January 2016

  1. General
    1. The group is still looking for a new meeting place that can hold 100-170 people.
      1. Rich found one in West Salem, but he would not be able to get there in time.
    2. Old Sol has queens for sale.  (see picture at the bottom of the page for more information)
    3. Cash & Carry on Commercial St. in South Salem
      1. 50lb bag of C&H sugar:  $26.27
      2. 25lb bag of C&H sugar:  $13.10
    4. If you want to order something from Brushy Mountain, we have new member who works at Brushy Mtn. who will bring orders down to meetings.  You can still receive your 10% discount.
    5. The group is still considering ordering a pallet of frequently needed equipment (frames, etc.) from Brushy Mountain.  
    6. Pollen is beginning to appear, and queens will lay more.
    7. The position of Secretary will be open after the May meeting.  
      1. The main job of the Secretary is writing the minutes and posting them online.
      2. The Secretary attends regular meetings and board meetings, and has one vote on the board.  
  2. Election
    1. Results:
      1. President:  Rich Farrier
      2. Vice-President:  Mona Kanner
      3. Treasurer:  Laura Evans
      4. Secretary:  Emily Cross
  3. Budget
    1. Current balance is about $4200
    2. Dues have been raised from $20 to $25.
  4. Oxalic Acid
    1. Oxalic Acid is temperature sensitive.
    2. If you use the dribble method and it is too cold, the acid will not reach all of the clustered bees.  
    3. The temperature has to be warm enough that the bees are not tightly clustered.
    4. The dribble method works best when there is no brood because the acid must come in contact with the bees to be effective.
    5. The vapor method is totally different, but it is still best if you do not have capped brood.  
    6. The dribble method is used one time per year, usually in December or January.
      1. You have to open the hives and take apart the boxes.  
      2. It must be at least 45 degrees.
      3. You want to cover all of the bees.
      4. More tips on the dribble method at http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-dribble-tips/.  
    7. For the vapor method, you need a respirator with filters (make sure you have the right kind of filter – the filter for acids).  Oxalic acid is very dangerous.
      1. Oxalic can also be a fire danger if in too close contact with the wax.  
    8. Acids (formic and oxalic) and Apiguard are promising for continued mite treatment.
  5. Hive Die Off
    1. If your hive dies out, bring empty equipment under cover and clean it.  
    2. If boxes are old (more than 5 years for brood frames), get rid of them.  
    3. Wax builds up inside cells and your bees will get smaller over time.  Wax can also hold pesticides and insecticides.
    4. If the box or frames are dark with propolis, that  is still okay.  
    5. Remove old frames in spring.
    6. Use a sharpie to write the year on new frames (both ends of the top bar of the frame).
    7. Mold is not harmful.  The bees will clean it out soon.
    8. Scorching the inside of boxes will get rid of nosema and foulbrood.
  6. Feeding
    1. You may have to emergency feed right now.  
    2. Feed:  fondant, drivert or drivert/granulated sugar mix
    3. When it gets warmer, you can begin feeding sugar syrup again.  
  7. Thank you to everyone who donated prizes for the raffle!

Old Sol