By Wayne Vitale, LIBC Vice-president

I feel that preparation for wintering bees should begin in June with an assessment of hives for brood, stores and mites.
Winters on Long Island typically last from November to March and we want to strengthen bees so they produce more bees in order to keep the hives strong through winter and into spring. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

1. Don’t prune or fertilize trees or shrubs now; otherwise unnecessary late growth will be promoted. The new groth will not be hardy this winter.
2... Read More...

I have been a busy beekeeper on my virtual farm, Farmville. I have 4 virtual bee hives and they contain 200 bees with only one queen for 4 hives. Not beekeeper accurate, but fun nonetheless. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Poison Ivy can grow almost anywhere; you can find it in almost any garden, roadside, thicket, woods, park or even along sandy beaches. Read More...

The record breaking heat wave has kept our bees busy and hopefully finding lots of wonderful flowers and nectar to give us lots of honey this season. When I checked my hives last, the propolis was so sticky from the heat it was stretchy and gooey! Read More...

By George B. Schramm, LIBC President

If you own one of the new ‘smart phones’, like the iPhone, or had a chance to play with someone else’s, you have probably noticed that the phone responds to gravity. For example, the image on the screen will orient itself automatically in response to the position in which you hold the phone; hold it horizontally and the image will display horizontally; rotate the phone vertically and the image responds appropriately. This occurs because inside the phone there is a microelectromechanical device called an accelerometer. Read More...

Hasn't everyone here been in a smoker lighting contest? It used to be standard entertainment at beekeeper summer picnics. Read More...

Time flies! It's an old saying, but in today's fast-paced world, it's never been so true. Before we know it, our bees are all grown up—out on their own or off to swarm. Most beekeepers realize the rewards of close ties with their hive. Yet the demands of jobs and day-to-day household activities can be stressful and tiring. So, it's easy for quality time with our bees to get squeezed out. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Here we are, its Memorial Day weekend and our garden is partially planted. (Brigitte did the job) The peas are blooming, cucumbers are looking good and we put in pepper and tomato plants. Hopefully, we will not have a repeat of the tomato blight we had last year and will have a great harvest. Read More...

Beekeeping season is in full swing. I hived my nuke last week and checked on them over the weekend. They were busy as could be. I added a honey super to my overwintered hive and all the girls seem to be happy. Read More...

Beekeeping is a diverse hobby. It lends itself to a variety of interests beyond the basics of keeping bees; which in itself is difficult enough, so developing a curiosity in other bee-related activities can be a welcome diversion. Read More...

Our Club’s website has been overwhelmed with emails from people looking to purchase local honey, and other hive products, from our members. We have a page on the website that lists members that sell honey, so if you’re interested in being included on the list, visit the Local Honey page, scroll down to the bottom, and submit your information: http://www.longislandbeekeepers.org/honey/honey.html

Master Beekeeper, and LIBC member, Rich Blohm, appeared on the National Public Radio's Science Friday with host Ira Flatow on April 2nd. You can listen to the show and see a video of Rich removing a hive of bees from inside the wall of a house at: http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201004024
LIBC member, Carl Flatow, shot and produced the video.

It is a beautiful Spring day. The bees are out in full force, checking out the crocuses and daffodils ( I only have one!) and all the lovely spring flowers. I must do a replant of my spring bulbs, that lonely daffodil looks totally lost. Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, March 21, 2010
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

Members of the International Sisterhood of Egglayers, Local 1851, are set to vote this week on a strike action against SweetBee Honey Corporation.
At issue is SweetBee’s new mandatory retirement age of two years for queen bees. The policy was announced on March 1, and drew an ominous hum of indignation from egglayers across the company’s 1200-hive operation.

“It’s completely arbitrary – it’s not even a matter of individual ability,” buzzed Myrtle, a 26-month-old queen who declined to give her last name. “They just assume we’re too old and can no longer do the job.”

Read More at: http://home.ezezine.com/1636/1636-2010.04.01.12.27.archive.html

Long Island is a magical place with a remarkable diversity of ecosystems, so what a beekeeper in Glen Cove is doing around the apiary during one particular month of the year will be quite different from what the beekeeper in Montauk is doing. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

We just love them in our garden and like to share about them with you. Hellebores bloom from February-May making them the perfect perennial for extending the garden season. Read More...

West Virginia has become the first state in the nation to pass a law giving beekeepers immunity from liability for ordinary negligence. Read More...

