January, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 2 Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association The Waggle Inside this issue: January Meeting Agenda 2 Online Library Resource 2 Scenes from the Party 3 A Traveler's Tale 4 Marketplace 4 EMBA membership form 5 Next meeting Feb. 11th 6 Register Now for February Workshops! Don t delay in signing up for the experienced or beginner beekeeping workshop on Saturday, February 21, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. at Maritz in Fenton. The concurrent courses will be led by two nationally recognized beekeeping educators: Dewey M. Caron, PhD., and Phil Craft, Kentucky State Apiarist. President s Message The cost of each course is $55 for an individual, or $75 for a couple (one packet of materials), with lunch and refreshments. Registration is available online at www.easternmobeekeepers.com/ workshop, or by completing and mailing the downloadable registration form. Space is limited, and will be filled on a first-comefirst-served basis. Treasurer s Report 6 Dr. Caron, Phil Craft, and I were swapping emails recently, hitting the "reply to all" buttons and sending at an impressive pace. We were brainstorming and refining plans for the Feb. workshop course schedules, topics, and textbooks. Their enthusiasm and dedication are enormous. Each is an expert in beekeeping and beekeepers; they are also two of the country's most experienced designers of beekeeping workshops. The calendar reminds us that it is time to prepare for the coming season. I start planning in earnest in January, ordering supplies, and setting goals for frame and bottom board replacements. The Club is busy planning, too. One of our goals is to expand opportunities for participating in the beekeeping experiences that are the life of the Club. We will encourage everyone who is interested to sign up and get involved at the January meeting. Grant Gillard, from Jackson, MO, will be the guest speaker at our February meeting. Grant is an exceptionally innovative and articulate beekeeper, and a leader in the Missouri state association. He is attending this month's national conference in Reno, and will bring us the latest from the presentations there. Bob Sears
Page 2 The Waggle Volume 1, Issue 2 January 14th Meeting Agenda The first EMBA general membership meeting of 2009 begins 6:30 p.m. on Wed. the 14th at Powder Valley. Everyone should have his/ her annual dues paid by this meeting. According to Bob Sears, President, the following topics are on the agenda: Announcements Club calendar and goals Workshop Planning and Registration Volunteer Opportunities & Sign-Up Queen & Package Procurement Programs Winter Feeding - Demonstrations and Handouts Web Site/Newsletter Danforth Apiary Feature Video Presentation (Sister Bee) Q & A Refreshments: Bring a snack to share. Cornell University Has Online Beekeeping Library The Everett F. Phillips' Beekeeping Collection at Cornell's Albert R. Mann Library is one of the largest and most complete apiculture libraries in the world. Having first started out as an initial collection of ten titles, with the support of beekeepers across the United States The Hive and the Honeybee has since grown to include over thirty key monographs as well as the first twenty- two volumes of the American Bee Journal, covering the years 1861 through 1886 of that landmark publication. Each volume of this growing digital collection is available in full text format and is fully searchable. To take advantage of this free online resource, go to http:// bees.library.cornell.edu/b/bees/ index.html Did You Know? Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture helping to prevent dry skin and dull, lifeless hair. Christopher Watt, a licensed aesthetician who cares for some of Hollywood s most famous faces, including Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez, suggests the following homemade honey-based tips for today s most common skin problems: * Add a tablespoon of honey to your favorite mask or use it alone and see how much your skin glows. * In addition to drawing moisture into the skin, honey is also an antiseptic, which means it inhibits the growth of bacteria, making honey a good choice for all skin types. From the National Honey Board
The Waggle Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 3 Scenes from the Holiday Party The crowd was buzzing downtown St. Louis last month, celebrating the approaching holidays in the beautiful loft apartment of EMBA members Amos Harris and Natalie Semchyshyn. Our gracious hosts provided the lovely space, but the good food and good times were enjoyed by everyone. Thanks to the party committee for organizing, and to Eugene Makovec for the pictures.
