February 16th, 2023
12 attendees
Meeting start: 7:02 PM
Past Business
Club apiary update: Everybody was doing well, last time we were out there! We’ve got two out-of-season queens that have been mated. We’re coming into the citrus flow. Hopefully we have some work to do, in the apiary. Some of our equipment needs to be replaced. We’re increasing the frequency of our field days throughout the spring.
Present Business
A heartfelt thanks to the volunteers at our recent events. We generated a lot of interest. So far, we have three signups for the beginner class on March 4th. This number will rise as word gets out, we added 1 more at tonight's meeting.
Presentation: Origin of Honey Bees and their Brood Parasites
Future Business
We’re working on putting a garden in the apiary! If you’d like to help, let us know.
February 18—Our next scheduled Field Day.
February 28—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meeting.
Mid-February—citrus flow!
Saturday, March 4th - Introduction to Honey Bees and Beekeeping class
Saturday, March 11th - Field Day at 9am
Thursday, March 16th - Meeting at 7pm (We have a guest speaker from FWC to discuss bears!)
March 17-18—UF Bee College.
Saturday, March 25th - Field Day at 9am
Saturday, April 8th - Field Day at 9am
Thursday, April 20th - Meeting at 7pm
Saturday, April 22nd - Field Day at 9am
January 19th, 2023
Tonight January 19th was the first meeting of the year and at 7 pm, the honey flowed!. We started the evening with 9 members attending tonight, among them we had 3 new attendees all with different levels of experience.
AJ got the meeting up to date by talking of the last check in the apiary. Needless to say .. it didn’t work out well. The Queens decided that since the yards were big enough, a jailbreak was in session by tunneling under the wax to reach freedom. The homemade bait melted better than beeswax, and the traps became propolized making their ACV and DE mix pretty useless. If you look on the FB page, update on those hives has been posted.
7:15 PM- and back to business, the Highlands County Fair is coming up and we need members to fill the seats, give information and even sell their own honey or bee-derived goodies ($ is all yours). Signup link has been posted on the Facebook page, please help us warm the seats by signing up. Now is a great time for sales with the winter visitors still in town.
We are now a part of the Mentor program for “ Hives for Heroes” . Hives for Heroes is a national non-profit military Veteran service organization focusing on honey bee conservation and a healthy transition from service. If you know any Veterans who might benefit from this program, please encourage them to reach out through AJ Johnson on Facebook or our webpage.
Discussion was hit up also about doing a Beginner Beekeeping Crash Course on March 4. Three Hours, $20 and a year’s membership with the club.
7:28 PM- When all was said and done about the past and present, we got a taste of honey from some Iowa based hives from Kevin Kraft, bought by Sonja Tyus and passed along to AJ. The buckwheat honey was a special treat! While we were all sampling, AJ brought everyone up to speed on the ABF Conference highlights. Information about Thailands beekeepers, Project Apis, What are Experimental Use Permits, Cocoon spinning, and small scale testing scenarios.
Brynda brought along her “ Chinese version” of the Flow Hive. This is her first and she got the chance to stand up and explain the parts and how it works. She plans to use this hive as her own personal but sharing the education of having one as well. Everyone loved picking it apart and testing the unusual honey flow system. Future updates expected.
Future Business
January 24-The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club Meeting (at Ag Center)
February 3-11- Highlands county Fair Booth
February 11- Highlands Hammock CCC Festival Booth
Mid February - CITRUS FLOW!!!!
February 16- Our next meeting
February 18-Field Day
March 17-18 UF Bee College
December 15th, 2022
Meeting Start: 7:08pm
Past Business
Thanks to everybody that participated in the Master Gardener Plant Sale!
Present Business
Ate, drank, and made merry.
Future Business
Happy holidays!
November 17th, 2022
11 attendees
Meeting start: 7:03pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: The hurricanes have, in effect, cancelled our usual Brazilian pepper flow. There’s an abundance of pollen available, but not so much nectar. Colonies are using an excessive amount of propolis. The club apiary is a mixed bag; some colonies are thriving, while others are not. We harvested a minimal amount of honey, but most of the hives have good stores in their pantries. Small hive beetles are a huge problem, presently, so we will be aggressively addressing that first. We are planning on maximizing our winter treatments by caging our queens for 21 days, rendering the colonies broodless, and then applying organic acid treatments. The precise timing of these steps is up for discussion. Following these actions, we will be significantly reducing our in-hive activities until it’s time to prepare for the citrus flow in late February.
Present Business
We will have a booth at the Master Gardener Plant Sale on November 19th. If you have any honey or bee-derived goods that you might like to sell, it’s a great time to do so. Board member elections.
Research updates:
Fungiperfecti
Apivar resistance
Tracheal mites
Euvarroa
Inaccuracies of mite sampling
Varroa virus
Oxalic acid
Moonlight mating
Facebook is dying. Poster contest, and other ideas.
Permission to purchase more handouts for events (pamphlets, honey sticks, etc.)?
Presentation: Honey Extraction
Discussion: Winter
Future Business
November 19—Master Gardeners’ Garden Festival and Plant Sale.
November 22—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meeting.
November 24—Happy Thanksgiving :)
November 26—Our next scheduled Field Day.
December 15—Our Christmas party!
December 17—The following regularly scheduled field day.
Keep an eye on Facebook for extracurricular field days.
Meeting finish: 9:15pm
October 20th, 2022
Bee Meeting Minutes
10 attendees
Meeting start: 7:03pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: We know those girls are intact, but we haven’t been through them since before the hurricane. Fortunately, they were doing pretty well when we went on an unintentional hiatus. I’m not sure what to expect, as far as fall honey, this year.
Present Business
Our next field day is delayed until further notice, due to the Smoak Annual Trail Race and Family Fun Day, this Saturday. We will have a booth there, as well at the Master Gardener Plant Sale on November 19th. If you have any honey or bee-derived goods that you might like to sell, it’s a great time to do so. Let us know if you’re interested.
