Happy New Year fellow beekeepers. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Are you preparing your hives for the spring? With the unseasonable weather we are having our bees may be ready before we know it.
Our Board of Directors met this week and are planning the activities of the club for the coming year. So far we have two great speakers planned with several others contacted and waiting for confirmations. Please mark your calendars for our meeting dates so you won’t miss the chance to hear our excellent guests.
I have already received a few checks from members renewing their dues. Thank you. The sooner we receive them the better we can plan our budget. We also welcome new members Margaret Lindner, Jennifer DeFazio, and Philip Ioco.

Would you be interested in participating in a regional (Long Island) Queen and Nuc production project with the club?

• African bees were found in Georgia last year. How long are we going to be able to import southern packages and nucs onto the island?
• There are many who believe that locally raised bees are going to be necessary to continue beekeeping in the northern areas.
• There is evidence from a study in Maine that locally produced bees are better investments than either southern packages or nucs.
• West Virginia has been fostering a locally produced bee program for several years and it is now up and running.
• Larry Connor has been encouraging local clubs to organize local queen production for bees adapted to the local micro-climate.

Several individuals in the northeast have been producing local queens and nucs for several years. We would like to get those interested in participating in such an endeavor to get together to discuss.
The first meeting to discuss this possibility, the possible methods of organizing, investment necessary and the workings will be held at the home of Ray Lackey, 1260 Walnut Avenue, Bohemia, NY 11716-2176, on Saturday February 4, at 7:00 PM. You are requested to RSVP if coming at lackeyray@tianca.com.

9:30 am- 5 pm Saturday March 31, 2012, in the Huxley Theater in the NY State Museum, within the Cultural Education Center. 222 Madison Ave., Albany NY

Speakers : Maryann Frazier of Penn State University and Randy Oliver of Scientific Beekeeping will enlighten us with 6 consecutive presentations.
Read More...

Novice classes are held in Holtsville, Riverhead, St. James, and Bridgehampton.

Master Beekeeper Ray Lackey, Long Island Beekeepers Club, is offering a number of beekeeping courses in 2012 for the absolute beginner, novice beekeeper. We are planning a number of different locations and meeting schedules so that you can pick the one that is best for your schedule and/or area. Our instructor has been keeping bees on Long Island for 28 years. He regularly speaks at garden clubs, schools and bee clubs on beekeeping and bees.

We have two different novice class formats:
1) One-day Crash Course, 7.5 hours class-time, 8:15 AM to 4:15 PM on Saturday, February 25.
2) Season-long Class - Monthly evening class of 1.5 hours preceded by an hour in the bee yard over 9-months, February through October, following the bee year.

First year costs for starting a bee hive are approximately $600. Help ensure your success and preserve your investment by taking a class to get you started right! We must have at least 15 at a site to continue with that class so pick a class and tell your friends! If the class is cancelled due to insufficient registration, I will contact you with option of other classes or tear up check. No checks will be deposited until the class is a go.

Crash Course: This is a condensation of the season-long class without any bee yard time. You can take the course to improve your beekeeping, start your bees this year or in preparation for a possible future start. The fee is $100.00, including text book, Pizza lunch and snacks at breaks. If you are taking the season long course but want an up-front summary so that you know what you are getting into, or if you have taken the season-long class and want a review, cost is $50 to attend this class (no book provided).

Season-long Class - The fee is $200.00 for the entire course of approximately 30 hours, including text book. You can take the course to improve your beekeeping, start your bees this year in parallel with the class or in preparation for a possible future start. Pick the session that best fits your schedule and location. Class comments from last year emphasized the benefit of the bee yard time.

For more information on this or other beekeeping classes, or to register for the novice classes, please go to:
http://www.tianca.com/tianca2a1.htm
Or Call Ray Lackey at 631-567-1936

Each class will only go forward if a minimum of 15 are registered by February 7.

Nucleus colonies of Honeybees are also available from Ray. For more information, visit:
http://www.tianca.com/tianca2a2.htm

I hope you are all getting ready with your holiday preparations. My family can expect some wonderful lip balm, new chocolate-orange flavor, and hand lotion bars. Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers 2011 Holiday Party
Sunday, December 11, 2011, 2:30 PM
Find the details here.

