April 2023 Newsletter

Warm weather continues to tease us, but as sure as the days get longer, we will see the sun eventually. Thanks to everyone that attended our March meeting, we had a stellar turnout with over 90 people between in person attendees and those who joined us on Zoom.

For our upcoming member meeting on April 11th, we will be hearing from another U of M local speaker Vera Krischik. Her research focuses around pesticides and she will be talking to us about her latest research on Neonicotinoid pesticides and the effects of mosquito abatement around pollinators. We frequently hear questions about both of these topics so this is definitely a speaker you will want to hear!

Prior to our 7 pm member meeting we will be having our first hive demo of the season at the Gortner bee lab at 5:45 pm, veils are required in the bee lab yard and there will be no zoom component for the hive demos this year. We encourage new beekeepers to attend hive demos, as they are an excellent source of “hands-on” education.

For our May meeting we will bring back a tradition that we unfortunately had to put on hold these past few years due to the pandemic. Our May Splits Pizza Party is primarily a social event, the 5:45 hive demo and the 7pm meeting will not have a guest speaker, but we will have food! We encourage everyone to attend and get to meet other members of the association. We are asking for a “soft RSVP” for this meeting on May 9th. Please let us know how many we can expect from your party via this link.

I know for most people, the Minnesota State Fair seems a ways off still, but as the Superintendent of the Bee & Honey Exhibit I love to start lining up volunteers as early as possible. I have 3 unique volunteer opportunities, but I am also looking for additional judges for our Apicultural Artwork competitions as well as additional paid employees to work the exhibit hall during the fair as well as setup before the fair. If you are interested in judging or employment, please contact me for more info.

There are several volunteer opportunities on behalf of the MN State Fair. As an Interpretive Volunteer you will be seated prominently near an observation hive in the center of the exhibit, while fair goers bombard you with every single question under the sun! Don’t worry, they are basic questions and everyone is curious about honey bees! There is a guard rail to protect you! Even if this is your first year keeping bees, we make sure you will have everything you need to be a successful interpreter! The shifts are 3 hours long, previous volunteers say the time absolutely flys by. Every volunteer gets free admission to the fair the day they volunteer. A great way to not only spread the love of honey bees, but save some money as well! Don’t hesitate to sign up early, the slots fill fast, and you can always switch your dates and times around up until a few weeks prior to the fair. For more info on the Interpretive Volunteers click here.

The second volunteer opportunity is on behalf of the MN Hobby Beekeepers Association. These volunteers will be doing live honey extraction demos every day of the fair. The extraction demos take roughly 15 minutes and occur 4 times a day at 1pm, 2pm, 4pm and 5pm. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at the fair. We look for two volunteers for each day and all volunteers receive free admission to the fair. Even if you have never extracted honey before, we teach everyone how to demonstrate this at our member picnic in August. For more info on volunteering for our extraction demos click here to sign up.

The third volunteer opportunity lets you see “how the sausage gets made” at the State Fair.
Bee-Hind the Scenes! There are a variety of volunteer options both prior to the fair and after the fair. Duties may include intaking entries for the various competitions, assisting during judging of honey, food, or artwork, and setting up the exhibit hall prior to the fair. For more information on these opportunities including a detailed run-down of each day.

As I finish writing this article and April approaches, assess the availability of alvearies in your apiary, as an assortment of Apis Mellifera may soon arrive to apiarists in your area.

~ Alex King