Central Oklahoma Beekeepers Association

Fair and More

2009-09-22T21:22:00.007-05:00

The fair is in full swing! Talking about BUSY, between the fair, robbing honey, extracting/ bottling and answering e-mails, there isn't time to eat or sleep.

OUR next meeting is OCTOBER 23rd . This is on the Friday evening before the Oklahoma State Beekeepers Association meeting. Both meetings will be at the usual place NW 10th and Portland in OKC.

Click Here to get a copy of the 2010 Beekeeping Class Application to print. We are now accepting applications with a $20 deposit. The balance is due by December 1st.
$65.00 single
$75.00 family
All the info, including the dates, is on the application. All the sessions are on Saturdays from 9:00 am until Noon.

STATE MEETING Oct 24th, 2009 - 8:00 am - 4:30ish pm

We are hosting the meeting as usual and will need some volunteers to help out with the pot luck lunch and clean up after lunch and after the meeting.

Attention!! September Meeting Attention!!

2009-09-07T15:41:00.003-05:00

Because we will be working the Oklahoma State Fair from September 17 - 27 our September 22nd, regular scheduled association meeting is cancelled. If you have not signed up for a time to work the fair please contact Maribeth Snapp, she is handling the schedule, and doing an AWESOME job!

Please continue to watch the website because we have some important things coming up in September and October and will be passing information on!!

We are excited about the opportunity we have to work the Oklahoma State Fair and being able to talk to the public about this amazing insect and it's benefits to us.

Come join us at AGtropolis! #29 on this map

Oklahoma State Fair

2009-07-31T15:10:00.003-05:00

We will be having a Booth in the Fair in OKC. this year It will start on Sept. the 17th.

We need you !!!!! If you are a member of one of the local Assn.s and would like to help with the booth we would be glad for your help. Contact Mari Beth at beesrneat@gmail.com

It was a blast last year and everyone seamed to enjoy it. The number one question was; Is that white spot on the queen naturally? Honeybees are very intriguing.

Our next meeting will be Aug. 27th.

""Finally"" IT RAINED. Most of our bees were going backwards (eating more than they were collecting) until now. Hopefully we will continue to get SOME rain.

The dates have been set for the Classes. They will be on Saturdays from 9am till noon. Jan. 16th, 23rd, Feb. 6th, 20th, & April the 17th. We will be taking deposits and have applications available at the fair. More info will be available later.
There will be 3 classes of 25 making a total of 75 applicants this year.

June Meeting

2009-06-21T21:33:00.004-05:00

Our next meeting is this Thursday June 25th. 7pm @ NW 10th & Portland in OKC, OK. Rick Schantz will be our speaker, he intends on speaking about bee removal. If you know of anyone that is interested in beekeeping CALL them invite them !!!!! This meeting is on THURSDAY NOT TUESDAY!!!!! Help us get the word out.

Thank you to everyone who brings door prizes and snacks, it is a great help!!!!

See you there!

Be sure to keep adding supers to your hives so your bees have plenty of room to put that sweet sweet honey!

2009-05-01T12:30:00.006-05:00

April Meeting

2009-04-26T19:22:00.003-05:00

Our April Meeting is this Tuesday April 28Th @ 7 pm. We meet at the OSU County Extension Office, NW 10th and Portland in Oklahoma City. Our meeting will be on what you need to be doing next month (May) and Collecting Swarms. If time allows we will also cover Honey Bee Removal.

The yellow sweet clover has begun to bloom officially starting our honey flow here in Central Okla. Also the vetch, black locust trees, crimson clover, Dutch clover, Canola and Alfalfa are all presently blooming. I planted some Mustard and Turnips for the deer last fall. The Mustard bloomed all the way through February and then I mowed it down. Now the Turnips and the Mustard are blooming again.

When Carol and I were in Sacramento last year I talked to a local beekeeper and he said they get a honey crop from wild mustard every year. Maybe Okla. needs some wild mustard?

Well the small hive beetles are most definitely here. If you haven't seen them you need to look fast. See you at the meeting Tom

February Meeting

2009-02-22T20:17:00.006-06:00

The January meeting was cancelled do to inclement weather. So our business meeting will be at the conclusion of our February meeting. Our February meeting is this Tuesday night at 7 pm @ the OSU extension center, NW 10th and Portland in OKC, OK. It will be in the Auditorium on the north side of the extension center building.

