Tuesday November 17
6:30 meeting open discussion begins, all welcome
7:00 Winter Feeding for Bees, Debbie Hewitt
7:30 Observing Honey Bees at Home Frank Linton, EAS Masterbeekeeper
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Observing Honey Bees at Home
You cannot be a good beekeeper if you don’t know much about bees. And it is hard to learn much about bees when they are hidden away in an opaque wooden box in a far corner of the yard. What to do?
One possibility, one I learned a lot from, and recommend, is to keep a small colony in a glass hive in your house, an observation hive. I kept an observation hive in the room where I spent a lot of time, and every time their tone changed, I took a look.
I saw more in a year than many backyard beekeepers see in a lifetime. And every year is different. In this talk I will show you how to keep bees in an observation hive and provide several examples of the ‘learning opportunities’ that the bees gave me.
Frank Linton, Ed.D, retired artificial intelligence engineer, and Research Associate at Appalachian State U., has kept honey bees since 2005. An EAS-Certified Master Beekeeper, one of his main interests is in finding ways to use remote sensing technologies to monitor and improve honey bee colony health and productivity.
Author of The Observation Hive Handbook, maintainer of the websites thebeepeeker.com and colonymonitoring.com, contributor to beekeeping magazines, invited speaker at beekeeping associations and civic groups, and mentor to new beekeepers, Frank runs a few hives near his urban apartment and invites swarms of honey bees to take up residence on his balcony.
Main Speaker – Cybil Preston, State Apiary Inspector
Maryland Beekeeping, Bee Inspection,
What’s New with MD Dept of Agriculture
Cybil reported that beekeeping in Maryland is growing in all categories, which she attributes to the Short
Courses and community outreach provided by the area bee associations. Cybil, four part-time
inspectors, and her two trained dogs inspected 4430 colonies last year. The dogs make a difference in
the number and speed of colony inspections for American Foul Brood, but they only work during winter
when bees are not flying. The dogs primarily inspect the ~2000 colonies that travel from Maryland to
pollinate California almonds in February. Cybil and the other inspectors handle the other seasons.
The statistics for 2019:
# Beekeepers: 2161
# Apiaries: 2716
# Colonies: 15,923
The Apiary Program is short several inspectors and hopes to hire additional inspectors next February.
Anne Arundel is one of the counties that needs an inspector. Cybil has been covering the territory this
season. Contact her if you are interested in becoming an inspector.
Cybil also stated that Maryland is monitoring for Asian hornets (aka “Murder hornets”), but despite
fielding 800 calls reporting this insect, they were found to be European hornets (which have been here
since the 1800s) and cicada killers that people never noticed in their gardens before.
AA County Zoning Code requires that hives be 50 feet from the curb and 5 feet from the property line.
Check with your neighborhood association whether they have any restrictions before placing hives and
do not let your bees be a nuisance.
The final slate was unanimously approved after some last-minute changes.
Carl Guerci has decided to step down after four years as President, but he will continue to support AABA
as Swarm Coordinator and Arlington Echo Coordinator. He will also continue to mentor beekeepers.
Thank you!!
Ryan Smith, owner of Honeysmith Bees, has agreed to be AABA President rather than Vice-President.
We are pleased to welcome Ryan to the board.
This leaves the V.P. position open for someone to consider. Ideally, under the new bylaws, the President
and V.P. will serve two 1-year terms, and then the Vice President will move up to President, so we need
someone interested in training to be president.
The Secretary position is also open and includes assisting with the agendas and minutes for the board
and general meetings and then coordinating with the Media Editor to distribute information to AABA
members.
Kim Mehalick has agreed to help as Program Coordinator. If you would like to assist or have speakers or
topics that you would like to hear, please let Kim know.
Please consider volunteering for open positions or assisting other positions – it is always good to have
backup.
