August 2004 Volume 1, Issue 7 Pierce County Beekeepers Association Cappings Registering for the PCBA Forums President: Mark Mietzner (253) 845-4571 Vice President: Louis Matej (253) 921-5612 Secretary: John Meier (253) 583-8485 Treasurer: Robert Miller (253) 598-1287 4002-B Holly St. S.W. Tacoma, WA 98439 Membership: Lou Torre (253) 845-3936 Past President: Bob Pietila (253) 952-6012 Swarm Control: Dave Stokesberry (253) 845-4961 Program: John Timmons (253) 847-1561 Class Instructor/Past WSBA President: Bob Stump (253) 265-2304 Assistant Instructor: Jodie Palarski (253) 988-3090 Cappings Editor: Katie Hostager (253) 896-2673 The Puyallup Fair (September 10-26) We still have many open timeslots for volunteering at the booth. Please sign up! We only have one more meeting until the Fair! To help at the booth, sign up at the meeting on August 23rd, or call Louis Matej at (253) 921-5612. For an Agricultural Premium List call the Puyallup Fair at (253) 845-1771. Exhibit entries will be accepted at the Fair Grounds in the Agriculture Building on Sept. 8th or 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The PCBA website has a very neat feature that you might have overlooked called the Forums. This is a section of the site that allows you to discuss anything related to beekeeping with other beekeepers. If you have a problem with your bees that you can t figure out, you can post it and others can give you suggestions. If you know an answer to a question, you can answer it as well. Also, there is a section for listing things that you want to sell. Anyone in the club is welcome to register and participate, but it needs a valid email address to work. Registering is a very simple process. Be sure to at least go to the site and take a look! To Register: 1. Go to www.pcbeekeepers.org 2. The Super Menu will be on the left hand side. Click on the Super labeled Forums. 3. On the top, right hand side is a button labeled Register. Click on it. 4. Read the Registration Agreement Terms and click on I agree. 5. Fill out the needed information. 6. Click Submit. The website will automatically send you an email. To activate your account you will need to go into your mailbox and click on the email that the website sends to you. Doing this confirms your registration. Then, you can log in and use the Forums any time you want! I hope that many of you will be able to use the Forums, because it can be a very good information-trading tool. Katie Hostager
Cappings Volume 1, Issue 7 In The Apiary In the middle of the month, even if you are not yet harvesting your honey, make sure to check for varroa mites. You can do this by using a drop board, ether roll, or powdered sugar roll (for more information on testing for mites refer to the June Cappings). If you do have a highly infested hive remove the honey Purple Loosestrife begins blooming supers and treat it. It is better to lose the extra honey than to lose the first week in August. your colony. Besides the expense, All major honey flows should be cleaning up after a dead colony is a over except for fireweed in the disheartening job. mountains. Watch for robbing. Katie Hostager Pictures from the PCBA Annual Picnic Page 2 Out of Business Sandy Ashby s son is getting out of the beekeeping business and he has all sorts of beekeeping supplies he wants to sell (supers, bees, frames etc.). His two main items for sale are a Kelley Loader (a boom) for moving beehives, and a chain uncapper. He also has a tool to determine the water content of honey (I think it is called a hand held refractor but I m not sure). If you are interested in anything call (253) 8479909. The best time to call would be in the evening. The Next Meeting August 23, 2004 at the Almendinger Building. WSU Extension Center, 7612 Pioneer Way East, Puyallup, WA. Club meetings are normally held on the first Monday of the month at 7:30 P.M. Those attending the picnic this year had an enjoyable time. The location was very nice, and it seems a lot easier to find than our previous place. There was a lot of food, and good company. About thirty-five people showed up, which is a rather good turnout compared to previous years. We are considering using this location again next year. Pictures by Mary Hostager The next Executive Board Meeting is on Sept. 20th. Executive Board Meetings are normally held on the second Monday of the month at 7 P.M. in the building just to the East of the Almendinger building up on the hill. We will share beekeeping experiences. New beekeepers will have a chance to say what they would like from the club.
Cappings Volume 1, Issue 7 Page 3 Field Day - Honey Robbing & Extracting We are having a Field Day on Saturday, August 14, 2004 from 9:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. It will consist of two parts. The first part starts at 9:00 A.M. Participants will learn how to remove honey from a hive using a fume board and butyric acid (Bee Go). The second part is from 11:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. at Lou Torre s. During this segment participants will learn how to use scrapers to remove cappings from frames, and how to use a radial manual extractor. There may even be a demonstration on how to fill honey bears. Everyone interested in the first part is to assemble at the Poodle Dog Restaurant beneath the large Napa Autoparts sign. The Poodle Dog is at 54th and Old Pacific Highway. Be sure to bring your Bee Suits or some long range binoculars, because bees get agitated when we take their honey. From there, Bob Pietila will lead the group as we travel by car caravan to his apiary to remove the honey supers from the hives. After that is completed, everyone will leave the apiary and head for Lou Torre s house. There will be a guide to his house from Bob s apiary. The extracting demonstration is at Lou s house from 11:00 A.M - 1:00 P.M. You will need to bring your own sack lunch or eat well before you come. If you only want to attend the extracting demonstration, you can head straight for Lou s and arrive at 11:00 A.M. His address is 4306 27th Ave. SE, Puyallup WA, off of Shaw Road. Instructions to get to his house are as follows: From Tacoma via 512 freeway: Take Meridian, South Hill Mall exit. Right (R) south on Meridian and move to left lane; left (L), east at 37th Ave SE (Sharis restaurant). Continue on 37/39 Ave. SE for 1.7 miles. Turn L, north on Shaw Rd. Continue on Shaw 0.8 miles then R, east on 27th Ave SE for 0.8 miles. House at corner 27th & 43rd St. From Auburn via 167 freeway: Exit onto 512 freeway to Puyallup and take first exit, Pioneer Ave. Turn R, east on Pioneer Ave for 1.3 miles to Shaw Rd. Turn R on Shaw, south for 1.4 miles then L, east on 27th Ave SE for 0.8 miles. House at corner 27th & 43rd St. If you need more precise driving instructions you can call him at 845-3936. Katie Hostager A Little Help Please don t forget to sign up to work at the Fair booth the next meeting! It would be very much appreciated if everyone would donate their old beekeeping magazines for the Puyallup Fair. They can be given to Louis Matej at the next meeting. If anyone has art that we could copy relating to beekeeping for kids to color, please bring it to the August meeting. Our honeybee stamps that we use to stamp kids hands when they visit the booth are getting old and worn. If anyone has a honeybee stamp they would like to donate that would be appreciated as well.
