MO Bee Conference
Home safe and sound from the Missouri Beekeepers Conference in Jeff City. What a wonderful time we had! Friday afternoon held some terrific lectures. The banquet last night was a little odd (most of the people at our table weren't beekeepers, but in the apiary insurance business--very weird), but the food was fantastic. All the recipes used honey. Salad dressings, cole slaw, carrots, beef brisket, bbq chicken, baked beans, catfish, and some lovely desserts. Much fun. Today's lectures were fantastic, too. Sessions included queen rearing, nosema ceranae, CCD updates, overwintering techniques, breeding for hygienic traits, and insurance liability issues. It was also announced that bees are now covered under some crazy farm bill, and we can insure our hives against loss and the US government will foot half the bill. Insane.
I'm not sure that I learned giant amounts of stuff that was new, but I had lots reinforced, and lots restated in a way that, with a year of experience, make much more sense. The speakers were great. The main fellow is a scientist from University of Minn. in St. Paul, where a very well-known bee lab is located. He was a hoot. We also had several state speakers. And the new Missouri Honey Queen was introduced. This year, the candidates were so strong, the committee decided we needed a Honey Princess, too. Huh. I don't know about the rest of the hives in the state, but I feel pretty secure that in our hives, our girls believe There Can Be Only One...
There were several merchants in attendance. David found a copy of the book The Joys of Beekeeping. He bought a copy last year as a Christmas present (I think) for Duncan, and it was stupidly expensive. I think in the neighborhood of $40. At the conference, he found a very clean copy for $6. Crazy. He also picked up a set of hive stands made from angle iron. We'll see if it helps keep pests out.
We met lots of really terrific people from all over the state. Some with hundreds of hives and some newbees. I was pleasantly surprised at just how nice they all were.
My head is filled with bees, and I'm exhausted but happy.
I'm not sure that I learned giant amounts of stuff that was new, but I had lots reinforced, and lots restated in a way that, with a year of experience, make much more sense. The speakers were great. The main fellow is a scientist from University of Minn. in St. Paul, where a very well-known bee lab is located. He was a hoot. We also had several state speakers. And the new Missouri Honey Queen was introduced. This year, the candidates were so strong, the committee decided we needed a Honey Princess, too. Huh. I don't know about the rest of the hives in the state, but I feel pretty secure that in our hives, our girls believe There Can Be Only One...
There were several merchants in attendance. David found a copy of the book The Joys of Beekeeping. He bought a copy last year as a Christmas present (I think) for Duncan, and it was stupidly expensive. I think in the neighborhood of $40. At the conference, he found a very clean copy for $6. Crazy. He also picked up a set of hive stands made from angle iron. We'll see if it helps keep pests out.
We met lots of really terrific people from all over the state. Some with hundreds of hives and some newbees. I was pleasantly surprised at just how nice they all were.
My head is filled with bees, and I'm exhausted but happy.