Well another honey judging contest is over with lots of new members proudly displaying the fruits of their hives. Thanks to Ray for all his work to judge the entries and explaining his critiques. It is difficult to learn that we have made mistakes in submitting our entries so it is these opportunities that we can learn how to improve our techniques in bottling our honey, or molding our candles and wax, or shooting that particular photograph. Read More...

Thanks to Charlotte DiStefano. Read More...

Congratulations to all the Winners!

Light Honey
First prize-Jessica James
Light Amber Honey
First prize-David Dew, Second prize- Joan Mahoney, Third Prize-Jessica James
Amber Honey
First prize-Charlie DiStefano, Second prize-Stephen McDonough, Third prize- Debra Schramm
Dark Honey
First prize-David Dew, Second prize- Giussepe Caso
Comb Honey
First prize-Charlie DiStefano
Novelty Packaged Honey
First prize-Arthur Nelson
Novelty Beeswax
First Prize-Charlie DiStefano
Frosted Cake
First prize- Charlotte DiStefano
Soft Cookies
First prize- Jessica James
Candy
First prize-Jessica James
Gadget
First prize-Jessica James
Arts & Crafts
First prize- Arthur Nelson, Second Prize- George Schramm
Photography
First prize- Moira Alexander, Second prize- Conni Still

To members of the Long Island Beekeepers Club, Inc.: In accordance with Article IX of the proposed Bylaws, let this statement serve as notification of intended ratification of the document titled “Bylaws of the Long Island Beekeepers Club,” dated October 18, 2011, as the bylaws of Long Island Beekeepers Club, Inc. Said document is the proposed text of the Bylaws, and has been included in the Club’s newsletter for November 2011 and published on the Club’s web site.

For a guided tour of the proposed Bylaws, see the President's Message for November 2011.

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

One year ago, in this space, I announced that the Long Island Beekeepers Club had incorporated as a not-for-profit under New York State law, thus making it easier for us to operate in today’s world and assuring the long-term viability of our organization. In conjunction with this announcement, we also started revising the Club’s Bylaws. Read More...

I am sorry I was not able to attend the Long Island Fair at the Bethpage Restoration Village. I understand a good time was had by all. Congratulations to Ray Lackey, Moira Alexander and Donal Peterson for their winning honey entries. I hope we will see those at our club honey judging contest. Please note the change of time for that meeting. We will begin early so we will have plenty of time since we must vacate the building by 4:30 PM. Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

The design and construction of the perfect bee house has always held a certain fascination for me. A small shed to store beekeeping equipment would certainly free up some room in the garage, and a place to secure the hives and provide some additional protection from the elements wouldn’t be bad. Also, having a single location to keep the bees and the equipment together would be convenient; no more schlepping everything out to the beeyard. Read More...

Alexander the Great: Conquered the world, then died thousands of miles from home - his men carried his preserved body home for burial in a golden coffin filled with honey.
Aristotle: This Greek beekeeper and scientist used simple hives with wooden strip top-bars. Some of his observations about bees were pretty clever, others were dead wrong.
Ben Franklin: With everything from bi-focals, lightning, and the US Constitution in his realm of interests, it is not surprising he is mentioned by Thomas Wildman as a patron for Wildman's 1768 Treatise on the Management of Bees.
Brigham Young : A very famous American beekeeper... His interest in bees led to Utah being called the 'Beehive State' and having skep hives as emblems.
Charles Butler: This naturalist and beekeeper realized the "King Bee" is a "Queen Bee" - he wrote Feminine Monarchie. In 1609, he discovered that drone bees are male bees.

Do you have a creative side? The Bee Farm is having a contest to find our 2012 catalog cover and the winner will receive $100 gift certificate to help defray the cost of their beekeeping habit. Here's what you need to do to enter. Email us your best beekeeping picture that you think would make a good cover to the catalog. In the subject line of the email you must put "Catalog Contest". Please include your full name, address, and a phone number in the body of the email and be sure the image is attached to the email. One photo per entry. The winning photo will be given to our artist to be rendered as a painting which will then be used for the cover. Photos must be received by September 30, 2011.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before sending the photo. The catalog cover is a portrait layout. We will need an area with a uniform background where we can put text. The content of the photo should convey beekeeping. The winning entry will be given credit for the photo in the 2012 catalog and a $100 gift certificate to Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm
610 Bethany Church Road
Moravian Falls, N.C. 28654
1-800-BEESWAX (1-800-233-7929)
www.brushymountainbeefarm.com

Well I have survived another beekeeping milestone. First, years ago I experienced the disaster of American Foulbrood Disease and had to burn my hive. Then I saw the infiltration of Varroa mites that destroyed so many of the hives on Long Island. Just when I thought things were finally happily progressing beautifully with two full brood chambers and a full honey super in July I loaded on empty honey supers and thought I would be home free. Read More...

