President's Hive

Happy Summer, Beekeepers!

The nectar flow is in full swing—are your supers stacking up yet?

Did you know MHBA is a 100% volunteer-run organization? Every part of what we do is powered by members who generously give their time, talents, and even resources. From sharing knowledge to taking on multiple roles behind the scenes, our volunteers are the heartbeat of this community. Simply put—MHBA wouldn't exist without you.

If you've ever considered getting more involved, now is a great time! Whether it's joining a committee, helping with a specific task, or stepping into a leadership role, we'd love to have you. Reach out anytime at [email protected].

We especially need your help at the State Fair! Our Bee & Honey Exhibit depends on volunteers to bring beekeeping to life for the public. Please consider signing up as an interpretive volunteer and/or helping with honey extraction demos. You'll find more details in this newsletter—and yes, volunteers receive a free fair ticket!

A Mid-Year Thank You

We'd like to recognize and thank the many individuals who make MHBA thrive:

• Gary Reuter & Jessica Helgen – Hive demonstrations
• Nate Untiedt – Outreach and education coordination
• Cathy & Mark Lee as well as Charlie Kundinger and Michelle Maas – Meeting treats and banquet auction support
• Gail Dramen – Library management
• Bob Sitko – Swarm call coordination
• Joe Meyer & Terry McDaniel – Swarm reporting system upgrades
• Quintin Holmberg – Newsletter editor and website management
• Will Gabbard – Newsletter advertising
• Jenny Warner – Management column writer
• Christine Shoemaker & Gary Reuter – Youth Scholarship Program
• Steve Buck – Membership coordination
• JoAnne Sabin – Ask Buzz responses
• Katie Lee – University of Minnesota liaison
• And all of our dedicated MHBA Board Members

If we missed anyone, please let us know—we truly appreciate every contribution!

July Member Meeting

Join us Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 PM for our monthly meeting featuring Quintin Holmberg, who will present on wintering bees — treats provided!

📍 University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus
Borlaug Hall, Room 335
(Hive demo prior to the meeting at Bee Lab)

Annual Potluck Picnic

Mark your calendars! Our annual picnic will be held Tuesday, August 11 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. More details are included in this newsletter.

Members-Only Facebook Group

All members are invited to join our private Facebook community—a welcoming space to ask questions, share experiences, and connect.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MNHobbyBeekeepers

Library Reminder

If you've borrowed materials from the MHBA library, please remember to return them. Thank you for helping keep this resource available for everyone!

Wishing you a productive and rewarding season—see you at the next meeting!

Jess Marshall-Kurysh
MHBA President

July Management 2026

Happy Honey Flow! We've been seeing lots of white wax in our colonies and I hope you have too. It's the time of year when inspections are centered around making sure our colonies have enough space for the incoming nectar. A good rule of thumb is to give them two empty supers until the main honey flow is over. Under ideal conditions, a strong colony can fill up two supers in one week! The goal here is to prevent the bees from storing nectar in the brood nest. It's sometimes possible for them to move some nectar up if they are given more space, but it's best to avoid this situation. If a colony's brood nest becomes nectar-bound, they will likely swarm even if they are a package or divided colony. If your colony is crowded and you see swarm cells, culling/cutting them will unfortunately do little to stop them from swarming.

Entrance reducers should be out completely and any deep box that is 75% full of bees can be uncorked. Honey bees are fantastic thermoregulators and they will work collectively to cool their hive, but they need water to do so. If you do not have a natural water source nearby, you should give them one. It doesn't need to be fancy, but should have some rocks or sticks so the bees can access the water without falling in. Honey bees seem to like dirty water too, so just replenish it as needed. It's tempting to leave the telescoping cover cracked open to cool them, but this interrupts the colony's ability to control the airflow. It's also tempting to put empty supers below full supers to make things easier for the bees, but in reality, it only makes things more difficult for the beekeeper 🙂

Varroa mite populations tend to spike in August, but a monthly mite wash in July is still necessary to know if you have a problem. Sample 300 bees (½ cup) from the brood nest (careful to not include the queen in your sample), preferably from a frame with lots of older larvae (5th instar) and some capped pupae. Mites are drawn to the older larvae and enter the cells just before they are capped, so sampling from here will give you the most accurate count. Here is our latest brochure covering all the details: Varroa Mite Testing Brochure and our webpage with other tips: https://beelab.umn.edu/varroa-mite-testing.

If you need to treat, remember to read the treatment label for any updates in protocol. For instance, Varroxsan can now be used in the box directly below the honey supers (yay!).

If you are planning to extract any early season honey, make sure it is below 18.5% moisture or it will eventually ferment.

We are always happy to answer any questions you have at: [email protected]

Happy long summer days and honey making! -Jenny

Online Resources

Please visit our website!
https://mnbeekeepers.com/
We continue to make updates and changes to our website. Recently, we reorganized the Education page.
https://mnbeekeepers.com/ed/
Stay tuned for no-cost Community-based beekeeping classes & events in the new calendar:
https://mnbeekeepers.com/events/
If you are offering a class/event, you may submit the details to have it listed on our website:
https://mnbeekeepers.com/add-a-community-event/

Join Us On Facebook
Join our members only Facebook group:
https://mnbeekeepers.com/facebook-group/
This is a place for members to ask questions, share answers, share photos and videos, and socialize online.

MHBA Board Minutes
Please check the website for the latest, approved Board meeting minutes.

More Announcements

Membership Renewal
There are three ways to renew your membership today!

1. Renew your membership online with a credit card (preferred).
2. Mail the membership renewal form to our treasurer at the address provided
3. Renew in person by bringing your completed form and check to the next meeting.

Our Renewal Form can be found at our Become a Member page:
https://www.mnbeekeepers.com/become_member

Newsletter Submissions
The MHBA newsletter welcomes articles, photos, recipes, etc. from members. Please send them to the editor:
[email protected]

If an article is a reprint from another source, permission must be gained if required. The due date for newsletter submission is the 25th of the month for the next month's newsletter.

MHBA Board

Position	Member
President	Jessica Marshall-Kurysh
Vice President	Bill Thompson
Secretary	Michelle Maas
Treasurer	Bob Hinschberger
Directors
	Ryan Alaniz
	Peg DeSanto
	Willie Gabbard
	Quintin Holmberg
	Charlie Kundinger
	Katie Lee, PhD. (appointed)
	Mike Paskeuric
	Liz Pepin
	Anne Pierce
	Gary Reuter
	Karen Voy
Past President	Kate Winsor
Membership	Steve Buck
Newsletter	Willie Gabbard (Advertising)
	Quintin Holmberg (Editor)
Technology	Quintin Holmberg
Librarian	Gail Dramen
Outreach	Nate Untiedt
Ask Buzz	JoAnne Sabin
Swarm Chasers	Bob Sitko
Hospitality	Mark & Cathy Lee
Banquet	Jessica Marshall-Kurysh
Youth Scholarship	Christine Ambrutiene

Get Involved

Make this the year to get more involved in your club! To become a Community Outreach volunteer or a Swarm Chaser please complete and submit the appropriate form by visiting:
https://mnbeekeepers.com/get-involved/