  Our members share their experience hobby beekeeping through an online forum and at monthly meetings.

Meetings are the third Monday of the month at 1875 Northwestern Avenue in Stillwater, MN. Join us anytime. Contact honeybeeclubstillwater@gmail.com for more information.

New Bee Club in Stillwater