Rockaway Boardwalk, Queens, Saturday, September 17th, 10:00 to 5:00.
Concessions building at 96th Street and Shore Front Parkway.
For more information: www.nychoneyfest.com
LIBC will have a booth at this event. To volunteer to be a Club Ambassador at this event, send us an email to let us know what hours you can volunteer.

The LIBC has set up a Yahoo Group to allow members to exchange ideas and information. Group membership is only available to members in good standing.


Click to join the Long Island Beekeepers Club Yahoo Group (Members Only)

The Club also has a Facebook page!

We need your help to spread the good word about honey bees and beekeeping on Long Island.
Every year the Club participates at various events on Long Island where we set up tent, exhibit an observation hive, display sample equipment, hand out information, and answer questions about bees and beekeeping. We need knowledgeable and enthusiastic members, like you, to help the Club at these events.
We're asking our members to volunteer a small amount of their time to be a Club Ambassador. Upcoming events are listed below and on our Special Events web page. You can send us an email or sign up at our next meeting, to let us know which event and what hours you can volunteer.
No one can spread the word about the importance of honey bees and beekeeping better than a beekeeper!

First Annual NYC Honey Festival, Rockaway Boardwalk, Queens, Saturday, September 17th, 10:00 to 5:00.

Long Island Fair, Old Bethpage Village Restoration, Thursday – Sunday, September 22-25, 10:00 to 5:00.
We need Ambassadors on each day of the fair. School groups traditionally attend the fair on Thursday and Friday, so if you would like to network with teachers, this is your opportunity.

Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center Fall Wildlife Festival, Jones Beach, Sunday, October 9th, 11:00 to 4:00.

For our Club’s first meeting in 2011 we were honored to have Dr. Thomas D. Seeley as our guest speaker. Dr. Seeley is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, where he teaches courses in animal behavior and does research on the functional organization of honeybee colonies. His presentation at our meeting focused on his current research into swarm intelligence, as discussed in his latest book, “Honeybee Democracy.”

Presentations like Dr. Seeley’s help the Club to achieve its objective to further the general knowledge and success of its member beekeepers and to provide a forum for cooperation among beekeepers and those that work to improve the welfare of beekeeping and honeybees.

As a non-profit organization, the Long Island Beekeepers Club is solely dependent on the contributions of its members in order to bring eminent speakers, such as Dr. Seeley, to Long Island. As a beekeeper you’re aware of the beneficial impact bees have in the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and how important it is that we continue to provide educational programs for the promotion of beekeeping, and bee products and services for beekeepers on Long Island. We can only continue our mission through your financial support.

So please renew your membership today by visiting our Membership page here on the website. We have information on where to send your check, or how to pay your dues quickly and easily online, right now. Thank you for your continued support.

Executive Board
Long Island Beekeepers Club

Local news item on the statewide effort to establish a standard definition of honey in New York:
http://rochester.ynn.com/content/politics/552910/beekeepers-lobby-for-movement-on-honey-bill/?ap=1&MP4

Empire State Beekeepers are also circulating an online petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-pure-honey-in-new-york-state.html

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

As an architect, one of my primary responsibilities is to communicate. Typically, I have two audiences to communicate with: the client and the construction contractor. For the client, I would use renderings and models to communicate the intended appearance of the building. For the contractor, drawings and specifications communicate the knowledge necessary to construct the building appropriately. In both cases the instruments of communication need to be clear, concise, correct, and complete, and convey the intended work results, but the drawings and specifications are more technically oriented and require specialized knowledge, while the renderings and models are intended for a more general audience. But in both cases the goal is the same: to communicate the appropriate understanding of how the building will look when it is complete. Read More...

By Charlie Hall, Ocean State Follies, presented at EAS/RI July 27, 2011

13. The windshield of your vehicle has at least two yellow dots on it.

12. You pull over and check the bees on the wildflowers just to see if they are YOUR bees, and you can tell the difference. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Don’t prune or fertilize trees or shrubs now; otherwise unnecessary late growth will be promoted. The new growth will not be hardy this winter...... Read More...

