Welcome to the
                Bee Hive!!

Contact us at LocalLivingVenture@gmail.com
for notice of Workshops and events

                                 Potential Workshops (2013)             

Look for these upcoming workshops:
  Basics of BeeKeeping
  Raising Queens
  Making Nuc's
 

Even more fun and educational activities:
  Summer Mentoring sessions at Squeak Creek Apiaries.
  Gathering a Wild Swarm mentoring sessions, as they come up, with Discussion Group members.
  Honey Appreciation sessions showcasing honey tastings, cooking tips, health benefits, and more.
  "Factory" Tour!  Visit a local (Rens Falls) Amish hive builder -- and place your orders!

See Past Workshops & Events for an idea of potential future offerings as well.

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Congratulations and well wishes to the
Empire State Honey Producer's Assn.
Check out their 2012 grant award here:
http://registerstar.com/articles/2011/11/15/news//doc4ec1fe622614a389177028.txt

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Courtesy of the Local Living Venture ~ we hope you enjoy these Resources we've put together for you!  If you find something really interesting to share, please let us know to add it to this page! 

Email us at LocalLivingVenture@gmail.com or call 315-347-4223

You can click on any website listed here to go directly to their page.

Resources

An excellent glossary of bee terminology
www.bushfarms.com/beesterms.htm

The Empire State Honey Producers Assn.
A great local resource!
www.ESHPA.org
President:
Greg Kalacin, greg@harmonyfarm.net
www.HarmonyFarm.net
Harmony Farm * Lisbon, NY * 315 322-4208

All kinds of resource information here!
www.masterbeekeeper.org/resources.htm

The Barefoot Beekeeper – tutorials & podcasts
www.biobees.com

Recommended by Mark Berninghausen:
beesource.com

Recommended by Discussion Group regular Bonnie Corse:
www.basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com
by David & Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms in Central Illinois

What Should I Be Doing With My Bees This Month? 
www.naturesnectar.blogspot.com
This blog is for beekeepers in Northern climates.

 Beekeeper's Calendar
      This is a monthly checklist of activities for the beekeeper though they note that all schedules are dependent on weather, climate, neighborhood and even the type of bees you have.  Also, subtract at least a couple of weeks for the fact that they're in southwestern Connecticut!
      www.backyardbeekeepers.com/to-do.html

and a feature film, released in March 2011:
Queen of the Sun: What are Bees Telling Us?
www.queenofthesun.com

  F O R   B E G I N N E R S  

 PURCHASING A BEE NUCLEUS  
Planning for a bee hive next summer?  Then you will need to have a source for purchasing a bee nucleus set up before the end of THIS year, unless you are very lucky.   (Supply and demand - plus timing!)  Unless you have a local source or catch a swarm, most bee suppliers book up early.  Mark your calendar for no later than December to order them for the next Spring season. 

There MAY be some "nuc's" available locally.  This information is the kind of thing shared in our monthly Bee Discussion Group informal gatherings (dates above).  If you can't find any in a timely fashion, locally or afar, you can use this time to learn more about bees and beekeeping through our Workshops and Bee Discussion Groups.


  LOCAL FOLKS WHO MAY SELL BEES  

Ted Elk
Many Flowers Apiaries
1524 State Highway 37
Hammond, NY 13646-3204
(315) 324-5673

Michael Palmer
French Hill Apiaries
Good source of northern bees and queens, makes queens, overwinters nuc's
441 Forest Dr
St Albans, VT 05478
(802) 524-2433

Roland & Kelly Moore
Norwood area
315-268-1943

Mark Berninghausen
Squeak Creek Apiaries
is not interested in selling his bees in 2013, but may be again next yearou with folks like

If you have no luck with the above folks, check with the Empire State Honey Producer's Assn. too -- they may be able to help you.  You really should have your Spring order placed by December, though.  You may find some later, but it's very possible they may not be available!

