May Meeting!!

Alamo Area Beekeepers Association

Next meeting:  Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.

At Helotes Independent Baptist Church

15335 Orange Tower Road

Helotes, TX 78023

MEETING AGENDA

Ø  President’s Welcome & Visitors Intro by Rick Fink (5 min)

Ø  Approval of the March 2013 meeting minutes (5 min)

Ø  Treasurer & Membership Report, Richard Trevino (5 min)

Ø AABA Field Day – Event Review – Rick Fink, Don Fraser, Richard Trevino Jr (5 min)

Ø  2014 Youth Scholarship Program – Rick Fink (5 min)

Ø Program intermission & potluck dinner, AABA will supply meat course, please bring side or dessert to share.

Ø Presentation – Video/Audio Lectures - Dr Matt Tarver, PhD (Research Entomologist), Dr Bob Danka PhD (Research Entomologist), Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics & Physiology Research Unit, USDA Lab, Baton Rouge, LA. Topics:

·      USDA Honey Bee Research Program – Lab Mission & Goals (Dr Tarver)

·      Current & Future Small Hive Beetle Control (Dr Tarver)

·      The Development of Mite Resistant Bee Stocks (Dr Danka)

Ø Q&A – Beekeeping Questions – e.g. Feeding Bees-Summer Drought

Ø Reminders - AABA Newsletter – blog – Mind Your OWN Bee’s Wax

Note. BeeWeaver (Austin, TX) donated 5 (five) queen certificates to the AABA for the Alamo Area Beekeepers Field Day. The winners – Jim Pistone, Donavan Friedrichs, Marilyn Lambert, Lolita Bader AND one more person.  If you won a BeeWeaver Queen please notify Don Fraser attexmanbees@gmail.com

Note. We would appreciate it if a few people (20) could bring folding chairs to the May 2014 AABA meeting. 

Meeting Agenda – submitted by Don Fraser, VP AABA

Blog: Mind Your OWN Beeswax  
Link: http://aabanewsletter@blogspot.com. Reminder – Mimi Stricker would love to receive your pictures and stories for inclusion in the AABA Blog: Mind Your Own Beeswax.  If you have an idea for a story or some interesting pictures you would like to share please contact her at: Mimi Stricker merissa.stricker@gmail.com

March Agenda

Alamo Area Beekeepers Association

Next meeting:  Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.

At Helotes Independent Baptist Church

15335 Orange Tower Road

Helotes, TX 78023

MEETING AGENDA

Ø  President’s Welcome& Visitors Intro by Rick Fink (5 min)

Ø  Approval of the January 2013 meeting minutes (5 min)

Ø  Treasurer & Membership Report, Richard Trevino (5 min)

Ø SA Rodeo (Feb 6-23) and Honey Bottling Party (Feb 1) – Update

Ø  2013 Youth Scholarship Program – Hive Update from the Scholarship    Winners

Ø 2014 Scholarship Planning Update (R. Fink, D Fraser)

Ø Planning for Field Day 2014 (R. Fink, D Fraser, R. Trevino Jr)

Ø Program intermission & potluck dinner

Ø Cindy Schiotis – AABA Visit-USDA Bee Research Lab – Baton Rouge, LA. Overview of the USDA Research Focus; Current Research/Future Bee Research; Varroa mites; Molecular Genetic Bee Research; Fungal Bee Research; Insemination of Queen Bees; Honey Extraction at USDA; Sun Shading-Hives; Africanized Bee – US Range Penetration/Rainfall Correlation; Pesticides – Correlation with Colony Collapse Disorder.

Ø Reminders - AABA Newsletter – blog – Mind Your OWN Bee’s Wax

Note. BeeWeaver (Austin, TX) has donated 5 (five) queen certificates to the AABA for the March 2014 Meeting. If you need a new queen come to the meeting.

January's Agenda---Meeting on Tuesday, January 21st

Alamo Area Beekeepers Association

Next meeting:  Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.

At Helotes Independent Baptist Church

15335 Orange Tower Road

Helotes, TX 78023

MEETING AGENDA

Ø  President’s Welcome & Visitors Intro by Rick Fink (5 min)

Ø  Approval of the November 2013 meeting minutes (5 min)

Ø  Treasurer & Membership Report, Richard Trevino (5 min)

Ø  2013 Youth Scholarship Program – Hive Update from the Scholarship     Winners (2 minutes per Scholarship Recipient) and 2014 Planning (R. Fink, D Fraser)

Ø Planning for 2014 (R. Fink, D Fraser, R. Trevino Jr)

Ø Logistics for the SA Rodeo (Feb 6-23) and Honey Bottling Party (Feb 1)

Ø Program intermission & potluck dinner

Ø Question & Answer Session - Beekeeping Q&A – focus on stimulating your hive for the 2014 Nectar Flow; Equipment – purchase and maintenance; Education – beekeeping introduction; queens, packages and nucs