Well here I am back from EAS. A very interesting conference, lots of old friends and some new. Read More...

Courtesy of Wayne Vitale, Spy Coast Bee Man

• One cup of sugar syrup (50/50)
  • One cup of white vinegar
  • Brown banana peels

Pour mixture into a two liter plastic soda bottle with a one and half inch diameter hole cut out just below the neck of the bottle.
Let bottle with mixture ferment in cool dark place for twenty four hours.
Place bottle with rope for hanging. Replace every two weeks.
I have three bottles hanging in my Apiary and one in my honey barn.

Dear LI Beekeepers:

Long Island Farm Bureau and its agricultural partners are planning a one day Farmers Market event on August 5th from 12:00-5:00 PM at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank. We would like to invite your participation in this event. If you would be interested in being a participant, please let us know and we will happily furnish you with the paperwork to become a vendor. Paperwork is easy and not at all involved.

As time is short, please let us know if you are interested.
Deadline for paperwork is August 2nd.

Newsday has had small blurps about our event. Perhaps you have seen it.

Thanks for your time.

Ceil Carpenter
LI Farm Bureau
104 Edwards Ave-S#3
Calverton, NY 11933
631-727-3777
ccarpenter@lifb.com
www.grownonlongisland.com

Carl Flatow wants to create a little buzz for someone he admires.

Since September 2009, Mr. Flatow has been lobbying for a postage stamp honoring Rev. Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, a towering figure in the history of beekeeping.

"The guy was an American hero, an icon really," says Mr. Flatow of the reverend, who patented the first movable frame bee hive in the U.S. in 1852.

Mr. Flatow, 60 years old, rallied support from beekeepers across the country, wrote letters and gathered signatures, hoping a stamp would be issued in time for the 200th anniversary of Rev. Langstroth's birth, last December.

Read More at http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903461104576458703778752160.html
#articleTabs=article

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Blossom-end rot on tomatoes is caused by moisture fluctuations. Regulation of soil moisture and mulch will help.
   2 Be aware of aphids and horn worms causing damage on tomato plants. Use a recommended insecticide for aphids if infestation is severe and remove the hornworms by hand.....

Read More...

Summer is here full blast and everywhere I go the first thing people ask me is “How are your bees?” Even my doctors appointments begin with bee talk before I get checked on my important vital signs. My friends seem to find bee related gifts and cards to add to my ever growing collection. And the next question is “Will you have honey this year?” I really hope so. Read More...

Supporting local beekeeping by becoming a member of the Long Island Beekeepers is now just a click away, and renewing your membership couldn't get any easier.

The Club now accepts credit cards, so now you can pay your membership dues online, safely and securely.

Just visit our "Membership" page, then click on the "Beecome a Member" button and you will be automatically transfered to a secure PayPal-hosted page where you can complete the payment for your membership using American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa, or if you have a PayPal account, you can use that too.

Your credit card information remains safe and secure with PayPal's encrypted website; the Club does not store, nor have access to, your credit card data.

Still not convinced that becoming a member with your credit card is safe and secure? Then visit our "Membership" page for more information about PayPal, including how to create a secure account of your own.

With the increasing interest in building and maintaining top-bar hives, we've added a web page on our website where members can exchange ideas and information. For more, visit our new forum by clicking on the link in the menu on the left.

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Plant roses only in places that get at least six hours of sunshine daily – roses love sunlight, especially morning sun.... Read More...

My bees have let publicity go to their heads. I allowed them to be photographed for an essay on urban beekeeping. Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

If you were fortunate enough to be able to attend our meeting in May, you saw a presentation by our guest speaker, Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries, discussing, among other topics, top-bar hives. Read More...

Looking for beekeeping equipment? Queens? Bees?
Check our Classifieds page.

Read about our Club's Vice-president in this article on Three Village Patch:
"Wayne Vitale is the Spy Coast Bee Man, a beekeeper whose sale of honey plays second fiddle to his main, expressly stated goal of “bringing bees back to the world.”"
Read More...

Anarchy Apiaries is proud to announce the first ever Beekeeping Bootcamp. A three day beekeeping intensive based in Germantown, NY, Friday – Sunday, May 20-22.
Read More...