2021 AABA Board
Club Officers
President – Ryan Smith
Vice-President – open
Treasurer – Dennis Roundy
Secretary – open
Director – Jim Larson
Director – Michael Doyle
Media Editor – Audrey Lee
Club Chairpersons
Webmaster – Gina Jones
Short Course Coordinator – Deborah Hewitt
Program Coordinator – Kim Mehalick
Mentor Coordinator – Matt Gill
Club Rentals – Chrissy Perry
Snacks – Deni Estrada-Palma
County Fair Coordinator – Michael Doyle
Librarian – Rebecca Krimins
Photography – Susan Huber, Rebecca Krimins
Door Prize Coordinator – Dwight Fielder
Swarms Coordinator – Carl Guerci Jr.
AABA October Meeting Agenda (Check email for meeting information)
October 20, 2020/via Zoom 7 – 9 pm
Introduction
Main Speaker – Cybil Preston, State Apiary Inspector
- Maryland Beekeeping, Bee Inspection, & What’s New with MD Dept of Agriculture
Business meeting
Treasurer’s report
AABA Bylaws and Constitution
We will vote to approve bylaws using a Zoom poll
(You may only vote if you have paid your dues for 2019 or 2020)
Elections for 2021 Board
Zoom poll for general membership approval
(You may only vote if you have paid your dues for 2019 or 2020)
[Please consider volunteering for open positions or assisting other positions]
2021 Slate of Candidates
Club Officers
President – Carl Guerci Jr.
Vice-President – Ryan Smith
Treasurer – Dennis Roundy
Secretary – open
Director – Jim Larson
Director – Michael Doyle
Media Editor – Audrey Lee
Club Chairpersons
Webmaster – Gina Jones
Short Course Coordinator – Deborah Hewitt
Program Coordinator – open
Mentor Coordinator – Matt Gill
Club Rentals – Chrissy Perry
Snacks – Deni Estrada-Palma
County Fair Coordinator – Michael Doyle
Librarian – Rebecca Krimins
Photography – Susan Huber, Rebecca Krimins
Door Prize Coordinator – Dwight Fielder
Swarms Coordinator – Carl Guerci Jr.
______________________________
Hive management Question/Answer Time
______________________________
Upcoming Events 2020
Maryland State Beekeepers Association [https://www.mdbeekeepers.org/
November 7, 2020 Fall Meeting via Zoom, Randy Oliver
______________________________
Upcoming Events 2021
AABA Meetings [via Zoom until further notice]
Tuesday, February 16 7 – 9 pm
[Speakers and topics to be decided – we welcome suggestions]
Tuesday, April 20 7 – 9 pm
Tuesday, June 15 7 – 9 pm
Tuesday, August 17 7 – 9 pm
Tuesday, October 19 7 – 9 pm _____________________________
Maryland State Beekeepers Association [https://www.mdbeekeepers.org/
February 13, 2021 Winter Meeting via Zoom, Dr. Tom Seeley
June 12, 2021 Spring Meeting, Dr. Jaime Ellis
2021 Apiary Registration – Remember to register your bees – registration is free.
- See the Maryland Department of Agriculture website for Apiary Inspection or the AABA minutes at aabees.org for complete information.
Read More
Dear Members,
Please join us for the Anne Arundel Beekeepers Association August 18, 2020 meeting, via
Zoom.
The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM with some introductory comments. Our speaker will be
Allen Hayes, Master Beekeeper. He will be discussing preparing for the EAS Master
Beekeeping exam. This is an opportunity to learn what resources are available to help you
become a better beekeeper.
Following a Q & A for Allen we will have an opportunity for the newer beekeepers to get advice
and ask questions about what they are seeing in their hives.
Once again, the DC Beekeepers Alliance is loaning us their zoom account. The waiting room
will open at 6:30 PM – Eastern Time, to work out any kinks.
You are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Thank you, your moderator, Carl F. Guerci Jr.
If you need the Zoom meeting information, please check your email.
Read MoreOur October AABA Meeting will be held Tuesday, October 15, 2019 from 7:00-9:00 PM at Arlington Echo.
Read MoreOur June AABA Meeting will be held Tuesday, June 18, 2019 from 6:30-8:30 PM at Arlington Echo.
Read More