We had planned to have hot dogs and finger foods last month. What the heck lets have fun ....... Steve you got your wish! We will provide the Hot Dogs & Buns & Mustard. Please bring something to go along, such as: Potato Chips, Chili, Relish, Onions, Cheese....... or any finger foods. Bring your favorite treat and we will see ya there.

Its time to start feeding if you plan to expand your apiary or need to replace some dead outs. Patties and syrup (1 to 1 by weight).

Observations

2009-01-28T20:16:00.003-06:00

It would be great if we, like our bees were able to buzz around the hive and stay warm and not have to scrape the ice off the vehicles, cross our fingers and hope not to get "stung" while driving ...... Sorry we had to cancel the meeting but it was way more safe to just stay clustered in the hive. So you will be aware of what we should be doing in February click here.

JANUARY MEETING!

2009-01-26T18:15:00.002-06:00

TODAYS Central Oklahoma Beekeepers Assoc. Meeting has been CANCELED do to inclement weather!!!!

Cluster up and stay warm, Our next meeting will be Feb. 24th.

HIVASTAN

2008-12-09T19:23:00.002-06:00

Hivastan is now approved for sale in Oklahoma by the EPA and the Okla. Dept of Ag. This is a section 18 approval for one year. At which time it will be reapplied under a section 3.
Hivastan is being distributed by Dadant, Walter T. Kelly and Brushy Mountain Bee Supplies. It comes in a 25 pound bucket. Which will treat 50 hives. It should be good for at least 2 years as long as you keep the lid on as much as possible. To treat for V.mites Apply 8 oz. patty on frames above brood leave for 6 weeks, then remove any that has not be consumed. BEFORE OR AFTER Honey flow.
Smaller quantities should be available in the future. For price and other details contact the distributors.

December Meeting! Ya'll COME!

2008-12-07T17:44:00.005-06:00

Our next COBA meeting will be Thursday evening Dec. 18, 2008 at 7 pm located at the OSU County Extension Center at N.E. 10 th and N. Portland in OKC, OK. We will be discussing HONEY, ( moisture, straining or filtering, color, granulation, returning to a liquid, pasteurizing, etc.) Pollen ( collecting, cleaning, dehydrating, etc.) Bees wax ( melting capping's, straining, filtering, etc.) Propolis (collecting, uses) Royal Jelly ... interesting...

Carol will be making another presentation, more about that to come......

If you would like to bring some finger foods and/or a door prize it would be great. See ya there. Tom

PS. I recently found a web page that is a beekeeping glossary of terms. If you have ever heard a beekeeper say a word you didn't know what it was. Go to http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/glossary.html

2009 Meeting Dates

2008-12-06T20:58:00.012-06:00

Meeting times: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm January 27February 24March 24April 28May 26June 25July 28August 27September 22October 23November 17

December 15

N.W. 10th & Portland Ave.

Auditorium North side of north Bldg.

Okc, OK

2008-12-02T20:07:00.002-06:00

Honey Festival

The Honey Festival is this Saturday. Dec. 6th, 2008
If you haven't been you should take the time and go. The weather should be descent. If you do get a chance to go be sure and go tour the Ross honey plant. It's located in Minco, Okla. east of Hwy 81 and north of Main Street. For more info you can go to www.minco-ok.com/minco/festival.htm Tom

BEGINNER BEEKEEPING CLASSES

2008-11-20T20:59:00.001-06:00

We want to thank everyone who took time and stopped by the 'Bee Haven' booth at the Oklahoma State Fair this past September. There were 253 people who signed up as being interested in Beekeeping Classes. To all those who signed up at the State Fair booth (and those who didn't sign up too) THEIR FINALLY HERE!

The first Beekeeping Classes will be on the first Saturday in January, February, March, April & May.

The April class will be in the bee yard, weather permitting.

The May meeting will also be in the bee yard.

Then in July we will extract your first frames of honey.

There will be a beginners kit available for students of the classes to order, at the first class. First come, first serve.

