We had hoped to have a club meeting and honey extraction workshop this month, but due to the uptake in Covid cases here in El Dorado County the board has decided to cancel. Unfortunately, we were not able to secure a speaker on short notice. We do have speakers planned for August and September and will hold Zoom meetings for both dates.
For folks with beekeeping questions we recommend posting them to our Facebook group.
Elections
It’s time again to vote for next year’s board of directors. Ballots will be emailed on Sunday, July 12. Please be sure to fill out the ballot, your participation is important.
Varroa
If you haven’t already, now is the time to test your hives for Varroa. The bee population is about to peak and will soon start their seasonal decline, as the mite population – in untreated hives – start their seasonal increase.
Winter bee production starts late August. Colonies with high mite loads will also have high virus loads. Sick bees cannot rear healthy winter bees, who do not usually winter over.
For help in deciding what to treat with, check out the Honey Bee Health Coalition’s Varroa Management Decision Tool.
Hungry Bees?
The blackberry is done and the star thistle should soon be here, but in the mean time bees may be hungry. The club has pollen patties for sale, $3 each. For those in the Placerville area, contact John Havicon at 916.996.8371, or for the Cameron Park area, contact Bernie Ruiz at 916.719.6708,
We miss seeing everyone and sharing what's going on in our hives.
Until we meet again, bee well!