From Betterbee Catalog:

Tools of the Trade:
Before you can get started, there are some basic tools and equipment you will need:

1.  Protective Clothing to help protect you from stings while working your hives.

2.  A hive or hives, depending on your aspirations.  Betterbee offers a variety of hive setups and hive types.  Our BeeMax line of hives offers superior insulation, helping you over-winter colonies more successfully.  Our traditional wooden hives are thicker, and therefore stronger and longer lasting than our competitors.  They are made for traditional 10 frame hive setups as well as 8 frame hive setups. 

3.  Beekeeping tools - you'll find everything you need to be a successful beekeeper on this website or in our annual catalog.  There are tools for general hive maintenance, feeding your bees, harvesting and extracting honey and wax, and much more. 

4.  And, of course, BEES!  Bees are most often sold early spring (April and May), but orders are taken at the beginning of the New Year.  [ NOTE from Chelle:  Get your orders in before the end of the year for delivery the next year or you may not get any at all! ] We sell bees for pickup only. Mail order bees often suffer undue stress as they pass through the postal service. If you are unable to pickup bees at Betterbee, contact a local association, they will be able to help you find a local source. These associations are also invaluable resources. If you are unable to find an association near you, let us know and we will do our best to help.
[ NOTE from Chelle: Sometimes members of our group do sell bees; ask about it at a Monthly Discussion Group gathering!  See the schedule on our website above. ]

New vs. Used Equipment: 
You can buy used hives with the bees already in them, but you may be inheriting someone else's problems.  The comb could be infected with foulbrood disease, or the bees could be heavily infested with mites.  The bees may be, through the neglect of the previous beekeeper, genetically disposed to swarm, or through lack of re-queening, highly defensive.  We strongly advise the beginning beekeeper NOT TO BUY used hives, unless you have access to the advice of an experienced (and trusted) beekeeper.  We recommend starting either one or two hives of bees.  Two hives will allow for a basis of comparison should one of the hives not perform up to expectation. 

The Betterbee Beginner's Kits include everything you will need for your first season of beekeeping and the equipment for your bees to make honey. 

Getting Started:
Now that you have the equipment and bees, you are on your way to an exciting new hobby, or perhaps someday a successful business. To insure your beekeeping success, we suggest you find a beekeeping mentor (an established beekeeper) who is willing to share how he or she manages his or her own bees.  If you cannot find a mentor, you might consider attending an introductory class on beekeeping.  Classes are held at locations throughout the country, and at our learning center in Greenwich, NY (call for details). 
[ NOTE from the LLV: This is where our Monthly Discussion Group gatherings come in!  We also do occasional workshops on a specific subject.  See the schedule on our Workshops & Events page, and join us!  If you're on our email list, you'll receive notice of all Bee events. ]


BASIC COMPONENTS (from the 10 Frame Beginner's Kit sold by BetterBee)

Telescoping Outer Cover
Wooden Inner Cover
Hivetop Feeder w/Drown Guard
Medium and/or Shallow Supers
Hive Bodies
Frames and Foundations
Reversible Bottom Board
10" Hive Tool
Stainless Steel Smoker w/ Heat Shield
Beginning Beekeeping Book
Leather Gloves
Hard Plastic Helmet
Round Tie Down Veil
Other Protective Clothing if needed
Queen Excluder
Varroa Screen
Varroa Monitor & Debris Tray
Hive Smoker

Construction Specifications for a 10-Frame Langstroth Beehive
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/10-frame-langstroth-barry-birkey/

Rudy Schwartentruber's Price List as of March 1, 2012
Hive Stand $5
Bottom Board $6.50
more coming, my apologies but time ran out tonight, folks!

Many thanks  to Mark Berninghausen of Squeak Creek Apiaries and Greg Kalacin of Harmony Farms and the Empire State Honey Producers Assn. for all of their assistance helping us provide training and networking to the enthusiastic beekeepers of the North Country!

