The Buzz Newsletter

February 2006

 

 

Page 10

IHPA Board Meeting of
January 21, 2006

The Iowa Honey Producers board of directors met in Des Moines on January 21st. It was voted to spend $50 to pay for a booth at the Master Gardener Conference in Cedar Rapids on June 16 and 17. Preliminary plans call for Larry Spina and Bob Wolf to staff the booth. Teresa Jurchen was present and reported on her trip to the ABF meeting in Louisville, KY where she was named American Honey Princess. We need to check on Apigard to see if it requires a section 18 approval. Marion Ellis though it required a Section 3. So far, Donna has not been able to contact Chuch Eckerman. Likewise, she has been unable to contact Becky Ohrtman. We need to get together with Becky to determine what the mechanism for yard registration is going to be. Earlier indications were that is was going to be electronic registration only. We are not sure where this is at. We also need to discuss the status of apiary inspection with her. The initial plan was to only inspect beekeepers with fifty or more colonies. If this is to be the case, we need to set up some kind of mentoring system to provide smaller beekeepers with the tools to keep there colonies healthy.

Alex Ebert submitted a proposal for producing a video on detecting foulbrood and estimating threshold levels for Varroa mite treatment. The board approved production of the video. The timeline calls for the video to be completed next fall. However, completion will depend on how long it takes us to find colonies with foulbrood and various levels of mites. Gordon reported that over 400 copies of “The Buzz’ were sent out in January. This includes everyone he has on the rolls. The February mailing will be scaled back to only include paid up members.

Gordon said the Hurricane Relief Committee was still working on the dispersal of the funds approved for relief. He had contacted the state of Mississippi and was told that the people that had lost there bees had also lost their houses. They were more concerned with getting their dwellings restored than getting their bees replenished. Gordon was still waiting to hear from Tom Randol to see what Tom found out about Louisiana.

The board also further discussed a youth mentoring program. We started discussing this at the last meeting. Teresa Jurchen reported that they had been very successful with this program in Texas. We might be able to partner with the Farm Bureau for this program. Youth beekeepers between the ages of 12 and 17 would be given bees and equipment for one hive. They would also be partnered with a mentor. After one year. The equipment and bees would become the property of the participant after one year. There would be some kind of agreement they would have to adhere to. We hope to have this program off the ground for the spring of 2007

The next meeting will be March 11th 1pm.

Submitted by Phil Ebert

Strawberry Angel Food Cake

1 package angel food cake mix
1 1/4 cups strawberry-flavored soft drink
1/4 cup Iowa Honey

Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except substitute strawberry soft drink and honey for the water.
Bake as directed. Cool and remove from pan. Spread top
with Strawberry Glaze (below), allowing some to drizzle
down sides. Serve with fresh strawberries that have been
sweetened with 1/4 cup Iowa Honey per pint.

Strawberry Glaze
1/2 cup butter
2 to 4 T. strawberry-flavored soft drink
2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 drops red food coloring

Melt butter in microwave. Blend in powdered sugar.

Stir in soft dink, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir in food coloring.

Submitted by Donna Brahms