Be Prepared to Split
The dandelions are in full bloom now. We checked the club hives on Saturday April 27, 2013, and they were ready to split. Go to the club apiary journal for 2013 to see what we did in the club hives. Your hive(s) may be ready to split if:
1. There is a large population of bees in the hive
2. There are a lot of drones in the hive.
3. There are "queen cups" or the beginning of queen cells in the hive.
We found all three of these in the club hive. We estimate they would swarm within two weeks without splitting. Once the queen cells are completed, they would have swarmed whether we split or not.
To split a hive:
Welcome to the Kalamazoo Bee Club
The Kalamazoo Bee Club is a relatively new Bee Club, but with some deep beekeeping roots in the area. We are here for the purpose of educating people who want to keep bees, to support those who already keep bees, and also to provide services to the public such as sources of local honey and beekeepers willing to collect swarms. As a new club, we are growing and hoping to discover better and better ways to meet the needs of those who are involved both in the club and in the community. Currently we have people attending our programs from all over Southwest Michigan, as well as some who travel much further. We hope to learn from feedback from those who attend meetings or use our services how we can even better serve the communities in which we live and keep bees. Please take time to explore all the resources available here on our website. We are constantly trying to make information more relevant and accessible, so please feel free to give us comments and suggestions through our "contact us" page.
June Club Meeting - "Honeytrees: a Major Resource for Your Bees"
Mike Connor of Honeytree Farms Nursery will join us on June 12, 2013 at the Kalamazoo Nature Center at 7:00 pm. Mike has been a beekeeper for more than 45 years and has been in the nursery business since 1983. He will discuss how to identify honey trees and if time and weather allows will take us outside to identify these trees that are growing right out in the Nature Center and in our own backyards.
Join Our Mailing List
Main Menu
Resources
Bee Club Information
Upcoming Club Events
June 12, 2013 join Mike Connor of Honeytree Nursery to talk about honey plants at 7 pm. at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. This will be the last club meeting of the year until fall.
June 15, 2013, Club Field day at the Club Apiary, 1327 108th Ave. Otsego, MI - 1:00 pm
The Coming Events section of the main menu provides more information.
Upcoming Community Events
The community of Alamo, just north of Kalamazoo, is organizing a new Farmer's Market. They are seeking new vendors - particularily beekeepers, but also other farm products and crafts. The Farmer's Market will be at the Alamo park on the second Saturday of each month from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm., starting on May 11, 2013 and running through October. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, please contact Dan Knight at 269-254-1002.
Beekeepers collecting swarms - Dale Higley has a 60 foot tall bucket truck he is willing to hire out for swarm collection. For more information call: 269-781-8377.
If you have a community event that would be of interest to area beekeepers, please notify us through the "contact us" form, and we will be happy to post it in this space.
The Coming Events section of the main menu provides more Club event information.
If You would like to Donate
Please consider contributing to the Kalamazoo Bee Club's educational programs. Your donation is tax deductible. Donations by check may be made out to the Kalamazoo Bee Club and mailed to: Kalamazoo Bee Club, c/o Craig Fuller, 3852 N. 33rd, Galesburg, MI 49053. Thank you!