Ideas for Future Events and Workshops

compiled by Bonnie Corse

If you are interested in attending, presenting, hosting, teaching  any of these topics please let us know!  SustLivingProject@gmail.com

BEESWAX:
How it's made.
Uses for beeswax.
How to make beeswax candles.
Beeswax lip balm.
Beeswax hand salve.
Can be used to lubricate wood for ease in opening and closing.
Can be used to condition your wooden cutting boards.
Can be used to waterproof leather.
Waxing for skis, toboggans.

KNOWING HONEY:
How do you taste, grade, evaluate and judge different flavors of honey.
Raw honey vs. heated honey.
Crystallization is normal.
How to make creamed honey.
Health benefits of honey.
Cooking with honey - baking and storing.
Uses for bee pollen.
Uses for propolis.
Bee venom therapy.

SELLING:
Home sales and store sales, how do you manage them.
Label requirements.
Preference of glass jars or plastic.
Sale of liquid honey, creamed honey, comb honey. What is popular.
What are some problems that could occur with sales.
What do you do about crystallization in jars?
Does your bulk honey ever crystallize before bottling?

                                     

   

                                  P A S T   E V E N T S   


   "Bee-ology" -- Basic Bee Biology for Beginning Beekeepers  
  Saturday, May 19, 2012 Learning Farm Classroom at Cooperative Extension, Rt 68

Expert beekeeper Mark Berninghausen of Squeak Creek Apiaries will be our presenter, discussing the anatomy and physiology of the honey bee, for beginner to advanced levels.  Mark will share what a honeybee looks like close up, examining what makes a honeybee distinct from other insects. 

Suggested donation of $10 to $20, sliding scale, $5 student - scholarships available when you RSVP.  Email us if you have questions,need directions, or to RSVP (not necessary in this case, but helpful!).

Owner of Squeak Creek Apiaries, Mr. Berninghausen has been keeping bees since 1976 and has been providing local sourced honey for the North Country since 1988 through his Squeak Creek Apiaries based in Brasher Falls, NY, (315) 769-2566.  He has been by maintaining more than 500 colonies of bees across the St. Lawrence River Valley, which are also used to pollinate apple orchards in the region each Spring.  Overwintering his hives in South Carolina allows his bees to be ready for early Spring pollination needs as well as the production of nucleus colonies for use by local beekeepers.
 
Along with his Associates Degree in Commercial Beekeeping from the Agricultural Technical Institute at Ohio State University, Mark spent 20 seasons working as an Apiary Inspector with the N.Y. State Department of Ag & Markets and many years working with other commercial beekeepers.



 Basic Bee Hive Components + Equipment & Gear
  Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 7 PM
  with Greg Kalacin of the  Empire State Honey Producer's Assn.
  Colton Town  Hall, 94 Main St, Colton


 
  SLU's Romer Lecture:  'Honeybee Democracy' 
  Wednesday, April 4, 2012 7:30 PM       (not an SLP coordinated event)
  Hepburn Hall, St. Lawrence University, Canton
  (see campus map below)

   Cornell University Biology Professor Thomas D. Seeley will give a talk called "Honeybee Democracy" on Wednesday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Hepburn Hall at St. Lawrence University.  (Note:  here is a link to the campus map.  Hepburn Hall is #14. http://www.stlawu.edu/campusmap/map.html).  The 2012 Alfred Romer Memorial Lecture event is open to the public free of charge and will be followed by a book-signing. Seeley's books will be available at the lecture, as well as in the Brewer Bookstore.
   Seeley will describe how honeybees make decisions: collectively and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate and consensus-building. Seeley will discuss how these bees evaluate potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open deliberation, choose a final site and navigate together - as a swirling cloud of bees - to their new home.
    He will argue that these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to achieving collective wisdom. A decision-making group should consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader's influence should be minimized, diverse solutions should be sought, vigorous debate of the options should be encouraged, and the majority will should be counted on for a dependable solution. "We will see," Seeley says, "that with the right organization, decision-making groups can be smarter than even the smartest individual in them."