The cost will be $65.00 per individual or $75.00 per family. Included in the class will be one each of the following;

First Lessons in Beekeeping - book

One year subscription to Bee Culture Magazine

One year membership to Central Oklahoma Beekeepers Association

Prepaid regisrtation is required. THE CLASSES ARE FULL AND WE ARE NOT RECEIVING ANY MORE REGISRTATIONS

Thanks again for your interest in beekeeping. Tom

Our November Meeting

2008-11-16T16:19:00.006-06:00

Our November meeting will be Thursday, November 20th at 7PM @ OSU Extension Center Auditorium. The scheduled agenda for the meeting is as follows:

Open as usual
Tom (2008 Oklahoma Beekeeper of the Year) will deliver a presentation titled, "The Year of the Oklahoma Beekeeper"
Beginning Beekeeper Courses information will be discussed
Break and eat all the "Goodies" our faithful members bring
Carola will deliver a presentation titled "If I Were a Varroa Mite"
Draw for door prizes that our generous members bring
Adjourn and clean up our mess and go home

See Ya There.

PS Don't miss it!

November and December meeting (different evening)

2008-10-29T21:28:00.002-05:00

Do to THANKSGIVING and CHRISTMAS we are moving our Nov. and Dec. meetings to the Thursday Before. So our meetings will be Nov. 20th and Dec. 18th.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! TO ALL THAT HELPED. At the last meeting and the state conference.

It went GREAT. I didn't hear a thing negative. Everything was good. There were around 40 Friday evening and around 90 for the state conference. The food was good too. There were 2 new officers elected to the state. Randy Brady from Edmond is the President and Stacy Pollard from Norman is the new Secretary.

I'm getting closer on the classes there is more involved than one would think. Hopefully by next week I will have some of the info solidified enough that I can share it with everyone.

Well we had our first freeze. I was feeding some bees today and I saw some bright Orange pollen coming in. I can't imagine what is still producing pollen now, especially after the freeze.

I'm sure a lot of rag weed pollen sufferers are glad the rag weed pollen is gone.

Thanks again to all, see ya later, Tom

P.S. Oh ya thanks for nominating me for the Oklahoma State Beekeeper of the Year Award, I am excited that I won! Bye

Congratulations!

2008-10-26T19:16:00.002-05:00

We are proud of our president Tommy Thornton who was named the Albert Lincoln State Beekeeper of the Year on Saturday, October 25, at the Oklahoma State Beekeepers Association Fall Meeting.

October Meeting

2008-10-03T21:57:00.004-05:00

Before I get into the meeting information, just wanted to let every one know you may need to double check your hives. We haven't had any rain in 3 weeks and it's been in the 80's. Most of our hives are going backwards. A month ago they were heavy with honey and today they're light.

We moved some hives tonight and some of them felt like there wasn't anything in them. Two deeps should be 90 # s PLUS. You may need to feed, if you do, feed thick, 1 to 1 sugar water or thicker. Another option is candy boards. The recipe is on the states web page @ http://www.okbees.org/.

Our next meeting is Friday OCT. 24 th @ 7pm @ the OSU extension center main auditorium on the north side of the building at NW 10th & Portland.

We will be covering what you need to be doing next month and also Ed Levi, a honey bee specialist and inspector from Arkansas will be speaking to us about 'Integrated Pest Control in the Hive'. You don't want to miss it!

Don't forget to bring some goodies for refreshments and door prizes.
SATURDAY Oct. 25th is the Oklahoma State Beekeepers Association Fall meeting! COBA is hosting the meeting and we need you! The meeting will be right where we meet every month. Registration starts at 8 am. With the meeting starting at 9 am, Pot lunch @ noon, and winding up at 4 or 5 pm. For more information see the state website at: http://www.okbees.org/

We are responsible for setting up, cleaning up, helping wherever needed please come lend us a hand! They have some very good speakers lined up. Check out the states website for more info!

See ya there TOM

It's done

2008-09-22T17:33:00.003-05:00

Well the Fair is over. Now it's time for things to settle down a little. I finally got to mow some this evening.
Our meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday the 23rd. Be sure and bring some goodies. (finger foods)

Thank you to those of you who pitched in at the fair. We all have busy schedules and I know how hard it is to find the time. I really appreciate all the help!!!!!!!!! Never could have done it without you.

The interest was phenomenal. I never would have dreamed we would have so much interest in HONEY BEES. At one time there were 5 of us answering questions at one time. 253 signed in for beekeeping classes.

