Katherin Beekeeping

Potluck 2021

What a wonderful feeling to be able to gather again! Thank you to Penny for allowing us to relax and reconnect with GBA members on your gorgeous property, and to everyone who came out to make it happen. Great conversations, amazing honey tasting and a magnificent, delicious feast.

Katherin Beekeeping, Meetings

Club Night Oct 2021: Preparing your hives for winter

With October upon us, this month's club meeting included a presentation by our Education Committee to start thinking about preparing our hives for the winter months ahead. Great Q+A session afterwards, as well as a tempting thought to join our potluck later this month! These meetings are open to GBA members and one-time visitors. If you'd like further information, please contact us.

Winter Preparations – Oct 2021

Katherin Beekeeping

It’s great to be back at the fair – Santa Cruz County Fair 2021

We had a great turnout of volunteers to support the tremendous interest in the Bee Barn - back in-person, after a COVID hiatus year - at the Santa Cruz County Fair. There was especially a lot of interest in spotting the queen (and earning the appropriate sticker!) in the observation hives graciously provided by Sara and Roark.

A special thank you to Roark for coordinating behind the scenes and being on hand during the entire week of the fair to support everyone involved.

Katherin Beekeeping, Meetings

Club Night Sept 2021: Fall issues in California

In our online education series, our Education Committee experts cover a variety of topics important for the hobby beekeeper. As a hot summer draws to a close, we took a closer look at some of the most pressing issues beekeepers face in this part of California, ranging from drought and threat of fire to predators, and how to make the last honey extraction of the season. Led by Master Beekeepers, Sara Cutrignelli and Arthur Kubogamell, these meetings are open to GBA and provide useful Q+A opportunities throughout. Thank you to Jamie Haskell for the video editing and slide show.

Honey Extraction – Sept 2021

Katherin Beekeeping

Decoding Monitoring Boards – Christine Kurtz

Christine Kurtz gave a wonderful presentation and helped us understand how to read our hive bottom boards. A seasoned beekeeper with over a decade of experience working with bees, using a sustainable, treatment-free and all-natural management style, Christine is a strong believer in supporting locally adapted stocks of bees. As a long time Sonoma County resident, she is familiar with the ebbs and flows of the seasons and the cycle of the local honeybee and keenly supports beekeepers sharing bees and restocking, and generally becoming better beekeepers.

The video presentation is available for members only. Please contact us for details.

Katherin Beekeeping, Meetings

Club Night: Mid-year member hive maintenance

In our current online education series, we have covered a series of topics important for the hobby beekeeper. Our subject this month continues the theme of mid-year hive maintenance and follows on the heels of our two-part class. This evening, our Education Committee, led by Master Beekeepers, Sara Cutrignelli and Arthur Kubogamell, share the inspection results and recommendations of the hives of some of our members - Steve, Chris and Chris! Thank you to Jamie Haskell for the video editing and slide show.

Mid-year hive maintenance (member hives courtesy Steve, Chris & Chris) June 2021

Katherin Beekeeping

Queen Banking – Ellen Topizhofer

It was a delight to welcome Ellen Topizhofer all the way from Oregon to our meeting this month.

Ellen became interested in honey bees while studying plant genetics and breeding at the University of Minnesota. She then studied honey bee nutrition as part of her MS at Oregon State University. After graduating, she worked with commercial beekeepers in the Northwest as part of the Bee Informed Partnership’s Tech Transfer Team mastering on-the-ground testing, secret-keeping, and applicable research. She currently works as a research assistant in the OSU Honey Bee Lab.

The video presentation is available for members only. Please contact us for details.

Katherin Beekeeping, Meetings

Club Night: Preparing your hive for honey

In our current online education series, we have covered a series of topics important for the hobby beekeeper. This evening, our Education Committee Directors and Master Beekeepers, Sara Cutrignelli and Arthur Kubogamell, feature in a special video presentation created especially for GBA by Jamie Haskell: How do you know when your hive is ready to give honey?

Preparing your hive for honey (slideshow – courtesy Jamie) May 2021 – Part 1 of 2

Preparing your hive for honey (discussion with Sara & Arthur) May 2021 – Part 2 of 2

Katherin Beekeeping

What’s in My Pollen – Dr. Kirsten Traynor

We were honoured to have Dr. Kirsten Traynor jump on a middle-of-her-night call with us this month and share her insights.

Dr. Traynor investigates honey bee health and how pesticides impact social behavior. She is the Director of the Institute of Bee Research in Celle, Germany. In 2020, she launched a new quarterly magazine 2 Million Blossoms: protecting our pollinators. She was originally an English major, who fell into beekeeping and then made a career in bee research. Dr. Traynor is also the author of Two Million Blossoms: Discovering the Medicinal Benefits of Honey and Simple, Smart Beekeeping. She previously ran a small apiary producing top quality nucs and Maryland reared queens. Her focus is on improving honey bee health, education, and outreach.

The video presentation is available for members only. Please contact us for details.

Katherin Beekeeping, Meetings

Club Night: How’s your hive?

In our current online education series, we have covered a series of topics important for the hobby beekeeper. This evening, our Education Committee Directors and Master Beekeepers, Sara Cutrignelli and Arthur Kubogamell, asked new beekeepers what has been happening in their hives since the nucs or bee packages were installed, and also what to expect of existing bee colonies at this time of the year.

How’s our hive? New colonies (nucs, bee packages) and existing bee colonies – Sara & Arthur (Apr 2021) – Part 1 of 2

How’s our hive? New colonies (nucs, bee packages) and existing bee colonies – Sara & Arthur (Apr 2021) – Part 2 of 2