CATCH THE BUZZ: Mining the Honey Bee Genome

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, One Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

What does it mean for a community that focuses on one organism to have that organism's genome sequenced? Just ask researchers who gathered this week at the Honey Bee Genomics and Biology Meeting at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, New York. It's the first time such a conference has been held since the honey bee genome was sequenced, and over the course of the past three days it's become abundantly clear that this is a field transformed, greatly expanded and diversified from just four years ago.

Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

(With apologies to Raymond Chandler and Philip Marlowe.)

It looked like another dark and stormy night. So I took off my wet sunglasses and squinted at the bright sunshine of a cool spring day. The Kingsley Apiary was, and is, on Olive Street, near Sixth, on the west side. The garden in front of it had a fresh coating of immaculate green sod. A hatless pale man with a face like a halibut was planting dandelions into the sod and looking as if it was breaking his heart. Read More...

The State of New York has granted registration for Mite Away Quick Strips (MAQS) for the control of varroa mites. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Make second and third sowings of beets, carrots, peas, radishes, spinach, lettuce and onions... Read More...

Our last meeting, again standing room only, enjoyed an excellent lecture from Marla Spivak.... Read More...

Read the Newsday article "Long Island Beekeepers Help the Planet" which features the LI Beekeepers Club: http://tinyurl.com/43dlbak

A workshop on the disease Nosema ceranae will be held at Morrisville State College in Central New York on Thursday, June 9. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Most vegetables and ornamental plants thrive in a slightly acid soil with a soil pH reading between 6.0 and 6.9. A proper soil preparation, before planting, is a vital step toward gardening success. Read More...

Again we had a standing room only meeting.... Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, March 20, 2011
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

At the end of this month, on April 30 and May 1, New York State will be hosting a Spring Festival at Heckscher State Park. The Club has been invited to participate by setting up a table at the event to promote the benefits of bees and beekeeping. Since one of the goals of the Club is to educate not just beekeepers but also the general public, this will be a great opportunity (one of many I hope) to fulfill that mission. Read More...

The schedule for the 2011 EAS Summer Conference, July 25-29, in Warwick, RI, has been posted on the EAS website:
http://www.easternapiculture.org/conferences/eas-2011.html

The Bee Informed Partnership, an extension project that endeavors to decrease the number of managed honey bee colonies that die over the winter, is asking beekeepers to participate in this year's Winter Loss Survey from 1 April through 18 April, 2011:
http://beeinformed.org/participate-now/

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

On October 11, 2010, a man in Georgia, who was operating a bulldozer, unintentionally aggravated a colony of bees and received over 100 stings and died of cardiac arrest. The Georgia Department of Agriculture collected samples of the bees and submitted them to a laboratory for testing. Nine days later the laboratory confirmed that the bees were Africanized honeybees (AHBs). Fortunately, it appears that this was an isolated incident and AHBs are not established in the state of Georgia at this time. Read More...

Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association
March 26, 2011 - SABA 2011 Beekeeping Seminar, Albany, NY
More info...

This will be the Co-Op's 3rd year of saving beekeepers serious money on both bees and equipment by purchasing as a group. The more who join in, the more everyone saves. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Send for those seed and nursery catalogs so you can plan your garden in advance... Read More...

I really hope that snow has an insulating property... Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

If anyone was under the impression that climate change, also known as global warming, was going to be a good thing for honeybees, you need only look outside today (December 27, 2010) at blizzard conditions and below freezing temperatures for a reality check. Read More...

There will be novice classes in 2011 at the following locations:
Centereach, Holtsville, Huntington, Riverhead, and Saint James.

For more information: http://www.longislandbeekeepers.org/guide/novice/novice.html

The True Source Honey™ Initiative enthusiastically announces the launch of a Certified Honey Traceability Program beginning in January 2011. The program officially known as True Source Certified™ was unveiled at the 2011 North American Beekeeping Conference in Galveston this past week. Read More...

Check out these fascinating videos on bee behavior and culture newly posted on the Science Friday website:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201012245

(Thanks to Club member, Carl Flatow, for the link.)

