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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter July 2006 |
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A great deal has gone on in my life since my last letter. I completed my third year at ISU, and am thankful for the break from textbooks, papers, and exams. I have also purchased, renovated, and moved into a house in my hometown. It is a lovely place, with a nice little corner to keep a hive. I am excited that soon I will be able to have my own bees to study and care for. I have also attended media training for the American Beekeeping Federation. Jolene and I toiled for 3 days, improving our interviewing skills, learning more about the industry, and preparing all of the wonderful dishes in our recipe brochure. There are some tasty treats, and if you would like a brochure, or several to hand out at an event, please let me know. We also got a basic idea of our travel schedules for this fall, and I am very excited about the wonderful promotions approaching. Although I will get to spend some time promoting across the country, I have been given many open spaces to promote here in Iowa. Please don’t hesitate to invite me for fear that I will be busy. I love promoting honey, and I am never too busy to hear from an Iowa beekeeper! Finally, I just want to remind you to be thinking about outstanding youth that might be interested in beekeeping. Encourage them to apply to be an IHPA Youth Partnership Program Scholar. Look for the application online or in the Buzz. [ The application can be found starting on page 9. ] If I can be of any assistance, never hesitate to contact me. My new address is 601 Monroe St., Cumberland, IA 50843, or you can reach me by phone at 712-779-0321 or email at tjurchen@hotmail.com. Best wishes for a sweet summer!
The Buzz – July 2006 “A swarm of bees in May, worth a ton of hay. A swarm of bees in June, worth a silver spoon. A swarm of bees in July, not even worth a fly.” I’m sure many of you have heard this little poem and can maybe even back it up. Swarms can be something new and exciting, possibly even adventurous if everything falls into place. On the other hand, some may think of them as a tedious hassle especially if it happens in mid-summer when honey production is at its peak. After a swarm, it takes time for both of the hives to readjust whether it be wax and honey production or the queens laying patterns. This, unfortunately, will cut back on honey production but at least you will have two strong hives for the next year. Luckily swarms only happen every three years or so as long as you monitor your hive and make sure the bees have enough space in their supers. So far in this honey season, my family and I have experienced three swarms! Of them, one was from our hives. It happened on a warm sunny day in June. I remember looking outside into our small apiary and seeing a large cluster of bees hovering over the hives. Over some time, the mass of bees disappeared. Later that day, the neighbors stopped down and said to us to come and get our bees! They were on a low limb of a tree in a cluster. The neighbors were quite intrigued and took pictures as we gathered the bees and brought them back home. Later in the month, my dad caught two other swarms, both at his work area which is in the industrial park of Cedar Falls. When my mom asked him if the group of co-workers watching him gather the bees looked upon him with a new respect, he answered, “No, I think they think I’m crazy!” They were watching him deal with thousands of bees without a protective suit! After catching all of these swarms, the number of bee hives we own went from eight to eleven. Through all of this, it has been a fun learning experience, most of the time!
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