PCBA CAPPINGS November 2015 - Volume 21 - Issue 11

President's Report Franclyn Heinecke Upcoming Meetings. Mark Your Calendars! PCBA Annual Auction – Nov 2 Have fun! Buy some cool stuff! The fun and interesting donations are bee-related and non-bee related. Funds raised support the PCBA educational and outreach programs. We were able to bring in several high level speakers this past year with club funds. Help us do even more next year. Donate and buy auction items! It’s a good time to stock up on holiday gifts. Speaking of the holidays …. PCBA Holiday Party – Dec 7 There will be no beekeeping class in December. Instead, we’ll have our annual holiday party with a “White Elephant” gift exchange. Bring something that costs less than $20 to join in the exchange and pirating of gifts from others. Our student study grant recipients, Phillip Golden and Keanu Pemorio, will talk about their year of beekeeping. It’s a fun, relaxed time to enjoy each other’s company, get to know your beekeeping neighbors and talk about our bees! The club is providing a turkey and ham. Please bring a side dish or dessert. We’ll have plates, utensils, napkins, and beverages. And speaking of getting to know your beekeeping neighbors ….

Hives in the ‘Hood – Jan 4 In January, we’ll repeat last year’s successful community clusters. While our bees are clustered together in their hives, we’ll meet in community groups for Q & A, and to start linking people who live near each other for support, learning, and to mentor each other. Each group will be headed up with an experienced beekeeper. This was such a fun activity last year. We will repeat this activity several times in 2016 so you can get to know your beekeeping neighbors.

HopGuard II Now Legal Nationwide I just got off the phone with the WSDA in preparation for filing the annual Section 18 exemption for HopGuard II for WA beekeepers. It turns out the EPA has just granted hop beta acids (HopGuard II) Section 3 certification, the same as oxalic acid. So no more exemptions needed as it is perfectly legal. It does require the manufacturer (BetaTec) to file a piece of paper with WSDA showing their Federal registration, but that is just a formality. Regards, Gary Clueit

Dr. Diane Sammataro Workshop -- Bellingham Saturday and Sunday, November 14th & 15th10am to 4pm with a 1 hour break for lunch each day. Mt. Baker Beekeepers Association (MBBA) is hosting a 2-day

weekend workshop with renowned author ("The Beekeepers Handbook") and bee researcher Dr. Diana Sammataro who recently retired from USDA-ARS Bee Lab in Tucson. The workshop is intended for intermediate to advanced beekeepers and will feature a unique half day hands-on experience in a biology lab. The entire workshop will be held in the Biology Department at Western Washington University in Bellingham on Saturday and Sunday, November 14th and 15th. We have a limited number of spaces available for nonmembers of MBBA. VENUE: WWU Biology Building. Saturday & Sunday morning: Lecture room BI 212. Sunday afternoon: Lab (adjacent to lecture room). Parking: Free in gravel lots only. A detailed map will be provides to attendees in advance. The lab has 25 biological microscopes (for looking for varroa and tracheal mites), and we will also be bringing in a number of high resolution compound scopes to identify nosema. We will also be dissecting bees to observe their anatomy under a microscope. The lab also has a projection system connected to a microscope for the instructor. Attendees will be asked to bring samples of bees from their own hives (details to be provided later), so you will have the opportunity to analyze your own situation.

Costs: Workshop (includes light lunches both days, lab fee): $100. Dissecting Kit: We will have a limited number of dissecting kits available for use in the workshop. If you are interested in obtaining your own kit (for future use), we can provide a good quality stainless steel biology dissecting kit for $25. If you are interested in attending, please send your name and phone number to president@mtbakerbeekeepers.org. Include whether you wish to purchase your own dissecting kit. We will then send you an invoice (via flint.com) which can be paid online with debit or credit card. Registrations are being accepted in the order in which they are received. Payment is required within 3 days of us sending you an invoice or we will release your space to the next person on the list. In all cases, full payment must be received no later than November 9th since we need to finalize numbers and pay for catering in advance. Gary Clueit, WWBA President

Library We have recent acquisitions in the library. Book requests have beenbfilled, and in a month or so we'll begin receiving a subscription to American Bee Journal. All materials are available each meeting for a one month check out, with an additional month's renewal. The process is quick and easy. Come visit me at the library cart.

One of our new books is Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper. The author, Bill Turnbull, is an English journalist and TV host. He has an engaging style as he tells tales, usually on himself. His affectionate and amusing take on his beekeeping experiences was an enjoyable read, and I thought the British slant on things added interest. Read this book if you'd like to laugh along with a fellow beekeeper. Thanks, Laurel

November 2015 Membership Report Active Members: 265 ���Comp & Other Bee Clubs: 6 ���Additional Records: 98 ���Oct meeting attendance: 85

���Due September: Robert Matthews

Due October: Patrick Cain, Angie Clausen, Carrie Little, Lincoln Mettler, Robert Pietila, Laurin Preston, Allison Shinkle, John Thomas, Sam Moth, Marc Olsen, Andrew King, Troy Wagner, John Hayes, Sean Woods, Nina King-Madlem, Rebecca Shjerven, jack Gingrich

Due November: Ron Barnard, Ginger Carter, Jim Erickson, Lisa Garnett, Greg Henning, Jeff Jones, Mike Konschuh, Andy Matelich, Charles Schaffer, Becky Sundstrum, Steve Tolle, Larry Warwick, Laurel Wright, Susan McCarthy, Jeff Durham, Juliana Fries, Kim Hulse

Due December: Jim Mendenhall, Catherine Carruthers, Amanda Wilde, Susan Wetherford, Catherine Nelson, Chelsey Armstrong, Matthew Steffens, Harold Danner, Alan Albanese, Anil Kumar

New Member(s): Maria Veronica Janita, Ruth Martin, Julie Sawyer, Phillip Thornton, Lisa Lee, Jessica Ashton, Kyle Rees, Semion, Legken, Noah Halvorsen, Carson Newlun, Julia Adkins, Stephanie Schlitz, Kimberly Woodbury, John Treyz, Kendall Gendron, George Aragon, Shaundra Robinson, Kevin Stewart, Mercedes Imendia, Darcy Paul, Story Gilmore, Janet Hedgepath, Nikki Cummins, Andrea Stammen, Shannon Routt, Cherrisa McInturff, Bryan Wilson, Randall Frese, Sarah Walters, Jennifer Mitchell

Minutes Minutes from the General Meetings and the Board Meetings can be found here.