Presentation: Bee Nutrition
Hive alive plastic bag application
Mite treatment for fall
Formic pro seems best for treatment
Discussion: How are everybody’s bees?
Fall honey tasting.
Future Business
October 22—Smoak Annual Trail Race and Family Fun Day.
October 25—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
November 4-5—FSBA Annual Meeting.
November 6—Bees Beyond Borders is offering a Zoom lecture.
November 17—Our next meeting, and board member elections!
November 19—Master Gardeners’ Garden Festival and Plant Sale.
November 22—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
November 26—Our next scheduled Field Day.
Keep an eye on Facebook for extracurricular field days.
Meeting finish: 8:13pm
September 15th, 2022
Bee Meeting Minutes
9 attendees
Meeting start: 6:58 pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: It’s been about fifty days since we applied oxalic acid treatments, and since then, we’ve pretty much left the girls alone. It’s time to remove the treatments and test efficacy, as well as brood patterns. With the Brazilian pepper flow nearly upon us, we need to keep an eye out for swarming behaviors.
Present Business
We only had a handful of signups for the Introduction to Beekeeping class, and so we had to cancel it. Obviously, we’re still eager to share beekeeping with the community, so any input or suggestions would be helpful.
Suggestions:
Changing the timing of the beginner course to spring. Having two separate tracks for beginners and one for more experienced bee keepers.
Handing out flyers at the fair. Having a basket at the plant sale.
Presentation: A Primer on Primer Pheromones
Discussion: How are everybody’s bees?
Future Business
September 17—Our next field day. We meet in the extension office parking lot at 9am.
September 27—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
September 30 through October 1—South Florida Bee Expo.
October 1—Bees Beyond Borders is offering a free Zoom lecture.
October 20—Our next meeting.
Keep an eye on Facebook for extracurricular field days.
Meeting finish: 7:58
July 21st, 2022
Bee Meeting Minutes
19 attendees
Meeting start: 7:03 pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: We had to rush through the apiary last time, and we’re behind on mite counts. We’ve got a dearth approaching, and that can be a good opportunity to treat—we'll likely use oxalic acid.
It is hurricane season. Consider securing hives and stocking up on sugar, just in case.
Bears have been very active in our area. Harvest honey where possible, and take preventative measures. Beetles have also been a problem.
Present Business
Motion to delay board member elections/dues collection until winter, when the snowbirds are down? Yay
Presentation: African Bees
Any questions? what is European, African, Africanized?
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
July 23—Our next field day.
July 26—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
July 31—Bees Beyond Borders is offering a free Zoom lecture on drone fertility issues from Dr. Garett Slater.
August 13—Vegetable gardening class.
August 18—Our next meeting.
September 10—Beginner Beekeeping Class!
Keep an eye on Facebook for extracurricular field days.
Meeting end: 8:46 pm
June 16th, 2022
14 attendees
Meeting start: 7:02pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: Everybody should be busy bringing in nectar. We harvested our first bit of honey, last month. The top bar hive needs their comb corrected, but I’m dreading it. Lady Diana was starving. It’s been an interesting year, so far.
It is hurricane season. Consider securing hives and stocking up on sugar, just in case.
Present Business
We are looking for more presenters. If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them.
Presentation: Propolis (www.beekept.org/propolis)
Any questions? How are everybody’s bees?
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
June 18—Our next field day. 9am
June 20-26– Happy Pollinator Week! Consider celebrating by planting some forage.
June 28—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
July 1—Bees Beyond Borders offers a zoom presentation by various “rockstars” of the beekeeping industry, for a very low price, on the first of every month.
July 9—Composting and Vermiculture class.
July 21—Dr. Ellis will be giving a presentation about Africanization at our monthly meeting.
Keep an eye on Facebook for extracurricular field days.
Meeting end: 7:43pm
May 19th, 2022
Board Member Meeting Topics:
Finding more presenters
Beginner Beekeeping Class in August
Master Gardener Plant Sale in November
12 attendees
Meeting start: 7:04pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: We experienced some hijinks while attempting to slay the queen in the Club Hive, so we ended up giving them an oxalic acid treatment and leaving them be, but I’d love to get a mite count and see if it’s made a difference. Our youngest queens are mated and laying, and we need to peek in to see if they need more room (they probably do). The pattern in Sonja’s hive turned ugly, so they need some special attention. The nameless cutout colony is queenless, so David is bringing a nuc for us to marry in there. I’m curious about the progress of the other cutout colony, in the Master Gardener hive.
We have shirts! If you buy a shirt, you get a free pin for your bee suit. The funds provided by our members go towards materials and resources for training and teaching, and we appreciate that.
Present Business
The palmetto is in bloom, and the lovebugs are swarming, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting the nectar flow much.
Hurricane season is coming. Consider securing hives and stocking up on sugar, just in case.
Presentation: Beekeeping During Peak Season (beekept.org/beekeeping-during-peak-season)
Any questions? How are everybody’s bees?
Newbee introductions!
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
May 20—Happy World Bee Day!
May 21– Early field day! 8am. We’ll be done in time to attend to the Edible Landscaping class at 10am.
May 24—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
June 1st—Bees Beyond Borders offers a zoom presentation by various “rockstars” of the beekeeping industry, for a very low price, on the first of every month. This time, Dr. Maria Spivek will discuss propolis.
June 16—Next HBA Meeting
Keep an eye on Facebook for extracurricular field days.
Dr. Ellis will be presenting about Africanization at our July meeting.
Meeting end: 8:04pm
April 21st, 2022
16 attendees
Meeting start: 7:04pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: Our apiary is busy! We have bees in the top bar, finally, and a swarm in the trap (that we’re raffling off tonight). The Club Hive and the Master Gardener hive still aren’t doing well. We’re seeing high mite counts after babying them all winter, so we’re going to requeen them at our next field day. I’m also bringing along a swarm colony I’m donating to the Master Gardeners, and we probably have honey to harvest, so we’re in for some work.
