MSBA Annual Meeting 2024
Bucksport Middle School on Saturday, October 19th
Hosted by Tri-County Beekeepers Club
Speakers at this year’s conference are Jon Zawislak, an Assistant Professor of Apiculture and Urban Entomology for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture; Mike Palmer of French Hill Apiaries in St. Albans Vermont; and Maine State Apiarist Jennifer Lund.
The Annual Meeting is a full day of learning, camaraderie and fun. Meet beekeepers from all over the state and listen to talks by prominent speakers. The event will include vendor booths, a buffet luncheon, blind honey tasting contest and a fundraising raffle auction of bee-related items. Recipients of Beekeeper of the Year, Junior Beekeeper of the Year and other achievement awards will be recognized, and members will vote on nominees for open positions on the Board of Directors in a brief business meeting. Proceeds from the meeting are used for printing and mailing of the Bee Line newsletter; Zoom account subscription for hosting webinars; MSBA and chapter website maintenance/hosting; and contributions to the EAS Foundation for Honey Bee Research.
MSBA membership is required to attend, unless you come as a guest of another member. In addition there is a registration fee of $45.
2024 PROGRAM:
7:00 – 8:00 – Vendor set up
8:00 – 8:50 – Registration/vendors, raffle ticket sales
8:50 – 9:00 – Welcome by MSBA President Elizabeth Goodwin
9:00 – 10:00 – Mike Palmer: “How I Make and Use My Beekeeping Equipment” Honey production hives, mating nuclei, double nucleus hives and the necessary ancillary equipment are all produced in Mike’s wood shop after finding many years ago that he could build the woodenware needed at a much reduced cost.
10:00 – 10:15 – Break
10:15 – 11:15 – Jon Zawislak: “Common Scents: Honey Bee Pheromone Communication” Honey bees have developed some fascinating and intricate methods of communication, including a complex language of chemical signals known as pheromones. Learn more about some of these signals and how your bees use them to communicate information throughout the colony.
11:15 – 11:45 – Business Meeting, Awards, Elections
Meet the 2024 Board Nominees
11:45 – 1:00 – Lunch
1:00 – 1:15 – Jennifer Lund: “State of the State Address,” a review of Jen’s observations over the past year of travel and inspections around Maine.
1:15 – 2:15 – Jon Zawislak: “Underappreciated Drones” Beekeepers may consider them just lazy moochers in the hive, but those guys are important to the future of the colony and to society. Learn what you can tell about your colony from its drones and find out more about their mysterious behaviors.
2:15 – 2:30 – Break; last chance to buy raffle tickets
2:30 – 3:30 – Mike Palmer: “Seasonal Management of Double Nuclei” Mike will discuss seasonal management of these gems in the apiary and will take listeners from nucleus creation to summer management and swarm control. Also included will be queen evaluation in nucleus colonies, varroa control, and winter preparation.
3:30 – 5:00 – blind honey tasting contest awards, raffle auction winners, and closing
Annual Meeting 2024 Registration