Ø Reminders - AABA Newsletter – blog format – Mind Your OWN Bee’s Wax

Ø Reminders AABA – honey extraction equipment

Meeting Agenda – submitted by Don Fraser, VP AABA

Blog: Mind Your OWN Beeswax
Link: http://aabanewsletter@blogspot.com. Reminder – Mimi Stricker would love to receive your pictures and stories for inclusion in the AABA Blog: Mind Your Own Beeswax.  If you have an idea for a story or some interesting pictures you would like to share please contact her at: Mimi Stricker merissa.stricker@gmail.com

Action Items:

R. Fink – review final agenda and action items; mail to both AABA and non-AABA members; reminder to members regarding pot-luck.  The AABA will provide the meat dish with members asked to bring side dish-vegetables, dessert, salads etc.

D. Fraser – top 10-15 questions that SA Rodeo visitors to the AABA booth at the SA Rodeo may ask; education survey – what do members what in 2014

Action Item - AABA Bee Scholarship Winners - List of recipients (see below).  Expectations for scholarship winners – take care of the bees, work with mentors, come to AABA meetings and provide a 1-2 min overview of their beekeeping activities.  The use of pictures, poster boards etc is encouraged.  Parents are encouraged to help their children with their 1-2 minute presentations; it is a great opportunity to learn presentation skills before a friendly and supportive audience. The list of scholarship recipients include:

Parents	Children
Vonda and Curtis Bell	Nathan, Joshua and Alex (family award)
Laura Day	Jacob Boubel
Jenni Wilson/Mary Wilson	Nathan Wilson
Richard Lynn and Joni Lea Huber	Brenton Huber
Kelli and Stephen McKinney	Mayce, Ryland, Cadyn and Eyslie (family award)
Michael and Sue Laprise	Luke Laprise
Ricka Mueller	Abby Mueller
Mimi and Thadd Stricker	Chloe

2014 Events

Tuesday Jan 21	Meeting *
Saturday Feb 1	Bottling Party 9am-1pm Youngblood Honey 3300 FM 1582 Pearsall, TX 78061 (Use Mapquest for Directions; GPS in your car may get you lost)
Saturday Feb 1	AABA San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Booth Set-up http://www.sarodeo.com/images/uploads/LG2013GroundsMap_APP.jpg Booth Location - #52 on the map – Little Buckaroo Farms, A Texas Experience by HEB
Feb 6-23	San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Come meet us at our booth
Tuesday March 18	Meeting *
Saturday April 26	Field Day  Fink Ranch, 1199 Lower Mason Creek Rd, Bandera, TX 78003
Tuesday May 20	Meeting *
Tuesday July 15	Meeting *
Tuesday Sept 16	Meeting * Honey, wax and photo contests
Tuesday Nov 18	Meeting * Thanksgiving Dinner

Bi-monthly meetings are held 7-9 PM on the 3rd Tuesday of the ODD numbered months(Jan-March-May-July-Sept-Nov) at Helotes Independent Baptist Church 15335 Bandera Rd, Helotes, TX 78023

November 2013 Meeting Agenda

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ONLY HAVE ONE MORE MEETING BEFORE THE NEW YEAR!!  Don't forget, we will need help running our booth at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo!!  If you are interested in helping out, even if you are a newbie, please let us know!!

Nov 19

Meeting * Thanksgiving Dinner

To make sure we don't all bring candied sweet potatoes, please use the following to help with a varied and delicious meal:

If your last name falls on or between the following letters, please bring the food listed below.

A-F--savory side dish

G-L--salad (green, beet, egg, potato, pea, etc)

M-O--dessert

P-T--Bread

U-Z--gallon of drink(lemonade, unsweet tea, sweet tea, soda, etc) 

Alamo Area Beekeepers Association

Next meeting:  Tuesday November 19, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.

At Helotes Independent Baptist Church

15335 Orange Tower Road

Helotes, TX 78023

MEETING AGENDA

Ø  President’s Welcome & Visitors Intro by Rick Fink (5 min)

Ø  Approval of the September 2013 meeting minutes (5 min)

Ø  Treasurer & Membership Report, Richard Trevino (5 min)

Ø  2013 Youth Scholarship Program – Hive Update from the Scholarship     Winners (2 minutes per Scholarship Recipient)

Ø  Presentation – Bill Baxter, Interim Chief Apiary Inspector, Dept Entomology, Texas A&M University (20-30 min).  Topic Varroa Mites; Rules & Regulations – Q&A

Ø Program intermission & potluck dinner

Ø AABA Election of Officers for 2014 (Sam Heinz)

Ø Planning for 2014 (R. Fink, D Fraser, R. Trevinio Jr)

Ø Reminders - AABA Newsletter – blog format – Mind Your OWN Bee’s Wax

Ø Reminders AABA – honey extraction equipment

Ø Question & Answer Session

Meeting Agenda – submitted by Don Fraser, VP AABA

Blog: Mind Your OWN Beeswax
Post: August Newsletter
Link: http://aabanewsletter.blogspot.com/2013/09/august-newsletter.html

Reminder – Mimi Stricker would love to receive your pictures and stories for inclusion in the AABA Blog: Mind Your Own Beeswax.  If you have an idea for a story or some interesting pictures you would like to share please contact her at: Mimi Stricker (210) 367-2896 merissa.stricker@gmail.com

Action Items:

R. Fink – review final agenda and action items; mail to both AABA and non-AABA members; reminder to members regarding pot-luck.  The AABA will provide the meat dish with members asked to bring side dish-vegetables, dessert, salads etc.