Present Business
We have shirts! In an effort to be transparent: we paid $13.38 each, and are charging $20 each (or 2 for $35). If you buy a shirt, you get a free pin for your bee suit. The funds provided by our members go towards materials and resources for training and teaching, and we appreciate that.
We will give a shirt to the first person that can correctly identify the purpose of an antique piece of beekeeping equipment we found.
Updated club goal: Rather than a banner, a poster that includes QR code links to our website and Facebook could be hung in the ag center, and also displayed at events. Any suggestions for composition/inspiration?
Swarm raffle! $20 gets you a chance to bring home a mystery colony TONIGHT! We do expect the box and strap to be returned, once the contents have been removed.
Presentation: Bee relocation (beekept.org/bee-relocation)
Any questions? How are everybody’s bees?
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
Now through April 30—Pollinator Photo Contest
Now through July 4—Indulge in curated food and drink items while learning how honey bees contribute to the global food supply, as well as how to support them in the backyard, at the Honey Bee-stro at Epcot Food and Wine Festival.
April 23– A very busy Field Day! We start at 9am.
April 26—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
May 1—Bees Beyond Borders offers a zoom presentation by various “rockstars” of the beekeeping industry, for a very low price, on the first of every month. This time, Dr. Jim Tew will discuss pollen.
May 19—Next HBA Meeting
Meeting end: 8:15pm
March 17th, 2022
9 attendees
Meeting start: 7:05pm
Past Business
Club apiary update: The Club Hive and the Master Gardener hives weren’t doing great, and were overrun by mites. We treated with Formic Pro, so hopefully that helps. The rest of the colonies are looking good, and are busy at work. We need to monitor for queen cells.
Present Business
We are ordering shirts, finally. To minimize unwanted sizes, we’ll be taking a quick survey of the sizes we need.
New club goal: a banner, for events.
It’s swarm season!
Now is a good time to wrap up any mite treatments. Nectar comes with the rains, so colonies should be storing honey at a pretty steady pace soon.
Presentation: Swarm management and splits (www.beekept.org/all-about-swarms)
Any questions? How are everybody’s bees?
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
Now through April 30th—Pollinator Photo Contest
March 19th – Field Day at David’s (4924 Oak Circle in Sebring). We did mite counts and treated with Formic Pro, so now we’re going to test efficacy.
March 21st—We will be going through the hives here, at the teaching apiary, at 11am.
March 22nd—The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
April 1st—Bees Beyond Borders offers a zoom presentation by various “rockstars” of the beekeeping industry, for a very low price, on the first of every month. Dr. David Peck will be discussing varroa transmission between colonies at 7pm.
April 7th—Florida Friendly Talk and Tour at Robbins Nursery, 10am-noon.
April 21st—Next HBA Meeting
Our next regularly scheduled field day is Saturday, April 23rd, at 9am.
Meeting end: 8:15pm
February 17th, 2022
9 attendees
Meeting start: 7:03pm
Past Business
Thank you to everybody that helped out with the county fair! We generated a lot of interest, and had a decent number of email signups despite poor attendance. The observation hive was a huge hit, and we can cross that off our list of club goals for this year. Next year, though, we should probably be included in the IFAS program tent, rather than the vendor rows?
Club apiary update: We’ve expanded about half the colonies, and the rest aren’t doing well. We’re due for mite counts and treatments.
Present Business
If your supers aren’t ready, your bees will probably swarm next month. Make sure those girls have plenty of room.
Now is a good time to begin practicing drone brood removal in all but your best hives, to reduce varroa populations.
Presentation: Tropical Beekeeping (https://www.beekept.org/tropical-beekeeping)
Questions
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
February 19th - Promoting Pollinators class
The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm every fourth Tuesday of the month.
February 26th - South Broward Bee School
Bees Beyond Borders offers a zoom presentation by various “rockstars” of the beekeeping industry, for a very low price, on the first of every month. Mike Palmer will be discussing brood factories at 7pm on Tuesday, March 1st.
March 17th - Next HBA Meeting
Our next regularly scheduled field day is Saturday, March 19th, at 9am. We will be visiting David’s apiary at 4924 Oak Circle in Sebring, to check the efficacy of his Formic Pro treatments with mite counts.
Meeting end: 8:10pm
January 20th, 2022
15 attendees
Meeting Start: 7:00pm
Past Business
Thanks to everybody that completed our survey. If you haven’t and you would like to, you can follow the link sent out with the newsletter. We’ll have some fun summary graphs and results for you soon.
Club apiary update: So far, winter has been pretty mild and most of the girls are benefitting from that. About half the hives have begun building up for spring; there are drones present, and they are actively storing nectar. Pest levels are high in a couple colonies, but only one is performing poorly.
Present Business
DC Padgett presents South Broward Bee School.
New year, new goals! This year, we have some things we’d like to accomplish:
T-shirts (in progress)
Local pollen calendar
Club observation hive
In-house queen rearing
Removal classes
It’s spring! Citrus is in bloom, and that means there’s work to be done in the apiary. Set up swarm traps and prep the supers.
Presentation: the latest research on Varroa control
Questions.
Future Business
Lots of events coming up! We have added an “Events” section to the newsletter, and more information can be found on the “Calendar” page on our website (www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/calendar). If you have any pollinator-relevant events you’d like to share, let us know.
Our next field day is this Saturday, January 22nd, at 9am. We will be rehoming the Master Gardener bees into some donated foam boxes, replacing some rotting equipment in other hives, salting beneath the hives to prevent pests, and giving some of our girls room to expand.
The Master Gardener initiation is also this Saturday, January 22nd, at 9am.
The Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meets in the same room as us, at 2pm on January 25th. Every fourth Tuesday of the month.
Bees Beyond Borders offers a zoom presentation by various “rockstars” of the beekeeping industry, for a very low price, on the first of every month. Dr. Tom Seeley will be discussing the dance language of honey bees at 7pm on Tuesday, February 1st.
