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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter August 2004 |
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Greetings from the President of the IHPA Dear Iowa Honey Producers, We had a great Fourth of July holiday. Both our military sons were home and rode on the Cumberland fire truck for the Massena parade on Saturday, July 2nd. We also had friends visiting us from southern Missouri. Add a first birthday party for our granddaughter, JoAnn and we were very busy, but had a wonderful time. I think, however, that I am getting too old to do that every week. (Maybe I should quit my job to just enjoy the company.) I hived my first swarm by myself this month also. Our youngest son, Mitch,( on leave from California) called me at work and asked if there should be so many bees flying around our yard. I asked him if they were noisy. His reply was yes, so I said that I would be home in a half hour, that he should watch them and tell me where they were. When I got home, the honey bees had lighted on a branch in an evergreen tree across the driveway. I asked our other military son, Shawn, (on leave from Oklahoma) to get the ladder for me while I assembled the necessary hive boxes and equipment. I put on coveralls, veil and gloves, grabbed my camera and headed for the ladder. I took pictures first. I should have taken a picture of our big, tough Army sons watching me from the safety of the garage. They did give me directions when it came time to place the pile of empty hive bodies so that I could raise the assembled hive closer to the allusive swarm. I should note that Mike had the other veils, etc. in his pick-up. The swarm was a mere 10 feet off the ground so it was relatively easy to accomplish the needed task. After I was finished taking pictures, I shook the branch and most of the bees fell directly into the waiting bee hive. I put the inner cover on and the lid. I then watched the remaining bees enter the hive by the entrance. The boys thought that there were too many bees left on the branch. I told them to just watch them and we would use another strategy if they weren’t going into the hive. They were amazed that the rest of the bees went into the hive. We have had trouble with this hive of bees from the very beginning this spring. I don’t imagine they will accomplish much this late in the season, but at least I can say that I learned something from watching Mike get swarms, and that I did it by myself. Mike wondered what that pile of boxes was doing in the yard when he came home from work. I noticed in the last issue of the BUZZ that there was some equipment for sale that had wax. Remember to have the equipment inspected before it is sold. The inspectors would be glad to accommodate and do the inspections. The law is on the books of Iowa that equipment being sold with wax needs to be inspected to assure that it is free of diseases. If you need inspections, please contact our local inspectors: Boyd Palmer at (319) 437-3751; Bill Eickholdt at (712) 225-5207; Phil Meyer at (515) 262-4392 or Mike O’Hearn at (712) 534-2272. Fall is getting closer so remember to make plans to attend the Annual Meeting of the Iowa Honey Producers to be held in Marshalltown, IA on November 12th and 13th. A great line-up of speakers will headline the meeting and it is sure to have something for everyone. The social time of speaking to other beekeepers is well worth the time and money. So many ideas are shared at this event. I’ve had reports from various parts of the state that the crop looks great. The wax is nice and light on the comb honey and barrels of honey are being harvested. We need a good year after last year. Hope the weather conditions are right for your area and you are enjoying the great flow of honey coming into your hives. Sincerely, Donna Brahms The Buzz Newsletter Submissions Please send submissions, classified ads, and photos
to Alex W. Ebert by email to TheBuzz@ABuzzAboutBees.com The Buzz is a monthly newsletter published by the Iowa Honey Producers Association which is an affiliate of the Iowa State Horticultural Society. IHPA Membership is only $10 annually. To join IHPA and receive your complimentary member subscription to The Buzz Newsletter, please contact:
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