2009 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2009 REGULAR MEETINGS

Our monthly meetings begin at 7:30pm and are held on the last Tuesday of the month at the Norfield Church Community Room at 64 Norfield Road, Weston Connecticut. There is usually a meeting designed specifically for new beekeepers at 6:30pm (prior to our regular meetings).  These events are free and open to the public. Our calendar is subject to change, so please check our website for the latest updates (www.backyardbeekeepers.com) or call any members of the Board (see listing of Board members).

In addition, a number of weekend workshops are scheduled each year to give participants a hands-on opportunity to learn new beekeeping skills & techniques and visit other bee yards.

January 27
Real Democracy: Decision Making by a Honeybee Swarm	Tom Seeley
Decision-making by a honeybee swarm as it chooses its home.  What considerations factor in relocation of a colony.

February 24
Urban Beekeeping	John Howe
Brooklyn Beekeeper will discuss the practical and legal aspects of keeping honeybees in a cityscape.

March 31
More Bees, Please!	Faith Kuehn
Native Bees: Conservation begins in your garden and landscape.  The focus is native pollinators, but she will not ignore honeybees.

April 28
Natural Beekeeping	Ross Conrad
Author & beekeeper Ross Conrad offers up an alternative to chemical practices and delivers a program of natural hive management.

May 26
Documentary: “Pollen Nation”	Joshua Fisher
Producer & director of acclaimed documentary short will discuss his experiences making his film and have a special screening.

June 30
Annual Pot Luck Dinner Meeting and Silent Auction
Share in the gastronomical potluck repast and try to out-bid your fellow beekeeper for all of the fabulous goodies!

September 29
American Foulbrood	Doug Dingman
Microbiologist/Molecular Biologist in the Dept. of Biochemical Genetics at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will discuss "American Foulbrood; a hidden disease".

October 28
Queen Rearing and Breeding	Gary Reuter
University of Minnesota department of entomology research scientist will discuss what we need to know about raising our own queens and breeding.

November 17
Honey Bee Anatomy	Zachary Huang
An inside look at the worker honeybee. With many photographs taken under a dissecting microscope, we will learn the functions of the honeybee’s many body parts.

NO MEETING IN DECEMBER

2009 WORKSHOPS

Our weekend workshops are scheduled each year to give participants a hands-on opportunity to learn new beekeeping skills & techniques and visit other bee yards.  They are held at various locations, and we ask that those planning to attend contact the host so that if the workshop should be postponed for some reason, the host can contact the attendees.   Please check our website for the latest updates (www.backyardbeekeepers.com) or call the workshop host(s) with any questions.

Saturday January 24
Mead Madness	Howland Blackiston
Did you ever wonder how you could make mead at home? Please join fellow BYBA member Howland Blackiston and learn about the craft of mead making. Discover the many different types of mead, and become acquainted with the simple equipment you can use to make delicious honey wines at home. Making mead is fun, easy and deliciously rewarding.  For workshop attendees over 21, Howland will also offer free tasting of a wide array of honeywines, spirits and liquors.  Contact Howland at (203) 571 1774 or blackiston@bee-commerce.com

Saturday February 7
Soap Making	Marina Marchese
Marina Marchese, of Red Bee Studio, will demonstrate how to make handmade soap the way your grandma did - using lye, oils such as coconut and palm, beeswax, honey, and natural fragrances. Bring along a milk carton and towel, and you can bring home some handmade soap to try! Contact Marina at (203)226-4535 or redbee@optonline.net

Saturday March 21
Hands on Hive set up	Leslie Huston
The weekend workshop will have a number of BYBA members demonstrate the basics of assembling equipment and the tools one needs to make your job easier. If you have equipment to assemble, bring it and we’ll help you. Bring your smoker, and we’ll show you the fastest way to clean it! Tips and hints galore! Discussions will include hive site location, Queen selection, and demonstrations of various pieces of beekeeping equipment that you may not have seen or used before. If you have made a piece of equipment that you find useful in your beekeeping, please contact Leslie Huston so that we can make arrangements to display it—you get to explain how it is used. Nothing is too small or too big for this workshop!  Location: Norfield Grange, 10 Good Hill Road, Weston. Time: 11:00 - 2:00 p.m.  Contact Leslie at (203) 417-2023 or ljhuston3@charter.net

Saturday April 11
Hiving Package Bees	Dick Marron
Dick Marron will demonstrate how to hive package bees at his bee yard in Newtown at Cherry Grove Farm.  This workshop will provide a hands on opportunity to learn and try the proper techniques for transferring a package of live honeybees into a new hive.  Cherry Grove Farm is located at the junction of Palestine Road and 100 Acres Road in Newtown. It may be a little muddy. Bring a veil. Parking in the farm yard is OK. Bees are in the field opposite the house. (There are no buildings in this field.) If it’s pouring we’ll do it on Sunday the 12th. For details contact Dick Marron at (203) 743-0541 or dickm@snet.net