We will have a booth at the Highlands County Fair (February 4th-12th), and we always welcome volunteers! You don’t need to be an expert to share a love for honey bees with others.
February 12th - The Field Day after next
February 17th - Next HBA Meeting
February 19th - Promoting Pollinators class
February 22nd – Central Florida Butterfly and Pollinator Club meeting
February 26th - South Broward Bee School
Meeting end: 8:43pm
December 16th, 2021
9 attendees
Meeting Start: 7:08pm
Past Business
Thanks to everybody that participated in the Master Gardener Plant Sale!
Present Business
Ate, drank, and made merry.
Played trivia, which can be found here (with sources): www.heartlandbeekeepers.com/december-2021-trivia-night
Passed out the year end survey.
Future Business
Our December Field Day is cancelled due to board member illness.
Our next meeting is Thursday, January 20th. Our next field day is the following Saturday, at 9am.
Happy holidays!
November 18th, 2021
8 attendees
Meeting Start: 7:10pm
Past Business
It’s a great time to do mite counts. Varroa can overrun a colony as the population naturally declines, going into winter. Should you choose to treat, remember to read the labels to maximize efficacy, and rotate chemicals to keep tolerance low.
Start planning your apiary activities for spring. Remember that the first flow starts in mid-February.
The top bar hive was overrun by ants, and absconded. The Master Gardener still has high mite counts.
Present Business
Now is the time to minimize in-hive work. Frequent heft checks should provide an idea of the resources within colonies. Monitor colony health, and note your best performers.
Fungal pathogens presentation—summary available at www.beekept.org/fungal-pathogens
We will have a booth at the Master Gardener plant sale (Saturday, November 20th, from 9am to 3pm). Volunteers will be permitted to sell their products at the booth, so let us know if you’re interested. We are filling 2-hour blocks.
Future Business
Our next field day is 11am on Monday, November 22nd. We’ll be checking to see if our new queen is mated, and treating the Master Gardener hive with Apivar.
Do we want to have a Christmas potluck, with prize raffles and fun?
It’s almost time for our annual survey! This is a tool we use to better serve you. Individual data will not be made public. Privacy is important to us.
Decided on potluck for December meeting.
Questions
Meeting end: 8:35pm
October 21st, 2021
15 attendees
Meeting start: 7:05pm
Past Business
The club hives are doing well, but the master gardener hive had a high mite count (10.6 mites per 100 bees) so we treated everybody with Hopguard because it handles heat well and is suitable for use during honey flows. On Saturday (10/23), we will remove what remains of those treatments and do more mite counts.
We are in the process of ordering more shirts. Our goal is to raise money to buy quality queens with varying genetics. In the spring, we can utilize them to teach queen rearing and provide club members with low-cost queen cells.
Present Business
The Brazilian pepper flow is waning.
Goldenrod came in particularly strong this year.
Time to harvest honey! Bee escapes are an interesting option. Remember to leave enough that you won’t need to supplement feed over the dry season (hopefully).
Once the fall honey flow is complete, it’s a great time to do mite counts. Fall is a tough time for bees, in regards to pests. Varroa can overrun a colony as the population naturally declines, going into winter. Should you choose to treat, remember to read the labels to maximize efficacy, and rotate chemicals to keep tolerance low.
Now is also a great time to start planning your apiary activities for spring.
Experiment time: are solid bottom boards better than screened bottoms?
We want to distribute individual pest treatments, but the challenge is cleanly repackaging them. We’re open to ideas.
Future Business
We will have a booth at the Master Gardener plant sale (Saturday, November 20th, from 9am to 3pm). Volunteers will be permitted to sell their products at the booth, so let us know if you’re interested.
Our next field day is Saturday, October 23rd, at 9am. We’re removing treatments, checking honey stores, and performing mite counts.
We will have a field day at David’s (4924 Oak Circle, in Sebring, behind Robbins Nursery) on Tuesday, November 2nd, at 9am, performing more mite counts and treatments.
Meeting end: 8:04pm
September 16th, 2021
Past Business
Thanks and welcome to all the newbees that attended our Beginner Beekeeping class last week.
Present Business
The Brazilian pepper flow is on. Prep supers, swarm traps, and possibly not use any of it if the love bugs are bad.
Do we have approval to buy mite treatments to distribute individually? We’ll sell them at the meetings. Any ideas for the details of distribution (plastic bags, gloves, etc.)? Which mite treatments do we want:
Apivar
Mite Away
Hopguard
Club shirt design decisions.
Swarm Presentation
Future Business
We will have a booth at the Master Gardener plant sale (Saturday, November 20th, from 9am to 3pm). Volunteers will be permitted to sell their products at the booth, so let us know if you’re interested.
Our next field day is Saturday, September 18th, at 9am. This month, we’re introducing a new hive and checking to see how much room the established hives have. We have some spare veils, but a suit is preferable, this time of year. Sting waivers can be filled out now or on site.
August 19th, 2021
16 attendees.
Annual elections.
Introduced candidates for HBA board, and voted. Congratulations to:
Secretary – Phylisha Melrose
Treasurer – David Austin
Vice President – Sonja Tyus
President – Amanda Johnson
Raffled off a solar bee lantern.
Our next field day is Saturday, August 21st, at 9am.
July 15th, 2021
Thanked everybody that attended our Mead Between the Wines party—it was a great time!
Following treatment with Hopguard, our mite percentages in the club hives are as follows:
Master Gardener Hive - 1.33% (4 mites/300 bees)
Palm Removal Hive - 0.67% (2 mites/300 bees)
Green and White Hive - 0% (0 mites/300 bees)
We’re planning on extracting honey next week, and will invite members to join us if they’d like to see the process.
We discussed club elections next month, including a special mystery gift we’ll be raffling off to attendees.
We are planning a beginner beekeeping class in September. We voted to have an educational booth at the Master Gardener plant sale in November, and hopefully, we can also offer to brief class sometime during the day.
