State Calendar

February 5-11, 2010: Our Annual Honey Show at the State Annex, Trenton. 2010 WINNERS! Honey Show Rules have not changed for 2010. Click here for current rules, sample score sheets and an entry form. If you have any questions, please contact the show chair, Janet Katz.

February 13, 2010: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM, NJBA Winter Meeting, New Jersey Museum of Agriculture, North Brunswick, NJ. The meeting will start with registration, followed by a business meeting, speaker and lunch. Featured speaker will be Dr. James "Jamie" Ellis an Assistant Professor of Entomology at the University of Florida (UF). He will speak on the research they are doing at the UF Honey Bee Research & Estension Lab. The first place and division winners of the Annual Honey Show will be auctioned to the highest bidders. Cost is $22 in advance per person 12 years and older for members ($25 at the door). Cost for non-members 12 years and older is $25 prepaid in advance or $28 paid the day of. Children and students are $15 each. RSVP to Curtis Crowell by February 1, 2010 (609 651-4585). Make checks payable to NJBA and mail to Curtis at 152 Broad Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520. A detailed agenda will be forthcoming. Directions to the Museum.

March 12, 2010: Friday, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Executive Board Meeting at Rutgers EcoComplex, 1200 Florence-Columbus Rd., Bordentown, NJ, second floor conference room. Members of any branch that have issues or concerns that need to be brought before the board, should contact the state executive board members from their branch (branch presidents and Secretary/Treasurers) or a state association elected official in advance of the meeting to get the issue on the agenda.

May 6, 7 & 8, 2010: Bee-ginner's Beekeeping Course at Rutgers. See the Education Page for detials.

May 14, 2010: 7:00 p.m. Executive Board Meeting. Agricultural Building in Trenton.

May 22, 2010: Spring Meeting, JCC Camps, Medford, 420 Tuckerton Road, Medford, NJ 08055, hosted by the South Jersey Beekeepers Association. Hands-on beekeeping workshops. Fisherman's auction (honey bees, bee-friendly plants, equipment), modest breakfast, lunch all included. Contact Seth Belson via email or phone, 856 285-0074, with questions. For registration information, directions, activities and cost, click here.

August 14, 2010: Saturday. Annual picnic and auction at the home of Bob Hughes in Yardville, NJ (Mercer County). Find used equipment bargains, sell equipment you no longer need, talk about bees all day, good food, good company and swimming! Coffee and donuts from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. followed by the auction, with the incomparable auctioneer, member Rod Donovan. Swimming pool, so bring suits and towels. Also, bring chairs so you don't get tired of standing during the auction. Click here for directions. Price is $20 if paid before August 9th, $24 day of. Children 12 and older are $20; ages 6 to 11 are $5 and 4 years and younger are free. RSVP to Curtis.Crowell@att.net or 609 651-4585, as soon as humanly possible, and send your check to him at 152 Broad St., Hightstown, NJ 08520.

October 2, 2010: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the EcoComplex, 1200 Florence-Columbus Rd., Bordentown. NJBA Fall Meeting, hosted by Central Jersey branch, with featured speaker "Bee Culture" Editor Kim Flottum. In the morning session, Flottum's topic will be "Producing and Marketing Artisanal Honey". After lunch, he will speak on the "State of Beekeeping in "America and the Outlook for the next 5 to 10 Years". A roundtable Q&A with Flottum will follow at 2:30 p.m. The fee for this meeting is $20 per person for members; $25 for non-members. Mandatory RSVP is due by September 25, 2010. Space is limited, so reserve your spot by calluing Curtis Crowell at 609 651-4585. Payment in advance is greatly appreciated and expedites registration. Make your check payable to "CJBA" and mail it to: Curtis Crowell, 152 Broad Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520. Brushy Mountain will be at the meeting delivering advance orders with no shipping charges. For details on placing orders, click here. For directions, click here.

December 17, 2010: Friday, 7:30 p.m. Election of officers will take place, so members are urged to attend and cast their votes. This meeting will also be a chance to share in some holiday cheer. Ricotta cheese topped with honey or powdered honey is a special treat. If you have anything you'd like to share with others at the meeting, your treats will be appreciated. Annual dues are also due, so bring your $20 to the meeting to be brought current for 2011 or click here for a form you can mail to the branch treasurer.

April 24, 2010: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Echo Hill Outdoors. Installation of packages and nuc's, swarm control, reversal of colony deeps and mediums and a chance to ask questions of the experts. RSVP if you plan to attend to branch secretary, Barbara Hill, muscavaya@aol.com.

