The next EDBA meeting information is now available here: https://edmontonbeekeepers.ca/event/february-meeting-2-2-2/
There are some additional events available as well. Go check it out. Lots to learn!
All posts by Troy Donovan
August Meeting
JA special field trip with Rassol Bahreini , an Apiculture Research Scientist from the Crop Diversification Centre North! He will be testing some hives for mites and demonstrating the recommended ways to treat for mites eg. apivar strips, formic acid and oxalic acid vaporization.
Swarms in 2019
The amount of swarms to catch this year has been very high! During its peak as many as 10 swarms reported a day. There has been so much rain that it’s even been hard for beekeepers to get to their beeyards on muddy roads. That and the strong honey flows have made for a very different year.
Our Swarm Catchers List is up to date and these brave volunteers will do their best to help find homes for all the swarms. A straight-forward swarm catch, by putting them in a box from a low spot on a tree, can take an hour. Be warned that catching a swarm from very high locations or inside of a wall can take many days and might cost money.
Learn to keep bees 2020
Two of EDBA’s best beekeepers are once again looking to help train new beekeepers in 2020. The course offered by Malcolm and Craig is not part of EDBA but with their mentorship program and years of experience there is no better course in all of Alberta. We can’t recommend it enough! They will be running beginner beekeeper courses for the 6th year in NE and NW Edmonton.
The complete course costs $140 and will be given on 5 different occasions in 2020. You only need to attend one day. The dates are:
March 15th, Sunday, 8:30am to 2-2:30pm
Cancelled — April 4th, Saturday —
April 26th, Sunday, 8:30am to 2-2:30pm
May 24th, Sunday, 8:30am to 2-2:30pm
You need to attend only one day and then from June to August you have the option of attending the included mentoring sessions by visiting our hives.
Topics covered include:
- Urban beekeeping regulations
- Location choices and Equipment
- Installing bees and queens
- What to check inside of a hive
- Swarm prevention/creating extra queens
- Basic Bee Biology
- Mentoring opportunities
- Wintering and Treatments
- 12 pages of information is provided to go along with slides (powerpoint) presented in class.
For registration, contact connellmjm@hotmail.com
Along with an EDBA membership you are sure to learn enough to be a very responsible beekeeper and attending the mentoring sessions will give you the confidence needed.
Netflix – Rotten – Not Honey
People are eating product that is “Not honey”.
Its more of a “who done it?” real life crime documentary mixed with food sources but the first episode focuses on Honey so you might find it interesting. I like how it gives some insight into the bigger world of honey production and the import/export world.
https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80146284
At least check out the first episode:
With demand for honey soaring just as bees are dying off in record numbers, hidden additives, hive thefts and other shady tactics are on the rise. (55minutes)
This docuseries travels deep into the heart of the food supply chain to reveal unsavory truths and expose hidden forces that shape what we eat.
Its very interesting to see how they test for the sources of honey to make sure its not fake! Looking for pollen is old school! Imagine testing and sampling thousand of varieties:
Stories about Bees and Bats
Doing bee research can lead to some interesting stories. Two stories about the challenges of studying winged wildlife, from bats to honey bees.
Part 1: Cylita Guy finds unexpected adventure when she studies bats in the field.
Part 2: Rachael Bonoan discovers she may be dangerously allergic to the honey bees she studies.
Info Graphic – Bees, Hornets and Wasps
Did you want to know a bit more about bees, hornets and wasps from around the world? It might help answer those questions all your friends and family ask about.
Follow the link to an amazing info-graphic with great pictures in an easy to read format. Most people think they are just jerks but did you know the difference between a hornet and a wasp?
A big thanks to a little junior beekeeper to be who passed along the information. Great find Garrett!
Full graphic and the source found here.
You might already know that there are different types of bees out there, but which ones are important to our ecosystems, which ones are endangered, which ones make honey?
Making Money from Honey – Sunday Nov. 5th
This workshop is best suited for people who have been keeping bees for a few years and are planning to turn a hobby into a sideline or a sideline into a business. But every year, attendees also include non-beekeepers who are considering starting and are wondering about beekeeping profitability and are looking for ideas to get moving towards a second career or a retirement income.
Neil and Ron are offering their ‘Making Money from Honey‘ course in Edmonton this fall on Sunday, November 5.
Neil Bertram and Ron Miksha have been working bees for decades. Between them, they have experience in hobby and commercial beekeeping, queen rearing, pollination, and production of a few million pounds of honey.
This overview of beekeeping economics is an all-day program.
Here are some of the topics which will be covered:
– growing from backyard/hobby beekeeper to sideliner to commercial;
– equipment choices and shop/honey house considerations;
– finances, projections, expectations, difficulties, setbacks, and success;
– how much money to expect from bees in a typical year;
– handling and marketing your products;
– case histories of good and bad beekeeping businesses;
– the beekeeper personality and lifestyle.You can find more information about the course and its presenters at https://makingmoneyfromhoney.
com To register, contact either Ron Miksha (miksha@shaw.ca) or Malcolm Connell (connellmjm@hotmail.com).
Beekeeping, is it for you?
The Camrose Wildlife Stewardship Society is having our president, Craig Toth, present on the basics of beekeeping and showing off the materials needed to take a peek into a hive.
Thursday, June 22nd 7pm at the Stoney Creek Centre in Camrose
Click here to look at the Brochure PDF for more information.
Its great to see bees being promoted so well! Good job Craig.
CBC Radioactive Interview
Craig Toth (our President) has been doing a lot of media coverage lately and working on bee awareness projects.
Click here to take a listen of Craig talking with Portia Clark on the CBC radio show called Radio Active.
