Beekeeping 101 TONIGHT!

Beekeeping 101 tonight. On the agenda is a 2 hour - powerpoint backed and graphic packed presentation of BEEKEEPING.....the HOW to get into's (resources) - the WHO's in the hive (the caste and function of the hive) - the WHY's of beekeeping (everything we get from the hive) - and the BEEKEEPING CALENDAR (your function as keeper - and your time commitment throughout the year)

This is the "WE'RE GONNA PUMP YOU UP" about beekeeping class :)

Beekeeping Courses

Dates announced. (3) Beginner courses: Jan 26, Feb 9, Feb 23 and (2) Intermediate courses: Mar 16, Mar 30.

Classes will be held at the UW-Fond du Lac campus again -2nd floor "extension" classroom. 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Beginner courses will cover everything to GET STARTED - getting acquainted with bees, terminology, equipment, resources, purchasing bees, etc....over THREE class nights. They're held at this time of year so that you have time to build hives and order bees.

Intermediate courses will cover THE SECOND YEAR HIVE and BEYOND. Now that you have a year or so under your belt - we can discuss keeping the bees HEALTHY and IN THE BOX (swarming), etc. The second class, we'll be sharing some "advanced" topics....splits, nucs, requeening, queen rearing, etc.

Contact: UWFDL Extension: 920-929-3171. Pre-registration by Jan 18 - Registration limited to 40!

Cost: (3) BEGINNING classes - $36/person; $54/couple; $8/highschool or college student (materials)

(2) INTERMEDIATE classes - $24/person; $36/couple; $5/highschool or college student (materials)

Hope to see you there!

latest bee-related find

my RECENT bee-related FIND at a local antique mall. This mall is a DESTINATION...for those of you who love doing this sort of thing... http://www.columbusantiquemall.com/

you can EASILY spend an ENTIRE DAY.

i think this is a candy jar - because it's missing the cut-out for the dipper.

i was surprised with the AMOUNT of items - that i didn't find more....found a honey pot too.

ECWBA Newsletter - January 2011

Happy New Year to all of the ECWBA members!!!

1. Meeting Dates: Here is the list of meeting dates for the new year, 2011:

• January meeting: January 15, 2011, 9:30 am, at Ripon Public Library, Ripon, WI.

• February meeting: February 12, 2011, 9:30 am, Room O-104, Moraine Park Technical College, Fond du Lac, WI.

• March meeting: March 12, 2011, 9:30 am, at Ripon Public Library, Ripon, WI.

• May (or June) meeting: Field day. Date, time, and place are yet to be determined. Some members have requested that the field day be moved to the middle of June in order to observe colonies that have already transitioned to the honey production phase.

2. Meeting locations:

The January and March meetings will be at the Ripon Public Library, 120 Jefferson Street, Ripon, WI. The meetings will be downstairs in the Silver Creek Room. The Ripon Library is located one block behind the Ripon City Hall.

The February meeting will be held at the Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC), 235 North National Avenue, Fond du Lac, WI. The meeting will be held in Room O-104. Parking is available in the parking lot on National Avenue north of Johnson Street.

3. Meeting topics: The topics for the first few meetings have been established. At the January meeting, Dean Lapp of Lapp’s Bee Supply will speak about the beekeeping supply industry, package bee sourcing, and be able to answer questions about beekeeping topics. At the February meeting, Craig Petros, one of Wisconsin’s state bee inspectors, will speak about the current state of bee health in Wisconsin and also answer questions about bee diseases.

4. Officer elections: At the January, 2011, meeting, the offices of vice-president and treasurer will be up for election. The positions are currently held by Don Palkovich as Vice President and George Weigel as Treasurer. Both, Don and George, have done a great job as ECWBA officers for the past two years. Here’s an opportunity to be come directly involved with the ECWBA. Please consider running for either of these offices -- a little “electoral competition” would be great to see. If you have any questions about the election or about becoming an officer, please contact Jeff Champeau by phone or e-mail.

5. Membership: For 2011, 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. Dues will remain at $15.00 for a yearly membership. See next page for more information.

Happy New Year and Best of Beekeeping,

Jeff Champeau - President, ECWBA - Telephone: 715-330-9969 - jeff.champeau@yahoo.com

ECWBA Newsletter - December 4, 2010

Holiday greetings to all of the ECWBA members,

December has settled upon us and now is the time every one is making preparations for the holiday season. However, I thought I’d send out a brief newsletter to keep everyone updated about the East Central Wisconsin Beekeepers Association.

1. Here is the list of meeting dates for the new year, 2011:

* January meeting: January 15, 2011, 9:30 am, at Ripon Public Library.

* February meeting: February 12, 2011, time and place is yet to be determined, but Fond du Lac is the target area.

* March meeting: March 12, 2011, 9:30 am, at Ripon Public Library.

* May (or June) meeting: Field day. Date, time, and place are yet to be determined. Some members have requested that the field day be moved to the middle of June in order to observe colonies that have already transitioned to the honey production phase.

2. The topics for the first few meetings have been established. However, based on scheduling of guest speakers, specific speakers and topics have not yet been assigned to a specific meeting date. Some of the guest speakers and topics are the state bee inspector and a beekeeping equipment supply representative. These speakers are tentative based on their availability. A number of topics that the members wanted to hear about were discussed at a past meeting. Some members may be asked to give presentations about their beekeeping methods and operations.

3. This year, 2010, was the second year for the ECWBA. I think things went well and I am looking toward a successful year during 2011. I would like to thank every one that has become involved in the ECWBA. Your support and dedication has established the foundation for establishing a local beekeeping organization focused on beekeeper development. Let's sustain the momentum we've gained into a third successful year.

4. At the January, 2011, meeting, the offices of vice-president and treasurer will be up for election. The positions are currently held by Don Palkovich as Vice President and George Weigel as Treasurer. Both, Don and George, have done a great job as ECWBA officers for the past two years. Here’s an opportunity to be come directly involved with the ECWBA. Please consider running for either of these offices -- a little “electorial competition” would be great to see. If you have any questions about the election or about becoming an officer, please contact Jeff Champeau by phone or e-mail.

5. Remember to check our blog for the latest club postings or interesting commentary.

http://ourbeeblog.blogspot.com/

6. For next year, 2011, 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. Dues will remain at $15.00 for a yearly membership.

Beekeeping Notes:

Start planning for 2011 – Winter is a good time to relax with a warm cup of hot chocolate and think about next year’s beekeeping. Is this the year to attend an advanced beekeeping seminar? Or maybe a workshop to learn about queen rearing?

If you have some experience, this could be the year to mentor a new beekeeper. As for myself, 2011 is the year I’m going to back-off, slow down, and just really enjoy beekeeping.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all…

Best of beekeeping,

Jeff Champeau

President, ECWBA

Telephone: 715-330-9969

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me. I’m sometimes hard to contact, but leave a message and I’ll call you back. Or e-mail me at jeff.champeau@yahoo.com.