7 posts tagged “alameda county beekeepers association”
The Alameda County Beekeepers' Association meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM. The next meeting is May 12 at the Rotary Nature Center at Lake Merritt in Oakland.
Although the June meeting is usually held at the fairgrounds, the June meeting on June 9 will also be held at the Rotary Nature Center.
The July meeting will take place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
The meetings are free and the public is invited. If you are considering keeping bees or just want to learn more, please join us!
Don't forget, the regularly scheduled meeting of the Alameda County Beekeepers' Association is Tuesday, May 13. That's the second Tuesday of the month. We will be at the Rotary Nature Center at Lake Merritt again. Meeting starts at 7:30, runs until 9 PM or so.
But don't forget, next month, June, the meeting will be at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
The club will convoy up to Grass Valley to visit Randy's bee yard on April 27. He'll have bee packages and nucleus colonies available for purchase. You should have your own "nuc box" if you want to buy a nucleus. A package contains a queen and enough related bees to get started building a colony in your hive. A nucleus includes some built-out frames with brood.
We'll leave in a group from Sara's house at 3161 Guido, Oakland at 8 a.m. You can bring your own vehicle or carpool with someone else. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you're a member of the club. For more info or directions, email Sara at treasurer at alamedabee dot org.
We're well into spring, the trees are in bloom, bees are buzzing, and it's time once again to get together at the Rotary Nature Center. Our regular monthly meeting will be held Tuesday, March 11 at 7:30 pm.
Bring your questions, observations and success stories to share. You also will have the opportunity to test your hives for nosema.
Collect a minimum of 25 bees from returning forager bees. Put into alcohol and bring to the class. If you want specific hives checked as opposed to the whole bunch of hives select from all of those hives individually. Or you could take samples from several hives combined for a less exact sample.
Don't forget to sign up for Randy Oliver's class. Randy is a highly experienced and inventive beekeeper, who combines pragmatism with environmental concerns. For more details, see the previous blog post.
Meeting location:
Rotary Nature Center
600 Bellevue Ave, Oakland
Directions: Take Grand Ave exit off of 580, west to Bellevue. Turn left, and look for the first totem pole on your right.
Several club members and other local beekeepers are mentioned in an article published today in the East Bay Express. Alameda County Beekeepers Association member (and contributor to this blog) Susan Kuchinskas wrote the story.
Read it here: Are Bees Too Busy?
Alameda County Beekeepers Assoc. member Timothy Burroughs will speak tonight in San Francisco as part of the "science cafe" series Down to a Science.
Tim's presentation, "Sweetness and Light," will focus on bees and beekeeping. This free event begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight, July 17, at Cafe Royal, 800 Post St. @ Leavenworth, in San Francisco.
Honeybees are crucial to our agricultural industry, pollinating up to one third of our food crops. In the past few years, bees have been disappearing in large numbers without many answers. Why are the bees disappearing? How will it affect our food supply? How will the role of bees and beekeepers evolve in the 21st Century? Timothy will highlight the amazing efficiency and organization with which bees sustain themselves and our local flora while answering these questions.
Down to a Science is an ongoing science café, a casual forum where leading scientists discuss their research with the public. The mission is to promote civic discourse through scientific dialogue. All of topics fall under a theme of local impact ( e.g. bay area water quality, local health issues, sustainability, etc.). The cafe is held at a local San Francisco cafe/bar on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 7-9 PM. The format is simple, a 15-20 minute presentation by the scientist followed by a moderated Q&A transitioning into a dialogue. The dialogue will be supported with a strong web presence, complete with a blog and links to the research and other relevant materials ( www.sciencecafesf.com).
June 24 begins National Pollinator Week. This brand-new, um, holiday? was established last September by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to celebrate all the creatures that bring pollen and pistil together.
From the official proclamation:
WHEREAS pollinator species such as birds and insects are essential partners of farmers and ranchers in producing much of our food supply; and
WHEREAS pollination plays a vital role in the health of our national forests and grasslands, which provide forage, fish and wildlife, timber, water, mineral resources, and recreational opportunities as well as enhanced economic development opportunities for communities; and
WHEREAS pollinator species provide significant environmental benefits that are necessary for maintaining healthy, biodiverse ecosystems; and
WHEREAS the maintenance of healthy pollinator populations is critical to the continued economic well-being of agricultural producers...
I call upon the people of the United States to join me in celebrating the vital significance of pollinators to agriculture and to public lands as well as the Department’s conservation assistance to farmers and ranchers and its management of ecosystems providing valuable pollinator habitats throughout the Nation.
The USDA also is participating in the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign -- and every backyard beekeeper is doing her or his part, too.
If you don't keep bees yet, why not celebrate Pollinator week by helping out at our booth at the Alameda County Fair? If you can spend a few hours in our booth, leave a comment and we'll make it happen.
