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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter July 2006 |
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Dates to BEE Remembered: July 8th, 2006 July 8th, 2006 July 23-28, 2006 Aug. 10-20, 2006 To add an important date to the list, contact
the Buzz by email at
Education Update Kirkwood Community College has requested another beekeeping class. The class we had there this past winter had the lowest enrollment of any of the classes we held. It may be the college didn’t get the word out very well. Apparently, they have had several inquires since the class ended. They wanted to have a class this fall but that doesn’t work well for anybody. Ron Wehr and Vern Ramsey will have anther go at it next winter.
The Buzz Picture Contest Remember that “The Buzz” is offering
$10 for one picture each month. I know some of you will have good
photo opportunities during the summer months. Entertain your fellow
beekeepers and make some money at the same time. This offer does
not pertain to pictures printed with articles. Submit you photo
via e-mail of by the post. Postal submissions should include a
self addressed stamped envelope if you want your picture returned.
Swarm TV Swarm News: Former board member Jim Clark made the news on Channel 2 in Cedar Rapids. He was called to pick up a swarm in a local yard. The TV folks were there and captured it all on tape. Jim came out without any protective gear and put the swarm in a cardboard box. Then he had an opportunity to talk to the TV folks about bees. He did an excellent job of presenting information to the public. I saw the video clip. It was excellent Submitted by Phil Ebert
Bee Emergency Plan: The Bee Emergency Plan is being formatted into a one page information sheet that will be handed out at the summer fire school in Ames on June 15-17. [See page 10.] This information will also be made available to regional firefighting partners. The plan outlines how to handle bee spills. Parts of this plan have been around for several years but it has never been distributed to public agencies. Vern Ramsey had the lead role in finalizing the plan and getting it to the firefighters. Thanks for your effort, Vern.
Beeyard Registration Update Jay Sharp from AgriTech Aviation called me the other day. AgriTech does most of the aerial spraying in our area. They have made a major effort to protect my bees the last few years. Jay had tried to get the beeyard locations off the IDALS website. Many of them came up without range and township. After the call, I sent Maury Wills a rather pissy e-mail. Directly after this I went to the web site to enter the rest of my yards in slots that had been opened earlier. It wouldn’t take my data. Now, I am really hot. I send Maury another nasty e-mail. The next morning he called me. They are trying to fix things. As yet, there is still no replacement for Becky Ohrtman. They are going through the Dept of Natural Resources to get the computer work done. The actual guy doing the computer work is in Iowa City. I was surprised when Maury told me the yard registration numbers were up. Maury is doing the best he can. Down the line, the registration website is going to be a good thing. In the near term, I am not putting all my confidence in it. I am going to fax Jay my yard locations to be on the safe side. Another thing you can do is to contact your local coop. They arrange for the spraying in most cases. Most of them will try to help you. I have encountered exceptions, however. Submitted by Phil Ebert
Prospective Inspectors to be Interviewed During my phone conversation with Maury Wills, he told me interviews with prospective bee inspectors would be held after the beginning of the fiscal year. He is also hopeful of getting their wages raised. Not having a replacement for Becky has slowed things up. Submitted by Phil Ebert
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