Amanda gave a presentation on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). A summary can be found here.
June 17th, 2021
Discussed the results of our last field day, during which we performed mite counts on the club hives. Mite loads were:
Master Gardener Hive - 3% (9 mites/300 bees)
Palm Removal Hive - 0% (0 mites/300 bees)
Green and White Hive - 0.33% (1 mite/300 bees)
The decision was made to treat the entire apiary with Hopguard, and perform another mite count afterwards.
Amanda gave a presentation on general beekeeping equipment.
May 20th, 2021
We resumed in-person meetings at the agricultural center this month!
We welcomed our new members and discussed dues. We voted on a consistent field day: the second Saturday of each month.
We hosted a presentation from Bo Sterk, president of Bees Beyond Borders. He told us about his goals around teaching beekeeping throughout the Caribbean.
Jamie and Amanda announced a Pollinator Week party: Mead Between the Wines.
Our next field day will be Saturday, May 29th, at 9am. We’ll be checking for queen cells and adding supers to the club hives.
In June, we will begin our regularly scheduled field days on Saturday, the 12th, at 9am. Our June field day will consist of mite counts.
April 15th, 2021
We discussed the Bee Informed Partnership management survey, which is open until the end of April. The Florida State Fair is hosting a honey show this month; the fair was announced only recently, and competition is probably low.
The best management practices brought up in our last meeting were actually made available on the FDACS website via error.
We planned on some special events to celebrate Pollinator Week in June.
Our next field day will be Saturday, April 24th, at 11am. We are proud to finally have a club apiary at the agricultural center!
March 18th, 2021
We discussed Florida beekeeping laws, particularly around queen rearing.
We also hosted a presentation from 2021 American Honey Queen Jennifer Hinkel about the American Beekeeping Federation, and the honey queen program.
Our field day will be Saturday, March 20th, at 11am. We’ll be cleaning up a neglected hive in a personal apiary.
February 18th, 2021
We discussed swarm management, IPM, and the results of our annual survey.
We planned the details of our first club field day; we’ll be doing mite counts on David’s hives on Saturday, February 27th, at 9am.
January 21st, 2021
Dr. Jamie Ellis from the UF Bee Lab gave a digital presentation on small hive beetles.
Unfortunately, due to technical errors, we are unable to make a recording available.
December 17th, 2020
We ate, drank, and made merry…via Zoom! Merry Christmas!
November 19th, 2020
Our first simultaneous online and in-person meeting!
Honey Bee Trivia Night. Questions, answers, and sources can be found here.
We will be sending out a digital survey via email. As always, the goal is to learn how to better serve our members. Participants will be entered into a raffle for a prize.
October 15th, 2020
Congratulations to our new board members:
President Amanda Johnson
Vice President Joseph Brown
Treasurer Sonja Tyus
Secretary Jamie Tremps
Our first Field Day will be at a co-op yard in Lake Placid maintained by George, Jamie, and Amanda. Interested members are also invited to join Liz in splitting her flow hives.
September 17th, 2020
Virtual Presentation via Zoom: Grants, Funding, and Reimbursement for Backyard and Sideline Beekeepers in Florida. Transcript and video available here.
Next month:
We resume in-person meetings at the agricultural center.
Board member elections! We are expanding the board to include more positions. If you’re interested in being on the ballot, please contact us prior to our October meeting.
We’ll release the first edition of our digital newsletter! If you’d like to share any bee-related photographs, we’ll be happy to include some (with credit). We’re also taking any member questions to include in a Q&A segment. Email us at heartlandbeekeepers@gmail.com.
July & August, 2020
Our meetings have once again been suspended due to a significant rise in infection rates and hospitalizations in the community.
We are working to transition towards making our meetings more accessible via the internet.
Beekeeping varies wildly, regionally, and that’s why it is so important that we remain connected and communicative when we’re unable to meet as we traditionally have.
June 18th, 2020
Meeting Called to Order at 7:00 p.m. by Amanda Johnson, V.P. She stated that George, our president, is out of town.
Old Business:
◦ Logo—showed 3 options that she has been working on. After discussing the 3 we voted by show of hands with # 2 taking majority vote. She will put this out on the club’s website for those who could not attend this evening to view and vote.
(To view logos, please click here.)
◦ Survey Results from February 2020 meeting
▪ Concerns: Varroa, diseases, and cost of treatments
New Business:
◦ Tips/Reminders: Palmetto flow coming to a close. Prepare for Hurricane Season—you may want to stock up on some sugar to feed with after the storm as there usually is no nectar available once the storm passes. Approximately 50 million bees (approximately 1,100 hives) died out in Croatia. Possibly from pesticides but not totally sure.
▪ Mentor-ship Program: if you are interested in mentoring somebody who thinks they are interested in becoming a backyard bee keeper, please get with Amanda. She and others feel somebody may not want to take that final step in purchasing a hive until they have the opportunity to actually go into a hive, suited up of course. Dave reminded us that he volunteered to take anybody into the Master Gardeners hives at the Ag Center but he said they have become a little mean, thinks he needs to re-queen them.
Pyramid of IPM Tactics
(to view an illustration, click here)
▪ Amanda did a short PowerPoint and discussion. IPM is more labor intensive for the backyard bee keeper but less stressful for the bees which should be our goal.
▪ Treatments: Discussed having the club by the treatment and re-sale to the members just the amount they need to treat their hive(s). This will help reduce the amount you spend in purchasing the treatments because of the large amount you have to buy compared to the small amount you really need.
• Discussed hard and soft chemical treatments
• Always recommends doing a mite count before just treating. This can be done via a wash count or a powder sugar count. At minimum you should do a mite count 2 times per year—fall and spring. Ideally you should do one 4 times per year.
• Powder Sugar: be prepared to change out the sugar frequently due to the clumping from the humidity levels. After they complete an inspection, some beekeepers sprinkle the remaining powder sugar over the bees which causes them to groom a little more in theory anyway.
