July Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Wasatch Beekeepers Association
Location: Jones Bee, 2586 West 500 South
July 19, 2007

The July meeting of the Wasatch Beekeepers Association was held July 19, 2007 at Jones Bee in Salt Lake City. The meeting was conducted by Karen Dupaix, secretary, due to the absence of other presidency members. 11 people were in attendance.

The May 2007 meeting minutes were read by Karen Dupaix. They were approved by Joe Grange and seconded by Paul Dupaix.

The newsletter report was given by Paul Dupaix. 34 newsletters were emailed in May, and another 26 were mailed out.

Announcements included the upcoming picnic on August 25 and the observation beehive during the State fair. Also, there are new guidelines proposed by the Federal Drug and Food Administration. See their website for the details.

Colony Collapse Disorder was brought up and discussed. Mary Jane Grange sited several websites that reported heavy losses among large scale honey producers, including Utah’s Miller Honey.

Mary Jane Grange presented the program, which was about how a beekeeper can tell when it is time to harvest the honey. Beekeepers should look for frames full of 80-90% capped honey. When there is too much honey in a hive, brood will decrease and the bees will become aggressive. An early extraction is one way to deal with the problem of overcrowding. This also prevents the beekeeper from having to buy and store more supers.

When extracting, it is a good idea to let the honey drain out the bottom gate to prevent a build-up of honey that can slow down the spinning and cause frame damage. An idea for spinning out the wax cappings was given by Joe Grange, who has designed a basket the size and shape of a frame to fit inside the extractor and spin out the cappings.

There will be no August meeting, due to the combined picnic with the Utah County Beekeepers.

The meeting was adjourned until September 20, 2007.

Sincerely,
Karen Dupaix, Secretary
Wasatch Beekeepers Association