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Newbee:  My first day as a beekeeper

3/12/2015

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 I was thinking back to my first day working with and keeping bees.  Hopefully this will bring back some good memories of your own, or give you a glimpse of the fun you are about to have!

I remember when I first started keeping bees.  I was so excited!  I took a class with a local club.  I read the books.  I watched television documentaries.  I investigated newspaper articles.  I spoke to experienced beekeepers.  And I had a mentor. 

I was ready to tackle the interesting world of beekeeping head on.  I was going to know all there was to know these little buggers so that I wouldn't be the gloomy looking fellow at the club meetings in the back of the room that mumbled about killing all of his bees this past season.  I was going to do everything right.  I knew that everyone that had come before me had done their best, but now, there was more information and I had all the tools to tread a new path, blaze the new trail to success, shine a beacon of hope to all that would come after me.  First though......I had to just get these bees from the screened box in the county park lot, to their new home in my backyard. 

My mentor was there, smiling and being ever the optimist.  She said I would do fine. "Just take your time, remember what you have learned, and be gentle with the "girls".  "Girls" is what she calls the bees, since, in the package they pretty much all were....female.

So there I am, in my yard, with my shiny new smoker billowing away, crisp white vailed coveralls, freshly painted unstained hive tool and a spray bottle full of sugar water.  Running through my head, step one, step two, step three, no,no, that was step four....whats step three, whats step three....oh yeah the bees!  They are step three.    Okay okay, calm down, you can do this I said to myself.  A friend had decided he wanted to be involved too so he was calmly counseling me on the next steps....until he goes quiet.   Whats next?  Who knows.  He forgot.  I don't know.  So we call our mentor.  The phone rings and rings and rings and goes to voice mail.  We are done in for! 

After a half hour of terror, we get the job done.  Bees were buzzing in their new hive and drinking the new sugar syrup from the brand new feeder jar. 

That first season was a success, but then came the next year and things started to go downhill.....

To be continued...







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wood stock Bee Class for Beginners

3/8/2015

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Hi!
and welcome!

We will start the  Woodstock Bee class (Practical Beekeeping for Beginners) on Saturday March 14---1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Location:  In the classroom at the Extension service-- 600 N. Main St. Woodstock. (the old Central High School Building).
Come in the front door, turn down the right hall, take 10 giant steps- the classroom is on your left.
The cost of the class this year will be $90.00. That includes all members of your family who wish to come.
Cash or check- bring this to the first class- no credit cards.
What you get:    8 weekly sessions-classroom instruction--Last session scheduled for May 2, 2015.
                       your books
                        a disc with the lessons on it as well as reference material
                        a mentor (your mentor is a volunteer- is not paid)
                        after you have taken the class, you can audit any of the classes(see below) anywhere, for as many years as you want to.
                        Our Woodstock class includes 4 'field sessions'- these will be on the days of class #2,#4,#6, and #7.
This class is taught (different instructors) in many locations in Virginia, and now in West Virginia.
You can see these locations by googling "Practical Beekeeping for Beginners Northern Virginia Teaching Consortium".
The newest location is Farmville, Va- this is not even on this year's list- it is so new.

This class is the work product of Billy Davis, beekeeper extraordinaire and EAS certified Master Beekeeper- begun 20 years ago. The classes are "tweaked" every year- and stay abreast of up-to-date information.
You can learn more about Billy Davis (Loudoun County, Va.) by going to "Sustainable Honeybee Program" website.

If I have not answered your questions, please email me (brendakiessling@yahoo.com) or call me (cell- 571-213-5006-- or home,leave message 703-938-9389).

Sincerely,

Brenda Kiessling (your teacher)
Eastern Apiculture Society certified Master Beekeeper

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April 18 Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers Invite

3/4/2015

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 A chance to rub elbows with other beekeepers at Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers.  They are hosting a seminar covering five beekeeping topics. Check it out!   At our meeting we can talk about carpooling or whatever.....
On  Saturday, April 18, 2015, our bee club is bringing Michael Bush (  http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm)  to Fishersville to hold an all day seminar on five beekeeping topics.  To help support the expense of hosting this event, I am reaching out to our nearby bee clubs and inviting them to participate.  A registration form and details of the event can be found on our Website here: Upcoming Events | Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers Association.  Our meeting location capacity is 120, so advance registration is advised to guarantee a seat.
If you have any questions, please contact me.  
Thanks,
Bill Theiss SVBA President billtheiss3458@yahoo.com 540 828-2288

Check out their site to register.  It is $20 to join and Pork Barbeque lunch available for $8.
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Our New Website

2/23/2015

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After tinkering with a few sites, I think this may be the format for us. 

The other sites were really just blogging sites and did not offer the amount of functions as this site.  Here, we can tell those far and wide what we are doing, preview our future meetings, sign up new members, attach articles from the web, include links of resources of interest, blog, and even have an open forum for member questions and/or comments!  We will also be adding a member gallery, when I figure out how to use that function, as well as other goodies.

Im interested in your feedback.  Remember, it's a work in progress!!
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