• Wash Count: you can use alcohol which may be hard to find currently due to the situation we are currently in. She did say you can use windshield washer fluid—best to use the winter blend—easier to see. Either method you will need a container such as a pint mason jar with some hardware cloth and the lid.
• You want to test 300 bees which is approximately a 1⁄2 cup of bees. The threshold is 3% (3 mites/100 bees)--any finding above 3% you treat, below 3% you do not treat. This would mean if you find 9 mites or more you treat. Dave stated Dr Ellis used to say to treat if you find 5-7 mites. You don’t have to test all your hives but at least your weakest hive and maybe another 1 or 2 depending on how many you have.
• Amanda volunteered to assist any of us in doing a mite count provided she can report the findings to Bee Informed Partnership, she will not give location, name, etc, just the findings of the mite count.
• She showed a chart of the various treatments available which she got from Mann Lake’s website, lists the various treatment options with situations you can use them in, i.e. hot weather, cooler weather, etc.
(To view this chart, click here.)
• Reminded us not to use the same treatment each time, change them up so your mites do not become resistant to the treatment.
▪ Small Cell Bee Keeping: Feral Bees build a smaller cell than what is on a frame that is foundationless. Theory is that the smaller the cell, the quicker the bee hatches, the less time the varroa mite has to mature.
▪ Hives that are having various problems such as mean bees, poor pattern, high number of small hive beetles. etc is a good indication to re-queen your hive.
▪ Field Day—working on planning a field day, should have more information at our next meeting. We possibly could assist Dave in re-queening the Master Gardeners hives, he said we have to find the queens and that may be a challenge in one of the hives.
▪ Dr Ellis—Confirmed him as a speaker at our January 2021 meeting.
▪ Next meeting--July 16th at 7:00 p.m. Plan on discussing Grants, Funding and Reimbursements. If you have any particular question on any of these please send them to Amanda and she will try to research before the meeting. Also plans on having varroa treatments available at our next meeting for members to purchase.
Contact Amanda by filling out the form on our website (found here) or by sending an email to heartlandbeekeepers@gmail.com.
March, April, & May, 2020
Our meetings were suspended until further notice in accordance with social distancing guidelines regarding COVID-19.
In the meantime:
Swarm Management: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in970
Honey Bees and Pesticides Research Update: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/entnemdept/2020/05/15/research-update-honey-bees-and-pesticides/
"Ultra Rare" Blue Bee Found in Lake Wales Ridge: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-calamintha-bee-rare-blue-metallic-bee-spotted-in-florida/
UF Beekeeping Podcast: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/honey-bee/podcast/
Bee Waggle Dance Game: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/bee-dance-game/introduction.html
Asian Giant Hornet Information: https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets?fbclid=IwAR3VkKvjWLcVn1PZqxKvOFG-wUZZqlY2NQxnJT-x6y1p2it8hvtzeVugd6Y
Beekeeper Resources from the Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/hivehealthbmps/
February 20th, 2020
24 attendees.
Amanda welcomed everybody to the meeting. Announced that in George’s absence she will be leading the meeting.
Amanda thanked all those who worked the Highlands County Fair booth.
Suggestions for next year:
Have our booth located with other IFAS Groups in the barns, start planning in Sept/Oct 2020 for the 2021 Fair, have an observation hive.
We should be seeing activity in our hives as orange blossom season is here.
Financial Update: we currently have $1,582.05 in our checking account.
Speaker: Amanda discussing/reviewing Heartland Beekeeper’s Website
Resource Section of the webpage:
Two Bees in a Podcast—This is a podcast you can submit questions which will be answered/discussed by staff from UF. Very informative and can be viewed/used from anywhere.
UF Published Documents—in the google search type “EDIS” plus the subject you are interested in and the results should be from academic sources.
Bottle Labeling—the required information that should be on a label can be found here.
Bee Informed Partnership—
Goal: to reduce hive mortality in bees.
Survey/Research results and other data can be found here.
You can submit your own data from your apiary to the above partnership.
Survey which was distributed by Amanda to gain knowledge as to what the members are wanting to have at future meetings. Below are some items/areas members voiced in addition to the written survey:
Interest in having a 2nd meeting a month. It was suggested that the 2nd one each month be a hands on session.
Have extra gear available for newbies to use at the hands on meeting if we are able to do this.
A way to inform other members of items for sell, such as items they made or tools/supplies they no longer need, etc.
The club purchase treatment supplies and allow the members to purchase just the amount they need from the club
Misc. Discussion:
Reimbursement Program—question was asked if anybody knew of a reimbursement program that kicks in if you loose more than 20% of your hives? Amanda will research this more.
Plastic or Wood Frames-which is recommended? No plastic—Go with Wood.
Nucs—Josh which is who Larry always got his nucs from won’t be selling them any longer, his business is changing direction into pollination.
Larry is going to take over with the help of some other beekeepers.
Hive Beetles—how to prevent/take care of these pests? Beetle Blaster.
January 16th, 2020
21 attendees.
Welcome/Old Business by George.
Glad to have all new members and visitors.
Bee Calendar—some are feeding 1:1 mixture (water/sugar). Some are adding wintergreen 11 drops/qrt as some studies/surveys are showing this helps with varroa mite.
George asked members to let him know what they are needing as far as information from the club.
New Business:
Highlands County Fair—An email will go out with the location to sign up to work shifts. It will be on Doodle poll. This is a week-long event. You can bring you honey related items to sell during your shift. Honey comb was a hot item last year.
Club T-Shirts—we are re-designing the shirt. Looking at a larger logo on the back with a small one on the front. Also looking for non-neon color options.
Classes—Keep in mind Bee College is the week of March 6, 2020, tickets sell real quick.