June 26, 2010: MEETING LOCATION CHANGED!: 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Hunterdon County Route 31 Complex, Gauntt Place & Route 31, Flemington, NJ 08822, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Building #2 (basement level, down the ramp). Click here, for directions. Bob Hughes, former NJBA president, sideliner, part-time bee inspector and instructor at the Rutgers Bee-ginners Beekeeping Course, will show you how to present your extracted honey for judging. Bring your honey, and Hughes will show you what the judges look for. Summer management will also be discussed, with a Q&A to follow.

August 1 to 7, 2010: Warren County Farmers' Fair, Harmony Township.

August 25 to 29, 2010: County Fairgrounds, South County Park, Route 179, Ringoes, NJ (Hunterdon County 4H & Agricultural Fair).

September 18, 2010: 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Hands-on at the Old York Cellars Vineyard, 80 Old York Road, Ringoes, NJ, subject to weather. Fall and winter management will be the topic with Q&A. Members must RSVP to Barbara Hill, Muscavaya@aol.com, so there will be an accurate count for coffee, tea, bagels, donuts, wine and cheese.

November 4, 2010: Thursday, 7:00 p.m. for a viewing of the movie "Vanishing of the Bees". Kettle popcorn, coffee and hot mulled cider will be served. Following the movie there will be a Q & A opportunity with panel discussion related to the movie content and its relevancy to you and your apiary. The meeting will be held at Hunterdon Co-Op Extension Services, 6 Gauntt Pl, Flemington, (908) 788-1338. Please RSVP to Barbara Hill so hospitality and room setup can be planned.

December 4, 2010: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Winter holiday meeting with covered dish lunch for members and their families. Food arrival time 12:45 p.m., meeting at 1:00 p.m. We will be voting on the slate of officers for 2011-12. There will be a 50/50 drawing and a few special drawings. RSVP Barbara Hill, Muscavaya@aol.com, 609 466-9428.

The Sussex County Beekeepers Association meets monthly (except September and December) at the School of Conservation, 1 Wapalanne Road, Branchville, NJ in Stokes Forest, unless otherwise stated below. For directions, click here.

January 16, 2010: 1:00 p.m. Please note this is the correct date; the recent state newsletter contained a typo.

February 20, 2010: 1:00 p.m. School of Conservation's Kittatinny Building, Mike Osborne will speak on "Early Spring Management".

Introduction to Beekeeping - March 13 & 20, 2010: (snow date March 27, 2010), at the Sussex County Fairgrounds Administration Building, Plains Road, Augusta. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the 13th, and 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on he 20th. Fee is $60 which includes membership in the NJBA and Sussex County Beekeepers Association 2010 membership dues, continental breakfast, handout materials, lunch and a beginner beekeeping book or DVD. To register and if you have questions, call Linda Osborne 973 875-5770.

March 21, 2010: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The guest speaker, Ross Conrad, will talk about natural beekeeping, at the Sussex County Fairgrounds Administration Building, Plains Road, Augusta. Bring your own bagged lunch. Beverages will be provided. No charge for Sussex branch memebers; $60 fee for non-branch members, which includes a copy of Ross Conrad's book, "Natural Beekeeping". Pre-register with Linda Osborne, 973 875-5770.

April 11, 2010: 11:30 a.m., School of Conservation, installation of two packages of bees.

May 15, 2010: 10:00 a.m., Genesis Farms, Blairstown, NJ. Bring a covered dish to share and a lawn chair. This is a hands-on meeting, so remember to bring veils and gloves. Directions will be on the SCBA webpage.

June 19, 2010: Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Meeting at The School of Conservation in the Long House, 1 Wapalanne Road, Branchville, in Stoke's Forest. Meeting will be followed by a queen rearing presentation. See SCBA website for complete details.

July 24, 2010: 10:00 a.m.New Jersey State Fair - Sussex County Farm & Horse Show "set-up" meeting at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in the Richard's Building. Attendees please bring a covered dish to share. This meeting will include the bee exhibit booth setup, pot luck lunch followed by a meeting.

August 6 through August 15, 2010: Sussex County Fair. (Sussex County Farm and Horse Show) Annual Honey Show judging on August 6, 2010. Bee information booth with bee products, observation hive and bee cage. Hours are 10:00am to 10:00pm 8/6 to 8/14. Hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm on 8/15. Honey show entries due at Sussux Fairgrounds by 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 6, 2010. For entry form, click here. For entry classes and details, click here.

September 12, 2010: 12:00 Noon, joint meeting with SE NY Beekeepers at Brodhecker's. Pot luck - bring a dish to share and a chair.