Cerise Mayo, a beekeeper in Red Hook and Governors Island, found that her wandering bees were returning with mysterious red stripe.
Read how the mystery was solved at the New York Times online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/nyregion/30bigcity.html

Here are pictures from our Holiday Party. As you can see the raffle prizes were exceptional and the money raised from the raffle will be sent to the Heifer Foundation to buy 3 beehives for a family in a third world country. Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

I'm happy to report that our Club's website has been as busy as a, well, you know. From December 1st of 2009 to December 1st of this year we've had 9,179 visitors to the website (that’s right – over 9,000 visitors!). Read More...

Local Honey, beeswax candles, soap, and lip-balm all make great gifts for the holiday. Check out our list of local beekeepers and see what they have to offer at a location near you.

November 28th, 2:00pm at Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington

In Colony, several beekeepers around the U.S. cope with colony collapse disorder - the phenomenon that has caused millions of bees to mysteriously disappear, threatening not only the beekeeping industry but our food supply. Film and discussion with Long Island Master Beekeeper Rich Blohm. Apitherapy presentation by Frederique Keller, a licensed acupuncturist who incorporates classical homeopathy and bee venom therapy as well as utilizes honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee bread. It’s a day to celebrate honey bees- our most precious pollinators. Read More...

by Grai St.Clair Rice, Ulster County Beekeepers Association

There should be no surprise that politics and lobbying often effects how public monies are being spent, whether federal, state or local funds. And, in an agricultural state as large as New York, beekeepers and small farmers are often left in the dust of commercial and market driven interests. The current budget crunch adds additional pressure. The NYS Agriculture Budget was one of the first to be finalized by the senate and signed by the governor this summer. The numbers say a lot, but there are hidden messages and deals in the offing. Read More...

Our honey judging contest was a lively success as always. The different colors of honey this year ranged from light to dark amber. We had jam, great cookies, eye catching photos, gift basket, and an enthusiastic group of beekeepers. Thanks to Rich Blohm for judging and for his informative explanation of the careful process. Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

These are challenging times. When the Suffolk County Farm Bureau Bee Club was formed in 1949, composing some bylaws, electing officers, and distributing responsibilities was probably more than sufficient to create a thriving club of local beekeepers who wanted to share ideas and pass down knowledge to the next generation. The current version of the club still works the same way to achieve similar goals, but in today’s world organizations need a form of official recognition just to accomplish seemingly simple tasks like making purchases or even having a bank account. Read More...

The American Apitherapy Society proudly announces its 2010 Charles Mraz Apitherapy Course & Conference to be held in Los Angeles, California, November 11-14, 2010, in conjunction with the International Conference on Biotherapy.
Read More...

The importance of bees has never been greater than now... Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

It’s clean up time! Remember the cleaner and neater your garden is in the fall, the better you will find it in the spring! I’m just filling my sixth bag with old foliage and dead wood (tomorrow is yard waste day), and the sweat is running down my forehead. I have taken out my hearing aids so they will not get wet. This serves a dual purpose, they stay dry and I can’t hear Brigitte. Read More...

Where has the month gone? I have been busy, bottling honey, making jam, trying to get things ready for the honey judging contest and the Christmas Fair that I hope will be a huge success for my craft projects. I just haven’t found enough time to do it all. Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

In 2006, a piece of amber, which is fossilized tree resin, from an amber mine in the Hukawng Valley of northern Myanmar (Burma) was found containing a bee and four kinds of flowers. The amber has been dated to 100 million years ago; a length of time that tests the limits of human imagination. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Plant or transplant evergreens (narrow-and broadleaved) this month. Soak immediately after planting. Mulch!
2... Read More...

I am a very happy beekeeper this year. I had a very successful harvest, almost finished bottling my crop of lovely amber honey. Read More...

New York State Apiary Inspectors have been sampling apiaries for Nosema disease for three years. Nosema is a fungus that infects bees reducing overall bee health. Traditionally New York has had infestations of Nosema apis which had moderate impact on colonies and the fungus would not generally survive into fall. In 2009 44% of sampled apiaries had Nosema. Commercial beekeepers continue to have the largest rate of infestation of Nosema at 59%.
Read more at: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/PI/PIHome.html

Wednesday, November 10th, 6:30p at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, Manhattan, NY
Read More...

By Wayne Vitale, LIBC Vice-president

I feel that preparation for wintering bees should begin in June with an assessment of hives for brood, stores and mites.
Winters on Long Island typically last from November to March and we want to strengthen bees so they produce more bees in order to keep the hives strong through winter and into spring. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Don’t prune or fertilize trees or shrubs now; otherwise unnecessary late growth will be promoted. The new groth will not be hardy this winter.
2... Read More...

