The Buzz Newsletter

March 2005

 

 

Page 1

Greetings from the President of the IHPA

Dear Honey Producers:

Another month has flown by. Our honey bees have been out flying during the nice weather we’ve seen recently. Check the weight of your colonies to see if you need to feed them. Keep checking them when the weather permits to keep tabs on the hives. Many honey bees are lost this time of year to starvation with no pollen or nectar available to them yet. If you haven’t ordered packages or queens yet, you better get it done. With the rain in California, prices are going to be higher and the supply might be limited. Now is the time to finish any wooden ware that you need for the coming season. Install the kind of foundation that you prefer in your supers. We are hoping for a great honey year and it is great to have everything ready when it is needed. Spring is coming quickly.

The Central Iowa Beekeepers are having their annual auction April 23rd at Harry Hunter’s place in the Des Moines area. Plan to attend to get that needed equipment or to sell your surplus. Look for details elsewhere in the BUZZ.

Thanks to our Iowa Honey Queen, Teresa, for helping me with two events recently. We went to Griswold to talk to the Optimist Club early one morning and we went to the state capitol for the Taste of Iowa day there. We visited with several legislative representatives and staff. Many were aware of the problem we are experiencing and are very sympathetic to our needs. We all know that the state is short of money, so we will have to wait to see what happens. If you haven’t contacted your Senator or Representative yet, please visit with them about the needs of our organization. If you need any information, please contact one of the board members or officers.

Remember to register your hives with IDALS. I know the form was in the January BUZZ, but if you haven’t sent it in, do so now. Mike and I know from experience that registering your hives works. The chemical company that sprayed our bees always calls us now and so do others in our county, even if they are not very close to us. They always let us know they are spraying in the area.

Check with your neighboring beekeepers to see if they are members of the IHPA. We are looking to enlarge our membership. The more members that we have the more power we have and the easier it is to get the necessary recognition due our industry. Encourage non-members to join. Several beginning beekeeping classes have been offered the past few months. I know that the instructors are encouraging membership also.

Several of you have asked about our sons. Mitch is in Iraq near Tikrit. We are hearing from him more now. He is installing air conditioners in newly armored equipment right now. Shawn is still in Oklahoma, but the rumor is that more units from Ft. Sill will be going back to Iraq this fall. He got married in January so we now have a new daughter in law and two grandsons. Steve and Emma are still close by and help us from time to time with our bees. Granddaughter JoAnn is starting to talk a lot now and her first words were bee and buzz. Imagine that!
Enjoy your Spring and Easter Celebrations.

Sincerely,

Donna Brahms, IHPA President

The Buzz Newsletter Submissions

Please send submissions, classified ads, and photos to Alex W. Ebert by email to TheBuzz@ABuzzAboutBees.com
or by mail to The Buzz, c/o Phil Ebert, 14808 S. 102nd Ave. E., Lynnville, IA 50153.
The deadline for submissions to The Buzz is the 15th of each month.

Gordon Powell, IHPA Treasurer

4012 54th St.

Des Moines, IA 50310

Phone : (515) 278-1762