York County Beekeepers Association

Twenty members met at the York County Gov Offices for a brief business meeting. The evening’s presentations included a show-and-tell of gadgets and equipment that members like to use, including items to have in a hive inspection bag, frame-sized posters that can be used in hives for events, and items for use on hive entrances and for working with honey. Members also had a chance to learn how to use a honey refractometer and test honey that was left over

Members met at the new location (York County Government Offices, 149 Jordan Springs Rd, Alfred) for the first in-person meeting of the fall/winter season. After a brief business meeting, several members gave presentations on preparing hives for winter. We had demonstrations on condensing hives and making candyboards, discussions on whether or not to wrap and more overwintering tips, and a Powerpoint presentation of pests (other than varroa) that bother hives.

Thirteen members joined a Zoom meeting to learn and talk about the benefits of being a member of YCBA. Here’s the recap: YCBA Website – your go-to source for membership info and form, resources for equipment, education, and organizations, meeting dates and location, reporting a swarm, outreach events and upcoming classes, and more! (That’s this website you’re reading right now!) YCBA Google Group- if you are getting email, you are part of the Google Group. If you page down to the

Several members met at Lynne G.s home on July 26th, 2025 for an open hive facilitated by State Apiarist Jen Lund. Jen inspected three hives, tested for mites, and gave us lots of great info regarding summer management of honeybees. She also demonstrated how to swab cells for disease and advised us on sending the swabs to the USDA Beltsville Animal Research Center (this site will be moving in the future: more info to come when available). Following the hive inspections,

Fourteen members took part in a Zoom pop-up on May 12th to ask and answer questions and compare notes. Topics covered spring feeding, mite treatments for spring, and getting started with the very first nuc. Thank you to all who attended and took part. Zoom pop-ups are opportunities for members to see each other between in-person meetings and talk informally about bees. They generally happen during the months when we do not have in-person meetings, but may take place anytime!

Thirty-one members met at the Little Theatre in Springvale for dessert, a brief business meeting, and an autopsy workshop. Two hives were examined and members had an opportunity to gather around the tables and participate. Discussion included the use of drone frames, how to do an alcohol wash for mites, mite treatments, and the importance of having healthy bees in July so that the winter bees are as strong as possible. The conclusion on the deadouts was that one was

Thirty people met at the Little Theatre in Springvale on a bitterly cold night for our postponed Bee-Seasonal event After a potluck dinner featuring lots of comfort food and honey themed cakes, we had a brief business meeting. Our guest speaker for the evening was State Apiarist Jen Lund, who spoke about the importance of biosecurity in beekeeping. Jen led us through brief descriptions of highly contagious viruses, bacterial and pest problems that plague bees, and discussed tips and techniques

Twenty-four YCBA members logged in to listen to Karen Thurlow’s presentation on recognizing healthy honey bee colonies. Karen, an experienced beekeeper who moved from Maine to Canada, gave a well-illustrated and informative talk on how important it is to know what things should look like in your hive so that you can recognize problems when they occur. With climate change, unanticipated shifts in weather, and corresponding changes in plant life and what is available for food, even experienced beekeepers are facing

State Apiarist Jen Lund will be joining us for an in-person meeting at the Little Theatre, Nasson Community Center, in Springvale. Jen always shares lots of current and relevant information, and is a great resource for both new and experienced beekeepers. We’ll also have our post-poned potluck and penny raffle!

Karen will be speaking about “Healthy Honey Bee Colonies.” Many factors play into honey bee health. A beekeeper needs to see and recognize health in order to see problems. The first thing you must know about bee diseases is what a healthy colony looks like. Beekeeping is a science and an art. The science of beekeeping can be very black and white, but the art of beekeeping can not be taught. It takes education, intuition, common sense, instinct, and foresight