I have been a busy beekeeper on my virtual farm, Farmville. I have 4 virtual bee hives and they contain 200 bees with only one queen for 4 hives. Not beekeeper accurate, but fun nonetheless. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Poison Ivy can grow almost anywhere; you can find it in almost any garden, roadside, thicket, woods, park or even along sandy beaches. Read More...

The record breaking heat wave has kept our bees busy and hopefully finding lots of wonderful flowers and nectar to give us lots of honey this season. When I checked my hives last, the propolis was so sticky from the heat it was stretchy and gooey! Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

If you own one of the new ‘smart phones’, like the iPhone, or had a chance to play with someone else’s, you have probably noticed that the phone responds to gravity. For example, the image on the screen will orient itself automatically in response to the position in which you hold the phone; hold it horizontally and the image will display horizontally; rotate the phone vertically and the image responds appropriately. This occurs because inside the phone there is a microelectromechanical device called an accelerometer. Read More...

Hasn't everyone here been in a smoker lighting contest? It used to be standard entertainment at beekeeper summer picnics. Read More...

Time flies! It's an old saying, but in today's fast-paced world, it's never been so true. Before we know it, our bees are all grown up—out on their own or off to swarm. Most beekeepers realize the rewards of close ties with their hive. Yet the demands of jobs and day-to-day household activities can be stressful and tiring. So, it's easy for quality time with our bees to get squeezed out. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Here we are, its Memorial Day weekend and our garden is partially planted. (Brigitte did the job) The peas are blooming, cucumbers are looking good and we put in pepper and tomato plants. Hopefully, we will not have a repeat of the tomato blight we had last year and will have a great harvest. Read More...

Beekeeping season is in full swing. I hived my nuke last week and checked on them over the weekend. They were busy as could be. I added a honey super to my overwintered hive and all the girls seem to be happy. Read More...

Beekeeping is a diverse hobby. It lends itself to a variety of interests beyond the basics of keeping bees; which in itself is difficult enough, so developing a curiosity in other bee-related activities can be a welcome diversion. Read More...

Our Club’s website has been overwhelmed with emails from people looking to purchase local honey, and other hive products, from our members. We have a page on the website that lists members that sell honey, so if you’re interested in being included on the list, visit the Local Honey page, scroll down to the bottom, and submit your information: http://www.longislandbeekeepers.org/honey/honey.html

Master Beekeeper, and LIBC member, Rich Blohm, appeared on the National Public Radio's Science Friday with host Ira Flatow on April 2nd. You can listen to the show and see a video of Rich removing a hive of bees from inside the wall of a house at: http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201004024
LIBC member, Carl Flatow, shot and produced the video.

It is a beautiful Spring day. The bees are out in full force, checking out the crocuses and daffodils ( I only have one!) and all the lovely spring flowers. I must do a replant of my spring bulbs, that lonely daffodil looks totally lost. Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, March 21, 2010
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

Members of the International Sisterhood of Egglayers, Local 1851, are set to vote this week on a strike action against SweetBee Honey Corporation.
At issue is SweetBee’s new mandatory retirement age of two years for queen bees. The policy was announced on March 1, and drew an ominous hum of indignation from egglayers across the company’s 1200-hive operation.

“It’s completely arbitrary – it’s not even a matter of individual ability,” buzzed Myrtle, a 26-month-old queen who declined to give her last name. “They just assume we’re too old and can no longer do the job.”

Read More at: http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2010.04.01.12.27.archive.html

Long Island is a magical place with a remarkable diversity of ecosystems, so what a beekeeper in Glen Cove is doing around the apiary during one particular month of the year will be quite different from what the beekeeper in Montauk is doing. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

We just love them in our garden and like to share about them with you. Hellebores bloom from February-May making them the perfect perennial for extending the garden season. Read More...

West Virginia has become the first state in the nation to pass a law giving beekeepers immunity from liability for ordinary negligence. Read More...

