NEWS FROM THE HIVE
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS, BEE FACTS, FINANCIAL REPORT, GRATITUDE AND MORE!
A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT:
What could be better?
New Year! New board members for Help Save the Bees Foundation!New opportunities for us to share our love for the bees and for all pollinators!
I’d like to warmly welcome Rich Olson, Laurie Weirton and Jen Fields to the board. We are truly blessed to have such a passionate, intelligent and willing tribe of humans, all working together to educate, support and inspire others to “save the bees!” In the two short years of this organization, we have accomplished more than we ever imagined with nothing more than good intentions wrapped in a little bit of effort and willingness. And now, we come into this year with more experience, new enthusiasm and bigger goals! How exciting!
Our year ahead is sure to be filled with opportunities to share our knowledge, to raise money as we simultaneously give it away, as we help others get excited about pollinators! And without a doubt, we’ll have great fun along the way!
Thank you to each and every one of you that has said “yes” to Help Save the Bees Foundation! We’re in for a wonderful, productive, adventure filled year! So Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
Bee Blessed!
Bee Kind!
Bee Beautiful!
Laurie Yarborough
President
Special Feature: New Year's Resolutions for 2022
I will plant native flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees in my yard and garden, promote the use of native plants to other gardeners in my area, and collect native seed from my garden to share with neighbors.
I will provide food for pollinators all year by having spring, summer, and fall blooming plants in my garden and yard.
I will leave leaf litter, stems, twigs and logs in my garden for nesting bees and for butterflies to lay their eggs and overwinter.
I will take steps to reduce or eliminate pesticide use on areas within my control.
I will learn about invasive plants and do what I can to manage or eliminate them from my local landscape.
I will make environmentally friendly decisions to reduce my carbon footprint in order to help improve pollinator health and habitat quality.
I will support pollinator-friendly farmers by buying local organic or low-spray produce.
I will support my local beekeepers by buying local bee products like raw honey.
I will volunteer to plant a pollinator garden in my community and take part in local citizen science initiatives.
I will continue supporting pollinator conservation organizations through my donations.
by David "Fez" Duffie
1. Honeybees are fabulous flyers. They fly at a speed of up to 20 mph and beat their wings 200 times per second (12,000 times/minute)! In their 6–8-week lifespan, a worker bee will fly the equivalent distance of 1-1/2 times around the Earth.2. Honeybees make honeycombs hexagonal because they can efficiently hold the most amount of honey with the smallest amount of material (wax).3. Foragers (worker bees) must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make a pound of honey. The average forager makes about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime. To make one full teaspoon of honey bees must fly the equivalent distance to the moon, and back!4. An average beehive can contain around 50,000 bees, and can produce anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds of honey every year. 5. A small positive charge builds up when bees fly, and plants have a small negative charge. When a bee lands on a flower petal, plant pollen literally jumps on to the bee.6. Bees are extremely important because they pollinate approximately one third of the food we eat (approximately 130 agricultural crops in the US), including fruit, nut, and vegetable crops. Bee pollination adds approximately 14 billion dollars annually to improve crop yield and quality.
Financial Performance, 2021
Ray Hopper, Treasurer
You can view our detailed financial report on the following link:
To Be or Not to Be, A Beekeeper
by Dan Rider
Many if not most pollinators around the world are under threat. That’s not new information for most people, in fact I would suggest that it’s now common knowledge. As a result, backyard beekeeping has become incredibly popular over the past decade or so. Virtually all of these hobbyist beekeepers go into it for all the right reasons but many if not most are doomed to failure, they simply didn’t think it through. In this article I’ll be discussing some of the considerations that should be made prior to entering the world of beekeeping.
Check your local regulations, some municipalities forbid bees altogether. Also, not a bad idea to check with your neighbors too.
It requires a lot of equipment. Tools, hive bodies and frames, the list goes on…… And, soon you’ll discover that you own two or three of almost everything which in itself creates the need for maintenance and storage not to mention the expense incurred.
You must be a beekeeper not a bee-haver. You’re working with Mother Nature, she runs on her time not yours. Maintaining your hives is of upmost importance and that requires both skill and dedicated time often when it’s less than convenient.
Keeping bees can be very disappointing which is to say they often die or simply disappear. This is referred to Colony Collapse Disorder which is thought to occur for a variety of reasons. Regardless of those reasons it’s a hard fact faced by new and experienced beekeepers alike.
There are other challenges to consider but that is the gist of it. If you do things right the payback is amazing and for many of us it’s more than just a hobby, it’s a way of life. So how does one get started?
My recommendation is to begin by reading some of the many books and manuals, the Beekeeper’s Bible as an example. Look for local bee clubs and groups, attend a few meetings or events and there you’ll likely find a mentor or two. Experienced, “hobbyist” beekeepers are notoriously accommodating and most will go out of their way to welcome the curious into their bee yard. Spending time there will help you develop the required skills and temperament, increasing your odds of success in a big way. If you have read this, I’m guessing that you’re at least curious and I hope this has helped. Best wishes and good luck to you all.
Big THANK YOU to Handmade Stylings for donating a portion of their proceeds to "Help Save the Bees Foundation". You can find their offerings on Etsy.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
A 2-day conference with notable speakers from the world of Beekeeping, workshops, and honey tasting in Yerington, NV
Board of Directors:
President: Laurie YarboroughSecretary: Rich OlsonTreasurer: Ray HopperDirector: David Duffie
Director: Jennifer FieldDirector: Dan Rider
Director: Laurie Weirton
A huge thank you to all who have contributed to the Help Save The Bees Foundation. As we expand our outreach, please consider making a donation.To make a donation please click
here.