The Buzz Newsletter

April 2006

 

 

Page 4

Beeyard Registration

I found out today(March 20) that Becky Ohrtman will be leaving IDALS, effective March 23. Becky has been our point of contact on apiary matters for the past year. She is pretty frustrated with the lack of support she received from IDALS. Things just aren’t happening over there. Becky’s main project lately has been getting a web site set up for apiary registration. It’s a good idea but so far it doesn’t work if you want to register multiple yards in the same county. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Becky. She found she could do it from her administration page but that is the only place. You and I can’t do it at this point. She wants to get it fixed before she leaves but the guy heading up the website is on vacation this week. It doesn’t sound good does it. When you do attempt to register your yards, be aware that you need the range and township numbers in addition to the township name and section number. The whole point of this is that the spray applicators will be able to use GPS to pin point your yards in the event they are able to get registered. If you are going to use this site you have to contact IDALS for a Pin number and user ID. For the time being, Maury Wills will be our point of contact at IDALS.

Submitted by Phil Ebert

The Buzz
From the Iowa Honey Queen

As the spring season comes to an end, the queen bee has only just begun her busy year. Like her, I have only just started promoting beekeeping across Iowa.

On March 4, I attended a class in Mason City designed for beginning beekeepers. Here, many vital beekeeping topics were covered including: lifecycles, equipment, and disease. For part of the class, I was asked to talk about the experiences I have had as a beekeeper. Though slightly intimidated, still being a beginner myself, I felt honored to be able to share with others what I had learned through my first few years. I told them of the memorable experiences I had dealing with things that worked for me and the ideas I will never try again! I gave them a run through of a basic year and things that should be done and expected. I even asked fun and interesting trivia questions to whom the winners received prizes, thanks to Pat and Peggy Ennis.

By the time the class ended, I felt that the attendants had a clearer understanding. Programs like that are so beneficial and help bring new people into beekeeping. After talking with them after the class, I not only went away with some new ideas for the upcoming season, but also new friends. I wish you all luck in your upcoming year and I am sure I will see you in the future. As beekeepers, we are in this together and we all need a helping hand every once in awhile.

I also was a “celebrity” cook at the annual 4- H Omelet Breakfast held in Waverly. I had so much fun talking with people throughout the community while cooking them a tasty omelet. (Not to brag, but I did make excellent omelets once I got the “flip” of things.) Most of my customers did not know that there was such a thing as a Honey Queen; they seemed very intrigued at that fact. Once they started asking questions, they couldn’t stop. After cooking almost fifty omelets in heels, answering many questions, and being told that I was as sweet as honey, my morning came to an end.

My adventures are only just beginning and I can’t wait to see what is in store. Until then, best of luck with all of your future plans.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Macken
2006 Iowa Queen

I can be contacted at home by:
319 – 279 – 3892
or by email at jemsj@netins.net.

Greetings from the American Honey Princess

Greetings Iowa Beekeepers!
I am excited to write to you this month about some of the great things going on within the IHPA. We are in the process of starting a program called the IHPA Youth Partnership Program. This is going to allow 4 youth age 12-17 from non-beekeeping families to get started keeping bees. They will be given all of the equipment needed to start, as well as mentorship from an IHPA member for a year. I would encourage each of you to think about becoming a mentor for this program. When you think back to when you got your first hive, was there somebody there who helped you along the way? Consider being that for a young person. We are also working on a program to match up honey producers with local FFA Chapters that want to market local honey through their fruit sales. We will be contacting FFA Chapters across the state soon to determine those groups that might be interested, so if you think this is something you might like to take advantage of look for more information in The BUZZ.
I just want to let everyone know that I feel honored to be part of this group. The IHPA is a strong advocate for this industry, and the work that is done helps everyone who keeps bees. The Honey Queen Program is a strong example of one way the IHPA serves its members through promotion. I encourage you to take advantage of this service by inviting either Liz or myself to your events. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to become a member of the IHPA. By becoming a member you let the world know that you support the beekeeping industry, but you also allow the IHPA to serve you better.
I wish you all a wonderful spring, and as always, if you need to contact me for anything I can be reached at teresajurchen@iastate.edu or 712-779-0321.

Best wishes,
Teresa Jurchen
2006 American Honey Princess