On March 16th, New York City’s board of health voted to lift a ban against beekeeping, legalizing the hives of hundreds of residents who have tended bees in defiance of the law.
Read more at: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/bring-on-the-bees/?ref=earth

In 1159, John of Salisbury, Bishop of Chartres, wrote: "Dicebat Bernardus Carnotensis nos esse quasi nanos, gigantium humeris insidentes, ut possimus plura eis et remotiora videre, non utique proprii visus acumine, aut eminentia corporis, sed quia in altum subvenimur et extollimur magnitudine gigantean." Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, February 21, 2010
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

I can’t believe it is 66 degrees out today. I checked my bees yesterday and they were flying busily, looking for something to harvest. The snow drops are up and so is the witch hazel, although I haven’t found them on those plants.
Also: Recent Letters to the Editor. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

It’s still winter, and the only plants we can care for, admire and decorate the house with, are houseplants. Last month I featured poinsettias, this month I like to talk about the other holiday plant: The Christmas Cactus. Read More...

Browse through our online photo album of the Long Island Beekeepers Club Gala Holiday Party and 60th Anniversary Celebration which took place on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at the The Flaming Hearth, Farmingville, NY.
LIBC 60th Anniversary Party Album

A letter from the White House regarding the LIBC's 60th anniversary. Read More...

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

The decline of honeybees seen in many countries may be caused by reduced plant diversity, research suggests.
Bees fed pollen from a range of plants showed signs of having a healthier immune system than those eating pollen from a single type, scientists found.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8467746.stm

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

The poinsettia, a popular plant at Christmas time, provides effective color in the home during the holiday season. The newer poinsettia cultivars are long-lasting in contrast to previous years. Read More...

This month: The slate of nominees for officers for election, Farmville needs bees, and letters to the editor. Read More...

Happy New Years everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We certainly started it off with a great celebration of our 60th Anniversary of the LIBC at our Holiday Party. Read More...

The holidays are upon us, but in all the hustle and bustle, we should not forget our hives.

Read More...

I have been so busy making my holiday crafts, lotion bars, lip balm, candles and soap. Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, November 15, 2009
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 31 Rider Ave, Patchogue, NY‎ Read More...

Two hundred years after his birth in 1810, Rev. Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, known as the “Father of American Beekeeping,” will be honored. Langstroth’s discovery of “bee space” and his invention of the movable-frame beehive will be celebrated with a national network of exhibits, workshops and seminars and, with your help, perhaps a commemorative U.S. postage stamp as well. Read More...

I congratulate everyone who won prizes at the Honey Judging! I thank everyone who participated!

Read More...

I am still preening from winning ribbons at the honey judging for my entries in the contest.
Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

In previous Fall issues of Beeline I discussed watering and maintaining lawns endlessly. To sum it up, unless you hire a lawn service it is a pain in the neck, the back, the knees etc. There is a better way. Read More...

A heavenly velvety soup. Serve it as a first course with Thanksgiving dinner. Read More...

Since the discovery of the honeybee tracheal mite and the Varroa mite, the maintenance of the state's viable honeybee population has been of great concern to the NYS Department or Agriculture and Markets. Left undetected or untreated, apiaries infested with these parasites will exhibit a high rate of colony mortality. Read More...

In an effort to include all members in the process of nominating and electing new officers, nominations and votes will be accepted via e-mail and postal mail.

Nominations can be made by any member "in good standing", which means those who paid their 2009 dues in a timely manner. Any member in good standing (same definition) may be nominated for any office.

Our club has grown large enough that a significant number of members do not attend any one meeting for a wide variety of reasons, so it is hoped that those who cannot attend specific meetings to nominate or elect officers will be included.

The deadline for nominations will be Dec 1st, 2009.

A ballot will be included in the December newsletter, and votes can be e-mailed to correspondingsecy@longislandbeekeepers.org or mailed to:
Conni Still, 82 Stephen Road, Bayport, NY 11705

It is hoped that all ballots can be counted in January, so that the new officers can take office at the February meeting.

Offices In LIBC Include:
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, October 18, 2009
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

Hello everyone,
I invite you to enter our Club’s Annual Honey Show! It’s not just honey!

Read More...

I harvested my honey this month, all 15 pounds of it. Read More...

Learn the ancient Art & Science of APITHERAPY, the medicinal use of products from the beehive: Honey, Pollen, Propolis, Royal Jelly, Bee Venom and Beeswax. Read More...

Attention all members: This is for our Club's 60th Anniversary celebration. If you have photos from past meetings (the older the better, but new ones are great too) or other historical items to display, please bring them to our LIBC meetings August through November. They may become part of a special display at our 60th Anniversary party in December.
Thanks!