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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

ECWBA Newsletter - August 23, 2009

1. July meeting review. Establishing an affiliation with the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association (WHPA) was discussed. We discussed the previous workshop presented by Earl Jewett and the possibility of sponsoring another workshop is early 2010. Also, we talked about the establishment of a library. Andy Krueger, as ECWBA secretary, is the designated "librarian" to oversee the newly established library.

2. Next meeting. The next meeting of the ECWBA is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2009. Meeting time is 9:30 am to 11:00 am. Meeting place is The Masonic Center in Fond du Lac. Address is 500 West Arndt Street. Here's how to get there: from West Johnson Street (Hwy. 23 West) turn north onto Hickory Street, from Hickory, turn west onto Arndt Street to address. There will be a discussion panel to discuss over-wintering practices and any other beekeeping topics.

3. Next year. The September meeting will be the last meeting for 2009. The first meeting of 2010 will be in January. Date, time, and place are to be determined. This year, 2009, was the charter year for the organization. I think things went well and I am looking toward a successful year next year as well. I would like to thank every one that has become involved in the ECWBA. Your support and dedication has set the foundation for establishing a local organization focused on beekeeper development. Let's sustain the momentum we've gained into a second successful year.

4. Membership. Being our first year as an organization, we established a good membership. Thank-you to every one that paid dues. For next year, the membership dues payment period will be the first two months of the year. After that, membership privileges (voting at meetings and receiving a newsletter) will be withheld until dues are paid. Currently, there are many people that are on the mailing list for the newsletter that have never attended a meeting or made contact with the association. I would like to eliminate the expense of sending out newsletters to non-members.

Beekeeping Notes:
1. Be sure to manage your honey harvest to ensure enough honey remains on the hive for winter survival.
2. If you have harvested excess honey or other honey bee products, prepare a marketing plan. There are many farmers’ markets in the area. There are usually holiday craft shows later in the year through which you might be able to market your honey.
3. If you are new to beekeeping and you do not yet have a means of extracting honey, find an established beekeeper that is willing to help you with extracting your honey.
4. Start planning for the fall application of mite and disease controls. Also, plan for feeding bees if honey stores are inadequate.

Best of beekeeping,
Jeff Champeau
President, ECWBA

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