LEWIS COUNTY BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION                                                          

Tuesday, Aug 15 ~ Sunday, Aug 20 Southwest Washington Fair

Where: Fairgrounds, 2555 N National Ave, Chehalis, Washington 98532; The Floral Building

LCBA's 2017 Exhibit will feature our observation hive . . . the Fair's Honey Judging competition on Tuesday, plus our special "People's Choice Honey Tasting," Saturday & Sunday . . . plenty of educational displays, & our great volunteers to answer questions. If you're an LCBA member & you'd like to volunteer, contact Susanne at susanne.beekeeper@gmail.com or 3608808130 for more information.

Saturday, Aug 19:

4th Annual Oregon Honey Festival, Ashland, Oregon

This family friendly festival presents honey, bee and hive products including mead, an ancient fermented beverage. Meet local beekeepers and honey producers, listen to speakers and enjoy LIVE music! Top it all off with delicious chocolates and cheeses, meet garden experts and have fun with educational kid's crafts! The environment is the (thankfully!) air conditioned Historic Elk's Lodge. Celebrate National Honey Bee Day with us!

If you would like to be an exhibitor/vendor, please get in touch with the festival managers at oregonhoneyfestival@outlook.com or visit their webpage: www.oregonhoneyfestival.com.

September 5 - 8:

Western Apicultural Society of North America 2017

40th Anniversary Conference, UC-Davis, California; for info, visit: http://www.westernapiculturalsociety.org

Saturday, September 9:  

Randy Oliver Talk

When:  1 to 5 p.m.; Where: Everett PUD Auditorium, 2320 California St, Everett, WA 98201

What:  NW District Beekeepers Association presents Randy Oliver, Scientificbeekeeping.com:  “Reading the combs to understand colony conditions over the season,” as well as Randy’s recent research on varroa mite management, including the most current information on his experiments using oxalic acid applied dissolved in glycerin.

Registration: Only 300 seats available, so please buy your tickets early (on sale April 15th).  Price: $25, available through http://www.brownpapertickets.com by searching for Randy Oliver.

Thursday, September 14:

LCBA Monthly Meeting

President Kevin Reichert:

Preparing Bees to Over-Winter

Where: Centralia College, Washington Hall 103

When: 6-6:30 social time; 6:30 - 7:30, speaker; 7:45 - 8:45, business meeting & Beekeeping Q&A

LCBA President Kevin Reichert will lead discussion of how to assess colonies' condition for overwintering & address issues like combining weak hives, consolidating bees into fewer boxes, moisture control methods, including how to make a "quilt box," fall & winter feeding strategies, addressing Varroa concerns, & more. Bring your questions!

Saturday, September 16:
LCBA Workshop: Fall Management & Over-wintering Preps

Where: For directions, please RSVP to secretary@lcba.community

Thursday, October 12:

LCBA Monthly Meeting

Dr. Dewey Caron:  Southwest Washington Bee Losses & Management Practices

Where: Centralia College, Washington Hall 103When: 6-6:30 social time; 6:30 - 7:30, speaker; 7:45 - 8:45, business meeting & Beekeeping Q&A 

Thursday, November 9:

LCBA Monthly Meeting

Mentorship Coordinator Dan Maughan: Adventures in Commercial Pollination - Taking Bees to the Almonds, the Apples, & the Cherries

Saturday, December 9:

LCBA Holiday Potluck at Fort Borst Park Kitchen #1

Time TBA

 Fun, fellowship, & a drawing to support our 2018 Youth in Beekeeping Scholarship Program; also, our 2018 elections. There will be more details in our October and November 2017 Newletters.

January - February, 2018

LCBA's Beginning Beekeeping Class

Dates & times: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 13, 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17

Place: Centralia College, Washington Hall 103, 701 W. Walnut, Centralia WA 98531

This class is offered through Centralia College's Continuing Education Program.

Click here for our course brochure.

Below are details about our beginner's curriculum:

"Your First Year of Beekeeping"

6 3-hour class meetings through Centralia College's Continuing Education Program

For beginners: learn to keep bees successfully in southwest Washington’s unique conditions.  Topics: basic bee biology/behavior, equipment & apiary set-up, seasonal management, identifying & managing parasites & diseases,  honey harvesting, over-wintering, & more.  Students completing the course earn LCBA’s  diploma.

Course Materials:   

Lewis County Beekeepers’ Association’s manual lays out basics for beginners; LCBA’s PowerPoints & demonstration materials supplement manual with visuals.  In-class Q&A welcome; children welcome, too.

Course Instructors:  

LCBA board members with many years of beekeeping experience: Education Coordinator Peter Glover, Secretary Susanne Weil, Founder/Vice-President Bob Harris, & guest instructors from the LCBA  Board.

Post-Course Support:  

LCBA’s free Mentor Workshops give hands-on guidance in working bees.  Students who join LCBA are eligible for discounts on spring package / nuc bee orders & free consultations with an individual “bee mentor.” 

How to Register: 

Registration costs $40 and goes through Centralia College by phone, mail, or in person - sorry, no online registration. Registration starts late November 2017. Here's how it works:

First, get a registration form at

http://www.centralia.edu/academics/cont-ed/

Course Code:  available November 2017

Register & Pay by Phone w/Credit Card:

Call (360) 623-8940, ext. 427  or  623

Or Register In Person:

Enrollment Services, TransAlta Commons, 2nd Floor, 600 W. Centralia College Boulevard,  Centralia WA

Questions? Email secretary@lcba.community or call 360 880 8130.