Discussed the following:
What’s blooming
3 types of honey boxes
Walk Away Splits
Bee Tang (discussed by Thad)
Pro- & Pre-biotics (discussed by George)
Swarms—to keep a swarm add a frame of brood. Remember by law you are to replace your queen on swarms and trap-outs
Nuc Prices are anywhere from $130 - $250
Box of Bees are like $200 for 2 pounds, no frames
The demand for bees are increasing
2 or 3 Queen Hives (discussed by George)
Keep at least 12 – 14 inches between hives
Pros & Cons of broadcast feeder (broadcast feeder is like a community feeder)
December 19th, 2019
We ate, drank, and made merry. Happy Christmas!
November 21st, 2019
19 attendees.
Thanked everybody that assisted with the Master Gardener Plant Show and Sale. Pollinator Club meeting at Larry’s (187 Hillside Drive, Lake Placid) at 9 am on Saturday. Heartland Beekeeper’s December 19th Meeting--will be our Christmas party. There will be a potluck, door prizes and we’ll be raffling off a nuc hive.
Guest Speaker—Gabriela Hassil, beekeeper from Palm Beach County
She spoke on better beekeeping and breeding the best locally adapted bee. Her email is BusyBeeFarm@gmail.com and phone number is 786-247-4770.
Try to use no chemicals—treatment free or chemical free. There are natural ways to treat. Ants—keep hives in sunlight, keep out of sandy area, place beehive stand legs in pot of water. Bees love Blue Blossom, Mint herbs, and Star Fruit blooms which bloom March/April through late fall, about 8 months. Put insert above screen bottom board once temperature drops. Florida usually doesn’t have a pollen shortage but some areas do have a nectar shortage.
Recommended resources, both are treatment free:
Sam Comfort—Anarky Apiaries--(South)
Solomon Parker--(North)
Rusty Burlew—honeybeesuite.com—good question & answer.
Ash brought Bee Tang samples and advised they do have nutrients for the bees. Thad stated he has been testing the Bee Tang for the past month and is seeing results.
Swarms—Swarm Commander is a spray to attract bee swarms. Swarms typically happen in the Spring and Fall (nectar flow).
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent but the one most responsive to change.” -Charles Darwin
Closing Comments by Amanda:
Thanked Gabriela for coming. Reminded everybody about Saturdays at Larry’s, 9:00 a.m. Our next meeting will be December 19, 2019 at 7:00 p.m., potluck for our Christmas Party.
October 27th, 2019
15 attendees.
Update on meetings at Larry Smith’s house in conjunction with the Butterfly Group. Going good, all are invited to attend, and seems we have lots of good cooks with the good food being brought.
Florida State Beekeepers Assoc Meeting Notes were discussed.
Treasurer’s Report—Had $895.40 deposited $600.00 giving us a total of $1,495.40 in the bank an $40.00 in petty cash. Reminded all members that if you have not paid your annual dues of $10.00 they are due.
George Dzyndra discussed starting a Production Queen Project with receiving 1st queens in March 2020. These queens will be varroa mite resistant so we will be able to do our own research.
Guest Speaker—Julie McClurg, Master Gardener and former Apiary Inspector for Highlands County.
She is currently raising queens and NUCs.
Discussed items that are beneficial for bees/pollination.
History of Bee Keeping in Florida
Various organizations to use to gain knowledge on bees and related items. Pollinator.org has webinars with lots of useful information. Backyard beekeepers can collect data and submit to help these organization/agencies. A lot of these links can be found on Heartland Beekeepers website.
It was asked if anybody had heard any information about a professor at Trine University in Indiana. They are adding 1-2 drops of lithium chloride to the sugar water to assist in treatment of varroa mites. During the discussion a member looked it up and yes, it can be found on the internet. They have been working on this for about 5 years and seems to wipe out varroa mites. This can also be found on UF’s website. Remember this is just a research project they are working on.
Closing Comments by George:
Reminded all of the Flower Show being held on November 16, 2019 at the Ag Center. Our club will have a table and we would like volunteers.
September 20th, 2019
21 attendees.
Reminded all members membership dues are due. If you have paid let Sonja (Treasurer) or Amanda (Vice President) know. If you attended the class and paid the $30.00 class fee your dues were included in that.
It was announced the there would be a Bee Class similar to ours in Hillsborough County on Saturday, September 28th.
George talked about going to the University of Arkansas and they encourage us to keep on keeping bees.
George and Larry discussed holding a workshop on Saturdays at Larry Smith’s house as he has most of what we will need. It will be a fun day—we will incorporate the Beekeepers Association with the Butterfly Association. This will give the 2 groups a chance to learn more about butterflies and bees as they have a lot in common. Planning & clean-up will be on Saturday, September 21st & 28th at Larry Smith’s house.
New Business/Guest Speaker:
David Austin introduced Dr. Ellis from University of Florida Bee Lab. Dr. Ellis’ presentation was on two ways bees reproduce: make more bees and make more colonies (swarming).
His article Mating Biology of the Honey Bee can be found HERE.
Dr. Ellis can be followed on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at UFHoneybeelab, and will do a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) online a week from Monday.
Dr. Ellis took a few questions:
What about the Brazilian Pepper Plant insect being released? Is it going to harm/affect other plants?
From what he has been told it is not intended to eradicate the plant just keep it from taking over. Again, from what he has been told no, it should not affect/harm other plants.
Bee College will by in March & August of 2020. They are normally held when the college is out for say Spring Break and just before they start back.
Closing Comments by George:
Brazilian Pepper Plant flow is about a week out.
Florida state Beekeepers Association Meeting will be in Orlando next month. Ellis joined in and discussed the Master Beekeeping Courses--Apprenticeship level is totally online.
August 15th, 2019
14 attendees.
Old business: National Honeybee Day is August 17th.
New business: Larry is excited to promote the opening of a new winery, Secret Gardens (www.secretgardenswinery.com).
We are four or five weeks from the Brazilian pepper flow. Now is a good time to strengthen your weaker colonies by feeding, medicating, and supplementing brood from strong hives.
