Willamette Valley Beekeepers Association
Meeting Minutes
March 27, 2022
President Rich Farrier opened the meeting at 7:10. He thanked Nathan for securing our latest, and by far the most suited, location at Salem Alliance Church, 555 Gaines St NE. We were able to meet in the “old sanctuary”. We will meet with the church after the April meeting to assess whether or not we can continue to meet in this facility for the rest of the year. If all goes well, we can even have our annual picnic in their fellowship hall as the church is not too busy on the 4th Monday of each month. We just need to not make a mess and re-stack the tables and chairs which we use.
Laura motioned that the club make a donation to the church for the use of the facilities. This will be discussed at the board level.
Rich had a beekeeper contact him who was getting out of bees. They had 2 complete hive set-ups, which we were able to pass on to two newer beekeepers who instantly decided to become paying members in order to enjoy this windfall.
Handout of ABJ coupons and Dadant Hive Inspection sheets.
Debbie needed help putting together Ross rounds. Jeremy volunteered! It turned out to be quite a project.
Questions:
- How’s this spring? Pretty much a typical spring.
- Plants for bees? Succession of blooming plants? Check out several resources listed in the Oregon State Beekeepers Association website.
- A new beekeeper in Aumsville requested somebody to help. Terry volunteered.
Swarm list is for paid members only. There is a list of questions to ask the caller on the Oregon State Beekeepers Association website. Also ask for photos of the “swarm”.
Anna discussed the various types of feeders for syrup. If a colony survived winter and is thriving, there is no need to feed them unless we have an unusually long spell of rain without any flying time. Just keep an eye on the colony weight. The issue with feeding a colony is that it encourages brood raising which in turn leads to swarming.
The colonies which need to be fed are packages, Nucs, and other colonies which are not doing well. This time of year the syrup ratio is 1:1 sugar to water.
Rich then discussed swarming and swarm prevention.
Meeting adjourned at 8:55.
Respectfully submitted,
Anna Ashby, Secretary
WVBA
April 3, 2022