October 16, 2010: 10:00 a.m. at The School of Conservation in the Long House, 1 Wapalanne Road, Branchville, in Stoke's Forest. The meeting will be followed by hive inspections.

November 13, 2010: 6:00 p.m. Holiday dinner at the Lafayette House with cash bar and dinner at 7:00 p.m.

For Essex County Beekeepers Society website, click here.

February 27 & March 6, 2010: Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 PM. Garibaldi Hall, ECEC. Basic Beekeeping short course. Field Day April 18 (rain date April 24). Fee $90 per person, which includes a one-year NJBA membership, continental breakfast and afternoon snack on classroom days. This course will take you through a full year of beekeeping, and teach you everything you need to get started, from equipment, through management, biology, pest control, and harvest. Focus is on IPM management. For more information and to register, contact Maria Glasser, 3plus2@verizon.net, 973 762-3630. Class full - Registration closed!

March 9, 2010: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. "Races of Bees: Choose the Queen that’s Right for You". Speaker: Landi Simone, Master Beekeeper, Gooserock Farm.

April 13, 2010: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. "Bait Hives. Quick! Catch that Swarm"! Panel Discussion. We will be selling queen pheromone lures and waxed cardboard nuc boxes for use as bait hives, at a discount courtesy of Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.

May 11, 2010: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. "Old World Queen Rearing in New Jersey". Speaker: Karoly Toth, Carniolan queen supplier.

June 8, 2010: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. "Bee Biology". Speaker: Joe Lelinho, Hilltop Honey, MAAREC Representative.

July & August, 2010: No meetings planned.

September, 2010: Annual ECBS picnic and hive examination. Date and place TBA.

October 12, 2010: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Northeast branch member Dale Bellisfield will give a presentation entitled "Bee MD - Medicine from the Hive" covering the medicinal uses of honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, was and even bee venom. Dale is a registered nurse and Clinical Herbalist.

November 9, 2010: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. "Top Bar Hives". Speaker TBA.

December, 2010: Annual ECBS Christmas Party at Garibaldi Hall, day TBA.

For Central Jersey Beekeepers Association website, click here.

January 31, 2010: Sunday, starting at 4:00 p.m. PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE! Holiday Party. Click here for complete details.

March 19, 2010: Friday, 7:00 p.m. General membership meeting. Hightstown First Aid Building.

April 10, 2010: Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Building Woodenware workshop at Woodworking Barn on Rejay's Farm, 156 Plainsboro Rd., Cranbury, NJ 609 395-7758. Topics include woodenware criteria and selection, assembly, foundation installaion. There will also be a shop tour. Bring a folding chari if you want to sit. For more details and directions, click here.

May 8, 2010: Saturday, Splits and nuc's workshop, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. "Working in the Bee Yard" at the Woodworking Barn at Rejay's Farm, 156 Plainsboro Road, Cranbury. Click here for directions. We will start off with a brief discussion on the merits of purchasing package bees, purchasing nuc's, building up your colonies before taking “splits” from your own hives, hiving the package, nuc or split, introducing a new queen, and how to care for the new colony. Hands-on hiving of two nuc's will be followed by a recap and Q&A. Water and soft drinks will be provided.

June 19, 2010:Saturday, 10:00 a.m. General membership meeting combined with the Morris-Somerset Branch. Location TBA.

July 21-25, 2010: Monmouth County Fair, East Freehold Showgrounds, Freehold, NJ.

August 13, 2010: Friday. General membership meeting. Time and location TBA.

September 25, 2010: Saturday, 10:00 a.m. General membership meeting, Mead Making, at the home of President Pat Ricci.

October 3, 2010: Sunday, Conservation Day.

November 5, 2010: Friday. General membership meeting, time and location TBA.

January 16, 2010: 11:00 am to 4:00 p.m. at Camp Haluwasa, 377 Ehrke Road, Hammonton, NJ. NJBA members Alf and Ceil Berg will offer tips on how to prepare beeswax for artful uses and cosmetics. They will also share their knowledge on making soap and cosmetics. Alf and Ceil are regionally renowned for their award winning wax sculptures. Come learn from the best! Please check them out at www.herbertsvillehoney.com. There will be a buffet style lunch. South Jersey branch members $9; NJBA members $13. RSVP immediately to Tim Schuler. Any questions, contact Seth Belson at info@hiddenacrehoney.com. For detailed agenda, click here.

May 8, 2010: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the home of member Susan Polk, 1701 Fifth Avenue, Devonshire 08215. Demonstrate splits, swarm prevention and check hive health.

June 12, 2010: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the home of member Susan Ellis, 701 West Quilly Road, Carneys Point. Checking hive health, Bee Cam observation, tour of bee-friendly gardens. Possible guest speaker topic, "How to Plant for Bees".