See ya at the meetin. Tom

Oklahoma State Fair - Honey Bee Haven

2008-09-13T09:17:00.013-05:00

We are having lots of fun at the Oklahoma State Fair. We have a booth at Agtropolis (Expo Hall) located on the Northwest side of the fairgrounds next to Gate 10. When you enter the main part of Agtropolis we are to the right, you can't miss Queen Beatrice!

We have been getting a lot of interest, we had 253 people that put there name & info down for "interested in Beekeeping classes" and a lot of questions.

We marked the queen with a dot so the kids could find her in the observation hive.

A few questions were:

There is the Queen bee, where is the King Bee?

Are all Queens born with a dot on their back?

Come and join us!

Don't forget our next meeting Sept. 23rd.@ NW 10th & Portland OSU Ext. center, 7PM.

Rick S. will be speaking.

See ya, Tom

Oklahoma State Fair Sept 11 - 21

2008-09-02T21:41:00.009-05:00

It's getting close. The fair starts on the 11 th. Set up will be Wednesday the 10 th.If you aren't lined up to help work the booth contact Maribeth as soon as possible. If your not sure if you're scheduled contact Maribeth AT: BeesRNeat@gmail.com

Here is a sneak preview of our booth.

This is Queen Beatrice the Mascott for The State Fair of OKLAHOMA '08

Our next meeting will be Sept 23 rd at NE 10th and Portland in OKC,OK @ 7PM

August Meeting

2008-08-24T21:26:00.006-05:00

Our next meeting is THIS TUESDAY, August 26. Bring some snacks and be ready to get organized! We will be getting things organized for the fair, everything seems to be coming together and in the spirit of the Olympics the Finish Line is in sight! We need you to pitch in and helps us finish. What an opportunity to help Oklahoma see some of the reasons we love beekeeping. We will be finalizing the working schedule so get with Maribeth at the meeting to join in the fun.

Next month Rick will be speaking, and much much more.

Thank you all for your interest in beekeeping and this club. You make it a success.

See ya there.

Tom

The OKLAHOMA STATE FAIR

2008-08-07T10:57:00.003-05:00

WE NEED YOU! If you are a member of the Noble Beekeepers Assn., Central Okla. Beekeepers Assn., or Frontier Country Beekeepers Assn. and have a few hours extra out of your busy schedule from Sept 10th thru Sept. 21st we DESPERATELY need you to volunteer and help us with our free booth in "Agtropulous" @ the state fair. Just e-mail me @ okbeekeeper@gmail.com and someone will get in touch with you ASAP.

ONE MORE THING. We need pictures that you have taken of your bees or of you working bees. Carol is going to put together a slide show for the fair. We can't guarantee we will use all of them. E-mail them to okbeekeeper@gmail.com. They must be digital for them to be in the slide show.

I think this is going to be the biggest thing that has been done to promote BEEKEEPING in Oklahoma for a very long time. The fair has been great and very giving in this endeavor. Let's Get-R-Done!

How are your bees doing? How HOT is it? I read an insert the other day that said when it gets over a hundred degrees that Honey Bees don't do much. I can guarantee you one thing when it gets over a hundred degrees I DON'T DO ANY THING! Most of the beekeepers I have talked to are just waiting for cooler weather to do anything. COOLER (Not as hot)

Most of us will be robbing or as my dad called it "COLLECTING RENT" in 3 or 4 weeks.
Don't forget to move the Queen down and put on Queen excluders 3 weeks ahead of time, so no brood is in your supers.

Our next meeting is August 26 @ the OSU Extension center @ NW10th & Portland in OKC, OK
SEE YA, Tom

COBA Nominee

2008-06-15T19:05:00.017-05:00

At the last meeting the members all voted by secret ballot for a nominee to be submitted to the Oklahoma State Beekeepers Association for consideration to receive the Albert Lincoln Beekeeper of the Year Award that is presented at the State's fall meeting every year.

I forgot to announce who the members chose as our nominee, it was Tommy Thornton. Thank you for your help and for your confidence in Tommy. Plan to attend the fall meeting and support our nominee!

See you Thursday, June 26th for our next COBA meeting.

Carola Thornton, Secretary
Central Oklahoma Beekeepers Association

Next meeting not on Tuesday

2008-05-26T21:24:00.002-05:00

Our next Meeting will NOT be on the 4th Tuesday it WILL be on the 4th THURSDAY!!!!!!June 26.