Board member election results are in! Congratulations to:
President George Dzyndra
Vice President Amanda Johnson
Treasurer Sonja Tyus
Secretary Lorie Jackson
Wax Presentation by Ann Brown of JAB Apiaries:
Wax must be very well-filtered for use in soaps, muscle creams, lotions, lip balms, and other beauty products. Recipes for wax products must be followed precisely; misuse of concentrated additives, like essential oils, can result in injury to yourself or your customers. Candle and soap molds are expensive, but are more appealing and less wasteful than alternatives.
July 18th, 2019
21 attendees.
Old business: Hives should be fed if light. Rain has been washing nectar from forage sites.
New business: Treasurer report given by Amanda Johnson.
The solstice has been reached, so brood production is slowing down.
For maximum success with walkaway splits, plenty of brood and nurse bees must be provided.
Hive beetles can smell a weak hive, and they dislike hot hives kept in full sun.
Ants can be a real problem, especially near oak trees. Keep an eye out for wingless bees, as this is a strategy ants utilize when attacking a beehive.
Nosema, crinkled wings, removal of late-stage pupa, hive beetles, and wax moths are signs of varroa infestation. If mite counts exceed 3 per 100 bees (sampled in a sugar shake or alcohol wash), treatment is strongly recommended to prevent loss and infestation of other hives.
June 20th, 2019
28 attendees.
Old business: George's Slovenian hive house is complete! He welcomes visitors to see his unique setup.
New business: Bears have been active in our area. Two members have had bears raid their hives.
Our summers don't offer much forage, and bees can starve. Consider offering 1:1 sugar water and/or pollen patties.
UF recommends integrated pest management to best assure the survival and success of European honey bee hives in Florida.
The foundation of integrated pest management of varroa is physically preventing reproduction by using resistant stock (like the Mite Maulers), providing small-cell comb, using a screened bottom board, trapping mites, and incorporating brood breaks. Many beekeepers are trying alternatives to chemical treatments, with some success. Some natural treatments (like essential oils, supplements, and heat) have been effective against varroa mites; research is ongoing. If mite populations cannot be controlled with the techniques listed, chemicals should be considered.
Ultimately, failure to perform regular mite counts and treatments, chemical or otherwise, is highly likely to result in significant losses.
May 16th, 2019
29 attendees.
Old business: Larry still has bees available for sale.
New business: Lovebugs have negatively affected the palmetto flow.
Swarming makes hives less productive. Some club members are trying out double-queen hives; a constant queen pheromone reduces the likelihood of swarming.
It is important to monitor varroa this time of year. Hive inspections reduce productivity for several days. It is beneficial to treat when brood is low. Pollen patties can supplement brood production.
Slovenian hive presentation by George. He is building a bee house to suit the hives, and welcomes attendees that would like to see.
Lorraine Profeta (lp@lorraineprofeta.us) needs help tending her bees in Lorida.
April 18th, 2019
21 attendees.
Old business: Saw palmetto is in bloom.
New business: Motion for Amanda Johnson to temporarily assume treasurer duties during Dawn Havery's absence passed.
Attendees are reporting good returns on the orange blossom flow. Many people are catching swarms.
It is wise to be vigilant for signs that your bees might swarm. Bearding on cool evenings may mean the hive is low on room. Queens get smaller a week before swarming. Bees work up, so flipping your “pantry” super and brood box might help. Now is a good time to perform splits.
Moving drone comb away from the center of the hive might discourage the queen from laying in it.
Sealing the hole in the inner lid of the hive can reduce some of the space where hive beetles thrive. They can also be caught with dryer sheets.
Bull ants can kill a hive. Resting the feet of your hive stand in cans of oil will keep a variety of ants at bay, as will sprinkling diatomaceous earth on the ground below your hive. Cinnamon can be effective, also.
Look out for toads. At night, they'll camp near the hive entrance, snacking on bees.
Fume board presentation by John McDaniels:
Fume boards can be purchased from any major beekeeping supply company (https://www.mannlakeltd.com/10-frame-solar-fume-board), along with butyric acid or a similar alternative (https://www.mannlakeltd.com/quart-95-l-honey-robber-reg). After removing the hive cover and inner lid, the fume board should be placed (askew, to allow airflow) on the topmost super. It won't take more than a minute or two for the bees to evacuate deeper into the hive to escape the smell. The super can be removed and covered, and the process repeated with the next super, making honey harvests quicker and easier. Be cautious: butyric acid smells terrible, and can make bees sick if they're overexposed.
March 21, 2019
18 attendees.
Old business: Bees are currently available for sale.
New business: Saw palmetto is in bloom.
It is the time of year to split hives to reduce the likelihood of swarming--also helpful for aggressive bees.
Oxalic acid is a popular varroa treatment this time of year, because it doesn't affect honey production. It must be applied to brood every seven days to be effective in controlling mite populations.
Kristin Miners (County Line Naturals - https://b-m.facebook.com/County-Line-Naturals-1875625782748650/) is looking for wax/comb, and help with swarm removals. Contact the Ag Center at 863-402-6540 to get in touch with her.
February 21, 2019
27 attendees.
Old business: Thanks to everybody that helped with our booth at the Highlands County Fair--we got a blue ribbon! Volunteers reported an increased interest in comb honey.
New business: We are putting together a website. If you have any content or recommendations you'd like us to consider including, feel free to reply to this email address. We'd love to show off some of your photos!
Chem-free Beekeeping presentation by Ash. He is looking for volunteers to run trials on his bee supplements. Contact him at info@mybeetang.com for more information.
Bee Discussion with Larry:
-Bees are currently available for sale.
-Now is the time to empty your supers.
-Bees move honey and pollen throughout the hive as part of the curing process.
-Excluder usage in the springtime can encourage swarming--queens want to move up the center of the hive.
-Aggressive bees have more venom.
-A dead bee with its tongue out has been poisoned.
Saw palmetto bloom next month.