July 10, 2010: 9:00 a.m. to noon at the home of Michael Long, 365 Parkertown Dr., Little Egg Harbor, 08087. Checking hive health. Pest and disease management for summer. Thinking towards winter and bee health.

August, 2010: No meeting for SJBA. All are encouraged to go to Bob Hughes home on August 14, 2010 to attend NJBA picnic/auction. Please be sure to register. Details will be emailed to members and posted in the state calendar, above.

September 11, 2010: 9:00 a.m. to noon. Combined South Jersey and Jersey Cape meeting a Harvey's Honey, 912 Route 40, Monroeville 08343. Tour of facilities, bee yard, honey house and wood shop.

October 23, 2010: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Meeting topic is "Beekeepers' Equipment - From Beginning to Bottling". Location is: 838 Tuska Road, Millville, NJ 08332. This month hosted by the Morgan Family.

Meetings are held every third Thursday of the month (except for July and December) at 7:00 PM at the Cape May County Extension Office, 355 Court House/So. Dennis Road (Route 657), Cape May Court House, NJ. Click here, for directions.

January 21, 2010: 7:00 PM. Election of officers.

March 18, 2010: We'll be discussing spring management of bee hives, an update of the bee course and answer any questions that may arise.

April 15, 2010: The monthly meeting of the Jersey Cape Beekeepers Associstion is scheduled for Thursday evening at 7 PM at the Lockwood Building (the building behind where we usually meet). Topics include feeding your bees, supering hives, switching supers and, of course, the general question and answer session.

July 15, 16, 17, 2010: Cape May County 4H Fair.

August 21, 2010: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Hands-on meeting at Bill Eisele's farm, 280 Old Tuckahoe Rd., Petersbrug (Woodbine if using a GPS) with NJ State Apiarist Tim Schuler to demonstrate methods to treat for mites, checking hive health, maybe a short demo on extracting honey and discussing any other questions that you might have.

September 11, 2010: Joint meeting with the South Jersey Branch at Harveys Honey Farm, Monroeville, NJ. Details to follow.

September 16, 2010: 7:00 p.m., Rutgers Cooperative Extension office. Getting your hives ready for winter will be the topic.

October 21, 2010: 7:00 p.m., Ag Extension meeting room in CMCH. A member will make a presentation on a possible fund-raiser thru Viridian Power that is also supposed to save you money on your electric bill. There will also be discussion of fall and winter preparation of your bee hives, the new research identifying additional causes for CCD and possible topics for future meetings. There will also be additional information on the hands-on meeting to be held on October 23, 2010.

October 23, 2010: Hands-on meeting; details at the October 21 meeting (see above).

January 16, 2010: Meeting of club officers and chair people to plan branch agenda for the year. Please either complete the survey you received recently relating to the programs you'd like to see for the year, or send Mark Muller your ideas.

March 19, 2010: Friday, 7:30 p.m., "Is There a Doctor in the Hive?" by Dale Bellisfield, RN a holistic nurse practitioner and clinical herbalist. Chester Library, special guest speaker. Bellisfield works in the St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and is a fellow beekeeper and member of the Northeast branch. She has prepared this talk specifically for our group and will discuss the healing power of honey bees and hive products. For a biography, click here.

April 17, 2010: Saturday, 12:00 noon. Spring hive inspection and annual "Bring a Friend" meeting at the home of member John Pagano in Bedminster, led by former NBJA President and sideliner beekeeper Bob Hughes.

June 26, 2010: Saturday, 12:00 noon. Annual summer picnic at the home of member Sheila Tweedie in Far Hills.

July 23, 24, 25, 2010: Morris County 4H Fair, Chubb Park, Chester.

October 29, 2010: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Somerset County 4-H, 310 Milltown Road, Bridgewater. Robert "Beeman" Simonofsky, a member of the North West Branch of the NJBA, will give a presentation on his adventures in removing honeybees from inside the walls of structures. Comb storage in the off season and wax moth will be discussed as well as hosting next year's fall state meeting and various other timely beekeeping topics. The 4H building is located just off Route 202 at the first traffic light south of Wegmans. Click here for complete directions.

December 5, 2010: 12:00, noon, Sunday, holiday party at the home of member Joan Tak in Watchung. Catered brunch, swimming pool, hot tub, $13 per person in advance; $15 at the door. RSVP to Mark Muller, markmuller1@verizon.net, 848 702-9036. Mail check made out to MSCBA to Rich Lepik, 2091 Primrose Lane, Martinsville, NJ 08836. For directions, click here.