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Our goal is to increase interest in and knowledge of bees and beekeeping for the hobby
and commercial beekeeper, and to educate the general public in the value of bees.
Monthly Meeting – August 11- Gadget night-Everyone is invited to bring his/her favorite gadget that is useful in
beekeeping. It can be hand-made or store-bought. Share how you use it.
Aug. 9th and 10th –Gravenstein Apple Fair-sign up at July meeting to sell honey and/or volunteer at our booth!
From Your President
One of the biggest mistakes new beekeeper's make is
opening up the hive to frequently. Bees don't like their homes
invaded by people. For the most part, bees just need a place to
live. If you leave them alone, they will be fine. The feral hives
have no interventions at all and when I extract one of these
colonies the first thing I notice is how great the hive is set up.
The bees remarkably do very well on their own. Keep adding
supers as needed and then stay out of the way. The bees will be
OK and then hopefully, your patience will be rewarded with
honey.
If you have not taken one of the beekeeping classes
taught by Serge at Santa Rosa JC you are missing out on a
fantastic opportunity. Most of the beekeeping books are written
by people who do not live or keep bees in California. As a result,
many of the beekeeping practices do not apply here locally.
Serge discusses and has excellent handouts regarding
beekeeping right here in Sonoma County. In addition, Serge
teaches beekeeping practices that promote sustainability and
deplore the use of chemicals/fungicides/miticides/antibiotics and
the like. The courses are taught at night and the details can be
found on the SRJC website. If you are new to beekeeping, the
courses are a must and will improve your knowledge base of
beekeeping at the local level.
The Gravenstein Apple Fair is in August on the 9th and
10th. Our association has a wonderful exhibit that draws loads of
fairgoers. It is a great opportunity to come and sell your honey as
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