Beeline November 2019

November 2019 MSBA Fall 2019 Meeting, Elections and Honey Show MSBA 2019 Board of Directors

News from the Apiary Inspectors, November 2019

Cybil Preston, State Apiary Inspector, MDA Phone 410-841-5920, Fax 841-5835, Cell 410-562-3464 The Summer/Fall Drought was brutal. Colonies of  bees cruised right through their stores or were not able to gather a fall goldenrod or fall aster flow because the plants were struggling in to the extremely dry weather. Fall Crashes I am again seeing a large number of “Fall Crash or “Fall Dwindle:”  mostly seeing poor or spotty brood patterns.  Pupae are being removed or partial removal in large numbers, Read More …

President’s Message, November 2019

My term as MSBA President will end on December 31, so this is my last message. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as President and working with the MSBA Board. I especially want to thank those who have done most, if not all, of the hard work, Kim Mehalick (VP) for all of the great speakers, Toni Burnham (Secretary) for keeping me on track, and Allen Hayes for the advice and guidance. All of you have made me look good. I Read More …

WVBA SARE Project Yields Bee Forage Knowledge

In 2017, the West Virginia Beekeepers were award a SARE Grant of $15,000 to study the pollen foraging habits of bees in their part of Appalachia. The work was completed in 2018, and the WVBA wants to share its results with neighboring beekeepers! The objective of this project was to provide for the first time, in an easy-to-understand format, a set of fact-based charts describing the relative abundance of each plant type in its contribution of pollen to honey bees Read More …

MSBA Short-Sleeved T-Shirts Available

MSBA once again has short sleeved “I’m A Maryland Beekeeper” t-shirts available for sale in sizes S-M-L-XL-2XL-3XL-4XL (though there are limited numbers of larger sized shirts)! We have sold out of long-sleeved shirts, but are interested in whether there is demand during the summer months: please email beeline@mdbeekeepers.org if you would be interested in ordering a long-sleeved shirt, and we can plan a future order. The shirts are 100% cotton and cost $15 plus $4 shipping. No shipping is charged Read More …

UMD Bee Squad Offers “Afternoons in the Apiary”

MSBA is delighted with the many new educational offerings from UMD’s Bee Squad, led by Mark Dykes! Here’s the latest hands-on opportunity for Maryland (and DC!) beekeepers! More classes will be added to those already complete or scheduled, and the UMD Bee Squad is interested in feedback on content, scheduling, and more. The sessions are limited in size and require a small fee.

Honey Tasting and Black Jar Contests

“In a black jar contest, all that matters is how good the honey tastes to the judges.” That’s a lot different from the approach beekeepers take to standard honey judging! In fact, most beekeepers spend little time at all evaluating the taste of the honey their bees produce, and expanding their understanding of the connection this represents between them, their bees, and the blooming world around their apiaries. Black Jar contests focus directly on the taste of beekeeper-produced honey, and Read More …

Remembering Mike Embrey: A Hero of Maryland Beekeeping

Michael Embrey, who taught, worked beside, and befriended beekeepers across Maryland and the world, passed away on May 18, 2019 after sustaining injuries from a serious car accident three weeks earlier.  He is survived by his loving wife YanCai Embrey.  Hundreds gathered for a service of remembrance on Thursday, May 30 at the University of MD Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown. There is a full obituary and condolence page online.  There are very few beekeepers in Maryland who were Read More …