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Iowa Honey Queen

Happy Valentines Day to all. I hope whatever you give your special someone, it will include something sweet from the bees!!

The month of January has kept me busy with my many school and 4-H activities. My team the BC-IG Falcons girls won our Conference and placed second in the Western Valley Conference. My 4-H club, the Maple Huskies, raised $500.00 for our annual bake sale fundraiser, this year, we are buying a typewriter and junior high books for the Battle Creek Library. We only have 11 members so we were thrilled we did so well.

I visited the Willow Dale Care Center and talked to 30 residents and their families about my activities as the 2009 Iowa Honey Queen. They enjoyed my scrapbook and I served fresh bread with honey on it!!

The bees flew on January 22 and 23 and they all seemed busy. One of my brother Whitt's hives didn't look as active as the rest, so we will be watching them closely in the coming weeks. I have sold all my 2008 honey crop. My college fund is looking better every year!

January came to an end in the goat and sheep barns. We will be starting the lambing, calving and kidding in the next week. I got to do most of the shearing this year except when a couple yearlings wouldn't stand, so my dad came to the rescue to help me finish shearing them!

The ground hog seen his shadow this morning so we get bundle up for another six weeks KEEP WARM!!!

Thanks,
Shiliah Spaulding

2009 Iowa Honey Queen.

Featured Beekeeper of the Month

This month our featured beekeeper is Alex McGuire. She is another of our Iowa Honey Producers Mentor Program participants. She lives in West Des Moines, is one of four children in the McGuire family and her parents are Julia and Matthew.

Alex is a freshman at Dowling Catholic High School. She enjoys volleyball and Art Club. This spring she is hoping to be able to participate in track. Beekeeping and drawing are her hobbies.

Alex McGuire [right] and Jerry Kern [left] take a peak inside the beehive. Alex is taking part in the IHPA Youth Mentoring Program.

Alex has one hive, considers herself a hobbyist, and really likes pouring honey into jars. Her mentor is Jerry Kern. She says she got stung a few times when she was putting her bees into the hive, but over all hasn’t had much trouble with the bees stinging. She even managed to get her grandpa interested in beekeeping and he attended the Iowa Honey Producers Annual Meeting with her. Alex also belongs to the Central Iowa Beekeepers Association.

There are about 20 members. When she graduates, Alex is

planning to attend college and is considering something

science related and art.

Thanks for your story Alex.

Submitted by Ron Wehr