Winter has settled in with cold weather and even some snow already this year. Hopefully, you ensured that your beehives were well provisioned with honey for the winter and you have prepared your hives to survive the cold. Before Christmas and the holiday season come around, I thought I would update you with a few things happening with the ECWBA.
1. This past year, 2011, went rather well. Thank-you to everybody that was involved in making the past year a success. We had some good guest speakers at our meetings speaking on various topics. I would like to dedicate next year, 2012, to topics regarding queens. This would include the various ways of raising queens, evaluating queens for purchase, and exploring the establishment of a local queen breeding program. If you have any specific queen-related topics you would like discussed, please let me know.
2. At the January, 2012, meeting, the offices of president and secretary, are up for election. The current secretary, Andy Krueger, has been doing an excellent job. I can’t comment much about the president of this organization!!! Here’s an opportunity to become involved as a volunteer in an organization serving fellow beekeepers. Please think about running for one of these offices. If you would like more information, please get in touch with ECWBA president, Jeff Champeau.
3. At the July and September meetings, the ECWBA established a committee for sponsoring a beginning beekeepers class. This is not a permanent committee – once the class is done, the committee will be terminated. The committee is moving forward with a class scheduled to start Thursday, January 26, 2012, and run for four consecutive weeks. Please encourage any new beekeepers that you know to sign up for the class. Notices will be sent out once the details are finalized – and watch for ads in local shopper newspapers.
4. Some of the meeting dates and places for early 2012 have been scheduled in already. Here’s what developed so far:
Saturday, January 21, 2012, Ripon Public Library, 9:30 to 11:00 am.
Saturday, February 18, 2012, place to be determined, Fond du Lac, 9:30 to 11:00 am.
Saturday, March 17, 2012, Ripon Public Library, 9:30 to 11:00 am.
May and/or June, 2012 (another field day???)
July and September meetings to be determined.
5. The Ledgeview Nature Center located in the Chilton, WI, area has contacted the ECWBA looking for a beekeeper. More specifically, the center is looking for a beekeeper to mentor one of their naturalists in the management of two beehives and an observation hive. For more information, please contact Stephanie at the nature center at telephone 920-849-7094.
On behalf of the East Central Wisconsin Beekeepers Association, I would like wish all of you, your families and friends, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Champeau
ECWBA President
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