Page 4 The Waggle Volume 1, Issue 2 A Traveler's Discovery: Mayan Bees in Tree Trunks! In Mexico...We discovered a native bee yard...colonies are kept in hollowed out tree trunks and stacked horizontally. By John Pashia While traveling in Mexico, south of Cancun, my wife (Rebecca) and I were at a coastal wildlife and water park called Xcaret. The park offered snorkeling, had a butterfly breeding facility, and around the corner we discovered a native bee yard. The Mayan bee species is called Melipona beechei. This native bee has no stinger and was harmless in the park. It was a joy to behold. Colonies are kept in hollowed out tree trunks and stacked horizontally on a wooden structure (See picture below). The Waggle Needs You! We are always on the look out for interesting facts, figures and stories about honey bees and the art/science of keeping them. If you would like to get published in The Waggle, send your article FOR SALE: Four frame, over-wintered, Nucs transferred into your equipment around April l5 to May 1, 2009 for $70.00. A 10% deposit required on all orders. NO FRAME EXCHANGE I will have locally raised, productive, gentle queens, available around May l5 to 30, 2009 weather permitting. A 10% deposit required on all Queen orders. 1-3 $l6.00 4-7 $l5.00 8-10 $12.00 Bob Graham 9727 Morse Mill Rd. Dittmer, Mo. 63023 2717 Phone 636 274 4609 John Pashia lives in Afton and serves on the EMBA Board as Secretary. Articles and Pictures Sought for The Waggle Marketplace (no longer than 200 words), or pictures (.jpg or.gif files), via email to Anna Roach, editor at wordturner2@sbcglobal.net. The editor reserves to right to use or keep for a later issue. FOR SALE: 3 colonies (Russian and Carniolan), 10 hive bodies from Kelly all the frames and foundation. Most of the foundation is still in the box. There are covers and floorboards. Some of these things are assembled and painted and some are not. The are also 2 complete D.E. (David Eyre) hives 4 or 6 deeps and 2 honey supers imported from Canada. Included in this offering is a nice copper smoker. No reasonable offer denied. Sold all together. Call Ace Martin at 314/752-7613.
The Waggle Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 5 EMBA Membership Dues Are Due! Your EMBA membership for 2009 should already be paid, but in case you are one of those last minute procrastinators, Treasurer Laurie Miller will take your payments at the first meeting of the year, this Wednesday, the 14th. Dues are $10 per person/ $15 per family, and are payable to: Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association. If you can t get to the January meeting, you can send payment to Laurie Miller, Treasurer, 505 West Polo Drive, St. Louis, MO 63105. For your convenience, the form is printed below. Don t delay! Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association 2009 Membership Application Name: Address: City, State & Zip: Phone: (work) (home) (mobile) E-Mail: If you are 80 years or older, membership to the EMBA is free. However, this does not apply to state dues. EMBA Dues (Single $10.00 / Family $15.00) $ STATE Dues (Single $15.00 / Family $20.00) $ Check #: TOTAL $ Make check payable to: Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association and mail w/ application to: Laurie Miller, 505 West Polo Drive, St. Louis, MO 63105. NOTE: As a member of EMBA, you are entitled to a discount subscription for American Bee Journal or Bee Culture magazines. Be sure to mention your club membership when calling. American Bee Journal 1-800-637-7468 Bee Culture 1-800-289-7668
Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association President: Bob Sears robert.sears@emcstl.com Vice President: Jane Sueme jsueme@charter.net Treasurer: Laurie Miller lwm9505@sbcglobal.net Secretary: John Pashia johnfpashia@yahoo.com Editor: Anna Roach wordturner@sbcglobal.net Webmaster: John Timmons info@easternmobeekeepers.com Mission Statement "To promote beekeeping generally; to broaden the knowledge of beekeeping among its members; and to foster the best practices and techniques in apiary management." TREASURER S REPORT As of January 8, 2009 Checking Account Balance: $6,206.57 Certificate of Deposit: $1,635.14 The Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association meets on the Second Wednesday of each month @ 6:30pm in the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center (11715 Cragwold ) Enter from side doors to the left. Next month s meeting is Feb. 11th SAVE THE DATE!! BEEKEEPING WORKSHOPS 02-21-2009 Dewey Caron & Phil Craft will lead Beginning and Experienced Courses Sign up online at www. easternmobeekepers.com Founded in 1939 www.easternmobeekeepers.com