...and yes, our colonies also suffered and collapsed.
But, we will rebuild. After all, we have all the equipment! So Christian and I attended the yearly Western PA Beekeeper Seminar last weekend. It was full of excellent talks and encouragement from some well-known beekeepers. I also got a new toy!
Grant Gillard
Boy was he ever encouraging to us! He gave us 7 tips on being a successful beekeeper. I took a snapshot of the things I wanted to remember most:
Karen Roccasecca
We heard from our PA State Apiarist on the inspection program, what they offer as far as help for us (that is included in our $10 registration), and how we can help with the Spotted Lantern Fly which is an invasive species in PA. I will just drop what it looks like right here:
Randy Oliver
The keynote speaker was phenomenal! He does all sorts of research on bees and keeping healthy bees. His bees take care of the almond groves in California. We learned about use of oxalic acid (including that PA says the word wrong), other Varroa Management, bee behavior, and bee nutrition.My favorite thing that he talked about? We are in the "trough of disillusionment." Meaning that you find it hard between year 1 and 3, because you lose hives, something unexpected happens, etc. So we are right on par to having a better season!
New Toy
For those of you that know me, I am a tech girl - thus the blog! I came across the Broodminder vendor at the seminar. The Citizen Science Kit has a weight, temperature gauge and humidity gauge. The devices connect to your phone and then can be shared with the world to help others with your data.
So of course I bought a kit, plus two extra temperature gauges! So look for a future article on this new toy .. I mean, tool!
