Category: Activities

The FCBA club hives were very active this afternoon at 2:30. It was a balmy 50 degrees in Walkersville, MD at Fountain Rock Park where the hives kept. We are pleased to see the colonies so active after enduring such a cold January. Watch them.

Thanks to Rose for the use of her home for the 2013 FCBA candy making party. Burners were lit, water brought to a boil and ingredients added (sugar, protein powder, etc.) at just the right time. When cooled a little, the mixture was poured into wax paper-lined trays to harden. Then it was time for snacks and bee-talk. Thanks to all who participated!

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Fairgoers were all abuzz after leaving the FCBA booth at the 2013 Great Frederick Fair. The week began early with set-up which included Bill, Allen, Kristien and myself getting frames from club hives at Fountain Rock Nature Park and placing them into two observation hives that were the center of attention at our Fair booth. Ed Mordan hung his gigantic bee while Bill, Ed and I continued to arrange the booth.

Thanks to Rose for such a great job with the sign-up sheet. We were ready for the 6000-7000 elementary school children that poured through the Fair from Monday through Thursday. With flashlights at the ready, we were kept busy pointing out the queen which all the kids really wanted to see. Thanks to all club members who volunteered to man the booth and help educate the public about beekeeping. It was amazing to see how much of the public is aware of and concerned about the plight of the honey bee. 100 people signed up requesting information about our January Beekeeping Class for Beginners!

Congrats to ribbon winners including Allen Winpigler, Joe O’Connell, Janet and Steve Davis, and Ed Mordan. I even won a ribbon!. A special congratulations to Kristien for winning Best of Show with her hand-woven St Ambrose (patron saint of beekeepers) skep.

Thanks, too, to Rose and Ed for helping me with the teardown. Ed and I returned all the girls to their hives at Fountain Rock without incident!

Thanks also to members who sold honey. 323 jars were sold which netted the club a tidy profit.

And a special thanks to Bill McGiffin for his work in coordinating this year’s FCBA Great Frederick Fair program!

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I received an email last night from Kelly at Fountain Rock Park informing me that the observation hive had thrown a small swarm and that it was now on the ground next to a walkway by the Nature Center. She had marked the spot to keep pedestrians away. I went there early this morning to remove it.

See this award-winning 🙂 video of the undertaking complete with video of bees marching into the box: http://youtu.be/OAGIpN2O-c0

Swarms really are ready to draw comb. Notice in the video of photo of the comb they started drawing in the dirt and on the blacktop!

Not sure if the queen is in there, though. Will put some foundation in and start feeding 1:1.

– Dave

Here is a chance to peek into another member’s bee hives – Allen’s!

The Frederick County Beekeeping Association is planning its Beekeeping Class 2013 Field Day for April 27th (11am-3pm), and FCBA members are welcome. Of course this is assuming we will have good weather on April 27th! If it turns nasty on that day (rainy, cold, windy), we’ll need to postpone the event. Should that happen, we will email you in advance.

The field day will take place at Allen’s Apiary which is located at 10801 Powell Rd., Thurmont, MD 21788. The site is on the West side of RT 15 about 9 1/2 miles north of Frederick.

Here is the program:

1. Potluck Picnic
2. Review of the use of a smoker
3. Opening hives and ‘reading frames’ (this is all hands-on, so be prepared to get close to smoke and bees)
4. Strategies for feeding, swarm control, pest and disease management discussion

For the Picnic, FCBA will provide drinks as well as hamburgers, hotdogs and other goodies for the grill.

Please bring a small dish, salad or desert to share.

You are welcome to bring your family members, team members, children and friends. If you need a chair, please bring one.

Anyone (including guests) who wants to participate in the hive inspection must have a veil. This is important. You will not be able to participate within the bee area without a veil. The bees will probably be docile as they usually are, but wearing a veil is considered a best practice.

If you want to practice lighting your smoker, please bring your smoker, fuel, matches and a hive tool.

Cheers,
Dave
301-228-2279

Club events and activities throughout the year will be posted here. Stay tuned for pictures and descriptions of club activites like the honeybee short course in January, field day in the spring, and state and county fairs in the late summer and fall.