York County Beekeepers Association

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

The weather outside was indeed frightful on the night of our scheduled Bee-Seasonal, so we postponed the potluck and raffle until February 18th and held a Zoom meeting instead. Seventeen members attended our virtual annual meeting, which concluded in a possible record-setting 25 minutes! Congratulations to our new officers, VP Kevin McDonnell and Secretary Sarah O’Sullivan. Many thanks to our outgoing VP, Lynne Lincourt, and outgoing Secretary, Jessica Matt. Under old business, we voted to purchase a couple handheld wireless

Forty-three members from YCBA and MSBA enjoyed a presentation by Hilary Kearney, also known as Girl Next Door Honey and the author of three books, including the popular “QueenSpotting.” Hilary Kearney showed us how to use our phone cameras to take photos of bees. She covered topics including composition, lighting, and editing. Some of the take-aways: take lots of photos and keep the ones you like, focus on the bee’s eye, consider the direction and movement of the elements in

A dozen beekeepers met via Zoom for an informal chat about mites, fall bees, condensing hives, candy boards, mites, and more mites. Many of us are seeing alarming numbers of mites in our hives, which is worrisome as we head toward winter. We discussed different treatments and timing. MSBA members, check out this link for a recorded webinar on varroa control during different seasons:  Webinars – Maine State Beekeepers Association Website (mainebeekeepers.org) We also had a very interesting discussion on

Thirty members met at the Little Theatre in Springvale for an in-person meeting, and were joined by several members via Zoom.   Our guest speaker was Maine State Apiarist, Jen Lund, who presented a talk on Beekeeping 101. This very informative PowerPoint answered the most common questions that she receives at her office, such as preventing swarms, feeding, and…of course…mite control.  If you would like to receive the PowerPoint in your inbox, you may contact Jen at Jennifer.Lund@maine.gov   Members enjoyed

Whew! The weather outside was hot, muggy, and uncomfortable. Inside, a handful of beekeepers met via Zoom to chat about their bees.   We discussed whether or not we were entering dearth (depends on where your hives are located), feeding strategies for dearth and for the upcoming months, manipulating frames and supers, using queen excluders, and taking off honey. And mites. We ALWAYS talk about mites. We discussed the importance of healthy late summer bees, as they are responsible for raising

The YCBA Teaching Apiary hives, in their old location, had an inspection with YCBA members and State Apiarist Jennifer Lund. Check out the videos!

Fourteen members met virtually on Monday evening for an informal chat on spring beekeeping. Topics covered included the installation of nucs and packages, solid bottom boards versus screened bottom boards, spring feeding, and…as always…varroa mite management. We had a wide range of levels of experience, with some members who have had bees for over 20 years, others with several years of beekeeping under their belt, and a few who are getting their first bees in the next week. Many thanks to