ATTENTION AREA BEEKEEPERS:

There are seasonal surveys below for you to participate in:

PNW Honey Bee Survey

 Bee Informed Partnership Survey (Opens in April)

Are you interested in learning about bees and beekeeping?

If you have little or no experience, the 'Getting Started with Bees' Certificate Program is a great place to start. It is a stand-alone program that satisfies the curiosity of those who want to know more about bee biology and backyard beekeeping through online learning and discussion forums. No waiting list - join at any time!

Take your beekeeping to the next level!

Are you interested in learning how to become a better beekeeper? Have you experienced problems in the past that you'd like to remedy? Do you want to help others learn about bees? The Oregon Master Beekeeper program is for you!

Participating beekeepers gain experience at three successive levels: ApprenticeJourney, and Master. Each level provides opportunities and support for additional learning, practice in the field, and community service.

All of our beekeeping programs represent a cooperative effort between the Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab and the Oregon State Beekeepers Association to contribute to both the health of honey bee colonies and the integrity of the practice of beekeeping.


https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mb

Sign up for COAREC emails

For more information, contact Heike Williams at heike.williams@oregonstate.edu

Upcoming events

19 Mar 2024 6:00 PM • The Enviromental Center - 16 NW Kansas Ave, Bend, OR 97703
16 Apr 2024 6:00 PM • The Enviromental Center - 16 NW Kansas Ave, Bend, OR 97703
21 May 2024 6:00 PM • The Enviromental Center - 16 NW Kansas Ave, Bend, OR 97703

March in your Central Oregon Apiary

Aaah, the month of unexpected change…..or is it.  As the month goes on, we’ll start getting some warmer (50’s) days.  There’ll be some plants starting to bloom and some nectar coming in.   All punctuated by hard freezes and snow storms.

Instead of “expecting the unexpected” (one of my pet peeve oxymorons), let’s proactively plan and act for the unsettled and changing weather that we should be expecting.

On those warm days, we’ll be seeing lots of activity as our bees go out for cleansing flights, orientation flights, water collection, and a little bit of foraging.  (In talking to the Oregon Master Beekeeper class at the end of February, I pointed out that I haven’t seen any pollen sources yet, but probably sometime in March they’ll arrive.  The next day, one of the students sent me a text with a picture of a honeybee with a wonderful set of bright yellow pollen baskets (corbiculae)).  My point is that even though they might find a little forage, they aren’t bringing in much.  However, with the warm days, and the forage coming in, the urge to start rearing brood will become somewhat unbearable, and some of your colonies will move forward.  That isn’t bad in and of itself, but they’ll be using any remaining stores from last season at a rapid pace.  Start, or keep checking stores in your colonies.  If they are getting low, either do some emergency feeding with sugar patties/fondant/wetted sugar on top of the frames, or when the days are consistently above 55 degrees or so, start some syrup.   Keep in mind that once you start feeding syrup, you’re on the hook to continue feeding at least until your bees are bringing in enough natural forage to feed themselves.  If they are still pretty full of honey, you can just keep an eye on them.

For those who want to help their bees get an early start, you can start feeding both syrup and pollen substitute, again once the temperature is consistently warmer.  Once again, if you follow this path, you’re on the hook for continuing feeding until natural sources are sufficient.

On a side note, remember Dr. Sagili’s talk about bee nutrition several years ago, where he talked about colonies needing a particular sterol from natural pollen in order for the larvae to get beyond a certain stage of development.  If you’re feeding pollen substitute, ensure that your bees are bringing in at least some natural pollen, or provide them some yourself from a safe source.

This month is a good time to start evaluating your bees.  I generally don’t do much “surgery” this month, but figuring out visually which hives will need new or fixed woodenware, which colonies might need their (Langstroth hive bodies) reversed, which colonies are going gangbusters and might need swarm interventions later, which ones might need a replacement queen, and which ones might need to be equalized.  Once the temperatures are consistently in the 60’s (April usually) I’ll start acting on these evaluations.

Per that last paragraph, this month is an excellent time to put together all that wonderful new (aaaah, fresh wood smell) woodenware, and get it painted or finished prior to it being needed in April or May.

Enjoy your Changeable March.

Allen Engle


COBKA Notes - Archives

COBKA Meeting Slide/Video Archives



Pollinator Pathways

Establishing pollinator-friendly habitats and food sources for bees, butterflies and birds www.pollinator-pathway.org

ABOUT US

We are a diverse bunch of individuals who share a fascination for the honey bee and its workings. Our members range from full-time beekeepers and pollinators with hundreds of hives to hobbyists involved in backyard beekeeping. 

Some members do not even keep bees, but are fascinated by the six legs and four wings of Apis mellifera.

OUR MISSION

The Mission of the Central Oregon Beekeeping Association (COBKA) is to promote effective, economic and successful regional beekeeping through education, collaboration, communication and research in the spirit of friendship.

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