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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter April 2005 |
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Hello to All Honey Producers! As Spring approaches I have noticed the bees out buzzing even in the suburban-city of Wheaton, Illinois. I have been very busy with classes this spring semester and find little time to do anything but schoolwork. I was home several weekends ago and I checked my hive to see how it wintered, it seemed to be doing much better than last year. I was 100% positive that they were still alive because I could see some bees buzzing outside the entrance, as opposed to last year I only had a handful of bees huddled in between the frames of the bottom super.
In January I had the wonderful opportunity to represent Iowa at the American Beekeeping Federation National meeting in Reno, Nevada. I enjoyed meeting many new beekeepers and learning a mass amount of new information. I was able to speak with vendors and see what products they had for sale and how some of these crazy contraptions worked. I enjoyed one man’s collection of antique smokers and one woman started her own company making glass-blown, honey related jewelry. I was also able to form several great friendships with the other State Honey Queens as we ran for the title of American Honey Queen and Princess. I found myself busy from 9 A.M. until 10 P.M. every day. We gave presentations at a local elementary, teaching the children about bees and pollination and also making beeswax candles, which are very similar to the candles we make at our own Iowa State Fair. We had a Quiz Bowl where we were able to show our knowledge about beekeeping, and also had a silent auction to raise money for the queen program. There was also a large quilt made by one of the beekeepers wives to raise money for the queen program. The seven queens sold raffle tickets for this beautiful, hand-sewn quilt that had 42 skeps on it with plants and bees along the bottom. I had the opportunity to share my scrapbook with the beekeepers and get to know them by giving a sales presentation at the Ladies Auxiliary Breakfast. I gave my presentation on planning the perfect party using honey as the theme. There were many creative presentations! One of the ladies was a pirate, another was Susy Sunshine, a children’s singer, Winnie the Pooh, and a Scientist. The ladies I was able to form friendships with are phenomenal girls and I have continued to keep contact with them. The beekeepers and speakers were very interesting and I enjoyed getting to know many of them. A large challenge of the week was hardly knowing anyone, so I had to introduce myself and become friends with many new people. It was also very encouraging to see the people I spoke to earlier in the week remember me and give a smile that was able to reaffirm my confidence. I am very thankful for being able to represent Iowa in this program and I have learned so many great skills from being the Iowa Honey Queen. I was also able to catch up with several of the speakers from our state convention in the past several years. Several of the speakers I saw were Bob Cox, George Hanson, and Lee Heine. Once again I wish to thank you for your kindness to me over the past several years I have been involved with the IHPA. I have thoroughly loved all the opportunities I have had to meet people and be involved with this great program. I will definitely be around and at the State Fair. I will also continue to need lots of advice on my hive. Thank you to Matt and Patty for being my mentors and to Paul and Hildegard Goossen for getting me involved in the program. Thank you to Regina for coming to Reno with me and always being encouraging. There are so many great people in the IHPA that I can’t list all of you. Thank you for so many great memories and great opportunities and lessons that I have learned. Sweet Regards,
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