Cappings Volume 1, Issue 7 Page 4 Beekeeping Classes Northwest District Beekeepers Association Students from this year s class! The August 23rd meeting will have make-up tests for those who missed them. If you are one of those people be sure to show up at the normal class time (6:30 pm.) to take your test! For those of you interested in taking beekeeping classes, the next classes will start in January. If anyone is interested in trying something new this year, they might consider helping out at the Northwest District Beekeeper s Association booth, at the Evergreen State Fair. It will give an opportunity to see a different Fair, and a different beekeeping booth. Read the following information that the Association sent us if you are interested. As you know the theme this year for the Evergreen State Fair is Land of Milk and Honey, Bee there!. In order to take advantage of this theme the bee booth is being repainted with a great backdrop, the counters are being redone and it ll be spiffier than ever! Another added feature this year will be a live hive demonstration outside the building inside of a screened tent. The tent will actually be a tent within a tent to provide access without tracking bees outside and the plan is to have two demonstrations per day. As a result of the additional demonstration hive we ll need more volunteers this year so we can man the booth as well as the demonstration hive. You don t have to be an NWDBA member to help out, in fact we appreciate help from other groups! Please contact Rick Jamsgard at 425-334- 5527 to sign up for a spot. The fair runs from Aug 26th thru Labor Day, Sept 6. Shifts are 10-4 and 4-10. You ll get free admission and a parking pass for helping out. Beekeeping Scholarship Opportunities The Pierce County Beekeeper s Association (PCBA) will grant up to $200.00 in order to furnish guidance and instruction to help a selected young person between the ages of 13 through 18 get started in beekeeping. Study Grant applications will be accepted August 1 through October 29, 2004. Applications may be obtained from one of the following: Lou Torre 4306-27th Ave SE Puyallup, WA 98374 (253)845-3936 Dave Stokesberry 10622-64th Ave East Puyallup, WA 98373 (253)845-4961 Bob Pietila 2413 Milton Way Milton, WA 98354 (253)952-6012 They may also be downloaded from: http://www.pcbeekeepers.org/ Please return completed copies to Lou Torre, Dave Stokesberry, or Bob Pietila no later than October 29, 2004.
Cappings Volume 1, Issue 7 Page 5 Recipe of the Month Crunchy Sesame Seed Candies We followed this recipe step by step. These candies taste very good, but even with the oil they stick to the pan like a rock. It may be best to put wax paper or foil down on the inside of your pan. Good luck baking! Ingredients: 2 cups sesame seeds (about 12 ounces) ½ cup honey ½ cup packed dark or light brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger Instructions: Coat a 9-inch-square baking pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Put the sesame seeds into an ungreased 10-inch skillet (preferably one with a nonstick surface) and stir them over medium-high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and aromatic. Temporarily transfer the seeds (they will be hot) to a bowl, making sure that none are left in the skillet. Set aside. Put the honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger into the skillet and mix them will. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the entire mixture comes to a full rolling boil, cook it vigorously for exactly 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and immediately stir in the sesame seed until well mixed. Quickly turn out the hot mixture into the prepared pan and use a metal spatula that has been dipped into cold water to press the candy into a very smooth and even layer. Cool the candy in the pan for 15 minutes, or until it is solid but still lukewarm. Run the spatula around the edge of the candy to loosen it. Then turn out the whole slab of candy onto a wooden board or other cutting surface. Use a sharp knife to cut the large square of warm candy into very small squares, diamonds, or rectangles. Cool the candies completely; then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. If a professional look is desired, roll each cooked candy in a small piece of stiff cellophane and twist the ends. From: The Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Kaufer Greene (Times Books) Kristie Hostager Membership Report Active Members: 73 plus 5 Comp & Other Bee Clubs. July Picnic Attendance: approx. 35 New Members: 0 Renewals: 0 Members up for renewal: 8 June Late Pay Sandra Ashby, Bruce Bates, Britton Kennedy, Cynthia Moore & Tom Thompson, Todd & David Wimmer July Late Pay Corey Darlington August Late Pay Nick Hilger, Susan McCarthy Member Renewals Pat & Jason Giovanini, Carroll Kastelle, Robert &Marina Myers, Darwin Norby New Members Desmond Davis
Pierce County Beekeepers Association Cappings Editor 3415 60th Street Ct E Tacoma, WA 98443