          "Bee" in touch -- join us!  Get on the mailing list; write to SustLivingProject@gmail.com

                                     

   

2011 Bee Workshop Schedule

Bees and BeeKeeping Workshop for Novices
Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 7 pm
Canton Unitarian Universalist Church Sanctuary
Main Church Entrance, 3-1/2 Main Street, Canton, NY
Due to overflow capacity in February, this 2nd Workshop is now scheduled on March 2! 
Join us on March 2nd when Mark Berninghausen of Squeak Creek Apiaries will demonstrate with empty bee hive boxes and answer all of your questions about bees and beekeeping.  His background includes an AAS Degree in Commercial Beekeeping from Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute, 20 years of seasonal work with the NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets, 20-plus years working with and for other beekeepers in Ohio and NY, Florida, and South Carolina, and much more.

RSVP appreciated but not necessary.  (SustLivingProject@gmail.com)  All are welcome.  A donation of up to $10 is requested for the Workshop.

Our First Ever BeeKeeping Workshop & Discussion
For Immediate Release
Contact:  Chelle Lindahl, 315.347.4223 or sustlivingproject@gmail.com             

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

What / Why:    BeeKeeping Workshop & Discussion
Where:            Scoopuccino's Bakery & Cafe, 167 Market Street, Potsdam,  NY
When:             7 PM, Thursday, February 3, 2011
Cost:               "Free Will" donation, no one will be turned away.
Contact:          315.347.4223, www. SustainableLivingProject .net, or SustLivingProject@gmail.com

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PRESS RELEASE

POTSDAM, NY -- A workshop and discussion on Bees and BeeKeeping will feature local expert Mark Berninghausen of Squeak Creek Apiaries as the workshop presenter.  His background includes an AAS Degree in Commercial Beekeeping from Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute, 20 years of seasonal work with the NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets, 20-plus years working with and for other beekeepers in Ohio and NY, Florida, and South Carolina, and much more.  Empty hives and other equipment will be shown and their uses discussed.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 3rd and is sponsored by the Sustainable Living Project (SLP), coordinator of the Local Living Festival in September.  It will be held in the comfortable parlor at the rear of Scoopuccino's Bakery & Cafe at 167 Market Street in Potsdam. 

A la carte dining and dessert will be available for those who wish to support the host venue, or who are just plain hungry.    http://www.scoopuccinos.com/index.html    Dinners range from $7-19 and includes local black angus and homemade gelato!  Please arrive 15 minutes early if you plan to order food, even if just from the bakery counter, in order to avoid disruption.

All beekeeping skill levels are welcome.  Space is limited, so an RSVP is necessary - especially since, if there is overflow or weather cancellation, a second date will be added.

Please contact the SLP at 315-347-4223 or SustLivingProject @ gmail .com for reservations or more information.  This event is a free-will donation basis to support the Festival and year-round Workshops. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.  The Sustainable Living Project is part of Seedcorn, a non-profit, 510(c)3 educational organization in St. Lawrence County, NY and can be viewed on the web at www. SustainableLivingProject .net.

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A la carte dining and dessert will be available for those who wish to support the host venue, or who are just plain hungry.    http://www.scoopuccinos.com/index.html    Dinners range from $7-19 and includes local black angus and homemade gelato!  Please arrive 15 minutes early if you plan to order food, even if just from the bakery counter, in order to avoid disruption.

Please RSVP as seating is limited.  A second event may be scheduled if there is overflow or a weather cancellation, so calling ahead is recommended: 315 347 4223 or SustLivingProject@gmail.com. 
Please Note the Workshop name, your cell or other best contact phone prior to the Workshop, and number in your party  - their names and contact info is helpful as well.

                                     

   

 

Many thanks to presenter   
Mark Berninghausen of   
 Squeak Creek Apiaries  in Brasher Falls, NY   
(315) 769-2566  
  www.squeakcreekhoney.com