Action Item - AABA Bee Scholarship Winners - List of recipients (see below).  Expectations for scholarship winners – take care of the bees, work with mentors, come to AABA meetings and provide a 1-2 min overview of their beekeeping activities.  The use of pictures, poster boards etc is encouraged.  Parents are encouraged to help their children with their 1-2 minute presentations; it is a great opportunity to learn presentation skills before a friendly and supportive audience. The list of scholarship recipients include:

Parents	Children
Vonda and Curtis	Nathan, Joshua and Alex (family award)
Laura	Jacob
Jenni	Nathan
Richard Lynn and Joni Lea	Brenton
Kelli and Stephen	Mayce, Ryland, Cadyn and Eyslie (family award)
Michael and Sue	Luke
Ricka	Abby
Mimi and Thadd	Chloe

2013 Events

Jan 15	Meeting *
Feb 2	Bottling Party 9am-1pm Pearsall, TX
Feb 2	AABA San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Booth Set-up
Feb 7-24	San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Come meet us at our booth
March 19	Meeting *
April 13	Field Day Majestic Ranch, Boerne TX
May 21	Meeting *
July 16	Meeting *
Sep 17	Meeting * Honey, wax and photo contests
Nov 19	Meeting * Thanksgiving Dinner

Alamo Beekeepers Leadership Development Program--WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

Alamo Beekeepers Leadership Development Program

Over the last few years we have seen a significant growth in the AABA. Some of this is due to the recognition among consumers for the need to protect bees because of the important role that they play within our food production system. Others will cite the back-to-nature movement among consumers who grow their own food.

Several years ago the AABA leadership team discussed the need to develop and mentor the next generation of leaders for beekeeping in South Texas.

Volunteer organizations need a mix of talent to function. The AABA leadership team would like to expand our pool of talent by sharing what we have learned. We also seek to bring new ideas and expand our outreach programs and need to have members who are ready to step up if personal or family illness or job relocation impacts key AABA programs. The assumption of most newbie beekeepers is:

• I need to become an expert beekeeper before I could even think about assuming more
  visible role within the AABA or any other organization.
  
• I do not have the time
  
  
  Knowledge of beekeeping is essential if you are teaching or mentoring a group on the art/science of beekeeping but a successful program also requires a host of other volunteer talent. For example:
  
  
  
  San Antonio Rodeo Advance Logistics – site inspection; equipment checks, booth setup, communication with SA Rodeo leadership, honey purchase, honey bottling and transportation, booth set up, scheduling booth personnel, AABA web site update, live bee sourcing and transportation, bee display switch outs, booth signage, sales receipts, booth breakdown and storage, AABA accounts update (financial) etc.
  
  
  
  AABA Field Day Advance Logistics – program development, site inspection, contracting for security and insurance, speaker sign-up, vendor logistics, sign-in; name tags, parking, bee nucs and packages - vendor delivery and support logistics, meal logistics, site cleanup, AABA accounts update (financial) etc.
  
  Membership Logistics – meeting members and visitors list, name tags, raffle tickets, auction items to support the scholarship program, membership list maintenance.
  
  AABA Newsletter – editor and support team to plan content and newsletter execution and delivery
  
  IT Support – refinement of the AABA website; website re-design
  
  Publicity/Education – development of bee educational materials for public/private schools
  You can see from the aforementioned list that you do not have to be a “bee expert” to play a key role in supporting current programs. We want your input on what we can do
  better and your ideas for new projects/programs that you think the AABA should be more involved in.

Food/Refreshments – purchase of food/supplies for the AABA meetings in Helotes and the AABA Field Day; kitchen coordination and delivery of pot-luck meals; clean-up.

All of us are busy in one way or another. Beekeeping is not a full-time job for vast majority of the AABA members. We enjoy the fellowship and the opportunity to share our knowledge with others. If you have an interest we can find a role for you that will fit your schedule.


Please email me at merissa.stricker@gmail.com and an AABA leadership team will contact you to discuss what type of volunteer activity that you would like to participate in.

Author – Don Fraser – VP AABA; Reviewed by R. Fink – President; Treasurer – R. 2 Trevino Jr – Treasurer/Membership