Saturday April 18
Hive Inspection I	Dick Marron
At the first inspection after hiving a new package, it's important to check that the queen's been released and has started laying eggs, as well as surveying the condition of the newly established colony.  At this workshop Dick will check on how the bees hived at April's demos are progressing. For details contact Dick Marron at (203) 743-0541 or  dickm@snet.net

Sunday May 24
Queen Yard Open House	David Blocher & Leslie Huston
This workshop we will focus on the startup activities for this year's queen-rearing. General background information will be provided - how to set up and provision a colony to raise queen cells, timing, and other equipment that can come in handy when raising queens.  Bring your bee apparel! This workshop will be held at the BYBA queen rearing bee yard at Trout Brook Valley, near Aspetuck Orchards Apple Barn.  Contact Leslie Huston at (203) 417-2023 or ljhuston3@charter.net

Saturday June 6
Hive Inspection II	Bobbie Meyzen, Dick Marron
The 2nd hive inspection will take place at Cherry Grove Farm, the same location as the first inspection and the hiving workshops. This farm is at the junction of 3 roads in Newtown. They are: Palestine Road, 100 Acres Road and Platts Hill Road. Park in the farm yard if you wish.do not drive into the field. (If you need a ride that far, I will ferry you.) The bees are in the only field on that corner that doesn't have a building on it. We will start at 11 and work for 2 hours. In the past it has gone longer. Workshop will take place at 11 AM on June 6th. (Rain Date Sunday the 7th). Bring veil and gloves; you may get a chance to practice. Tick repellent would not come amiss. Workshop will be conducted by Bobbie Meyzen (203) 938-5645 bobbiemey@aol.com and Dick Marron (203) 743-0541 dickm@snet.net

Saturday June 13
The Best Defense is a Good Bear Fence	Jeff Shwartz
Ever wonder how to protect your bees from a bear?  Jeff Shwartz will share with you why a bear fence is a worthwhile investment to protect your hives.  Learn how to choose the best materials for your needs, how to measure and install your fence, and how to set up and maintain your fence.  Get hands-on experience as well as answers to all your bear fence-related questions at our scenic Trout Brook Valley queen-rearing project.  Contact Jeff at jeff@shwartz.com or (203) 426-8620 to RSVP or with any questions about this workshop.

Saturday June 20
Swarming & Making Splits	Win Baum
Past BYBA President Win Baum and his wife Stefanie will be hosting this back yard bee visit at 500 Papurah Road in Fairfield, Connecticut at 10:30 am. Come and see how Win's bees are doing, and discuss the swarming. Contact Win for directions at (203) 255-9185 or win@winbaum.com

Sunday June 21
Basic Queen Rearing	David Blocher & Leslie Huston
At this workshop we will demonstrate the Miller method of raising queens - a method that requires no special equipment and no special skills (i.e. eagle eyesight!).  Attendees will also have a chance to try their hand at grafting larva into queen cups to raise queens. General background information will also be provided - how to set up and provision a colony to raise queen cells, timing, and other equipment that can come in handy when raising queens.  Bring your bee apparel! This workshop will be held at the BYBA queen rearing bee yard at Trout Brook Valley, near Aspetuck Orchards Apple Barn.  Contact Leslie Huston at (203) 417-2023 or ljhuston3@charter.net

Saturday July 11
Hive Inspection III	Mary Howansky
BYBA member Mary Howansky will conduct this bee inspection workshop at her home in Wilton at 11 a.m. This inspection will focus on mid-summer activity, ongoing mite inspection and queen evaluation, nectar flow (and/or dearth!).  Contact Mary for directions at (203) 762-5912 or showansky@sbcglobal.net

Saturday July 25
Honey Harvest	Ellen Zampino
Board member Ellen Zampino will host a honey harvest workshop. We will take honey from the hive, extract it and bottle it. Come see just how it's done. The workshop will start at 11 a.m. Contact Ellen at (203) 981-0611 or jazampino3@aol.com

August 1
Fall Preparation Workshop	David Blocher
BYBA President David Blocher will be hosting this fourth inspection and also addressing the important issues of fall preparation. This inspection will look at hives to assess their condition and discuss what actions can be taken to give the bees the best shot at surviving the winter - August is the time to start preparing your hives for winter! The workshop will start at 11 a.m. Contact David at (203) 938-2549 or dblocher@optonline.net

September 12
Hive Inspection IV	Andrea Azarm
BYBA board member Andrea Azarm will be hosting this fourth inspection and final inspection workshop. This inspection will look at hives to assess their preparedness for winter, and point out final touches that can help the bees survive the winter months. The workshop will start at 11 a.m. Contact Andrea at 203) 255-2525 or aazarm@snet.net

November 7
Beeswax Workshop	Ellen Zampino, Patty Pulliam & Marina Marchese
Ellen Zampino will demonstrate a safe, easy way to clean and process beeswax so that it may be utilized for candle and ornament making.  Patty Pulliam will demonstrate how to prepare your own lip balm and hand creams.  Just in time for you to create your own hand made holiday gifts!  Contact Patty Pulliam at (203) 259-4861 or pattpull@optonline.net