On March 16th, New York City’s board of health voted to lift a ban against beekeeping, legalizing the hives of hundreds of residents who have tended bees in defiance of the law.
Read more at: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/bring-on-the-bees/?ref=earth

In 1159, John of Salisbury, Bishop of Chartres, wrote: "Dicebat Bernardus Carnotensis nos esse quasi nanos, gigantium humeris insidentes, ut possimus plura eis et remotiora videre, non utique proprii visus acumine, aut eminentia corporis, sed quia in altum subvenimur et extollimur magnitudine gigantean." Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, February 21, 2010
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

I can’t believe it is 66 degrees out today. I checked my bees yesterday and they were flying busily, looking for something to harvest. The snow drops are up and so is the witch hazel, although I haven’t found them on those plants.
Also: Recent Letters to the Editor. Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

It’s still winter, and the only plants we can care for, admire and decorate the house with, are houseplants. Last month I featured poinsettias, this month I like to talk about the other holiday plant: The Christmas Cactus. Read More...

Browse through our online photo album of the Long Island Beekeepers Club Gala Holiday Party and 60th Anniversary Celebration which took place on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at the The Flaming Hearth, Farmingville, NY.
LIBC 60th Anniversary Party Album

A letter from the White House regarding the LIBC's 60th anniversary. Read More...

Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association
March 27, 2010 - SABA 2010 Beekeeping Seminar, Albany, NY
More info...

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

The decline of honeybees seen in many countries may be caused by reduced plant diversity, research suggests.
Bees fed pollen from a range of plants showed signs of having a healthier immune system than those eating pollen from a single type, scientists found.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8467746.stm

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

The poinsettia, a popular plant at Christmas time, provides effective color in the home during the holiday season. The newer poinsettia cultivars are long-lasting in contrast to previous years. Read More...

This month: The slate of nominees for officers for election, Farmville needs bees, and letters to the editor. Read More...

Huntington NY: First Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 PM

Holtsville, NY: Third Monday of every month, at 7:00 PM, February through November

Riverhead, NY: Third Wednesday of every month, at 7:00 PM, February through November

For more information: http://www.longislandbeekeepers.org/guide/novice/novice.html

There will be a LIBC Board of Directors meeting on Sunday, January 17, 2010, at 2:30 PM, at the Munzer Apiary, 54 Old Brook Road, Dix Hills.

Happy New Years everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We certainly started it off with a great celebration of our 60th Anniversary of the LIBC at our Holiday Party. Read More...

The holidays are upon us, but in all the hustle and bustle, we should not forget our hives.

Read More...

I have been so busy making my holiday crafts, lotion bars, lip balm, candles and soap. Read More...

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, November 15, 2009
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 31 Rider Ave, Patchogue, NY‎ Read More...

Two hundred years after his birth in 1810, Rev. Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, known as the “Father of American Beekeeping,” will be honored. Langstroth’s discovery of “bee space” and his invention of the movable-frame beehive will be celebrated with a national network of exhibits, workshops and seminars and, with your help, perhaps a commemorative U.S. postage stamp as well. Read More...

I congratulate everyone who won prizes at the Honey Judging! I thank everyone who participated!

Read More...

I am still preening from winning ribbons at the honey judging for my entries in the contest.
Read More...

By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)

In previous Fall issues of Beeline I discussed watering and maintaining lawns endlessly. To sum it up, unless you hire a lawn service it is a pain in the neck, the back, the knees etc. There is a better way. Read More...

A heavenly velvety soup. Serve it as a first course with Thanksgiving dinner. Read More...

Since the discovery of the honeybee tracheal mite and the Varroa mite, the maintenance of the state's viable honeybee population has been of great concern to the NYS Department or Agriculture and Markets. Left undetected or untreated, apiaries infested with these parasites will exhibit a high rate of colony mortality. Read More...

In an effort to include all members in the process of nominating and electing new officers, nominations and votes will be accepted via e-mail and postal mail.

Nominations can be made by any member "in good standing", which means those who paid their 2009 dues in a timely manner. Any member in good standing (same definition) may be nominated for any office.

Our club has grown large enough that a significant number of members do not attend any one meeting for a wide variety of reasons, so it is hoped that those who cannot attend specific meetings to nominate or elect officers will be included.

The deadline for nominations will be Dec 1st, 2009.

A ballot will be included in the December newsletter, and votes can be e-mailed to correspondingsecy@longislandbeekeepers.org or mailed to:
Conni Still, 82 Stephen Road, Bayport, NY 11705

It is hoped that all ballots can be counted in January, so that the new officers can take office at the February meeting.

Offices In LIBC Include:
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary

Long Island Beekeepers Club Monthly Meeting Minutes, October 18, 2009
Holbrook Ecology Center Read More...

Hello everyone,
I invite you to enter our Club’s Annual Honey Show! It’s not just honey!

Read More...

I harvested my honey this month, all 15 pounds of it. Read More...

Learn the ancient Art & Science of APITHERAPY, the medicinal use of products from the beehive: Honey, Pollen, Propolis, Royal Jelly, Bee Venom and Beeswax. Read More...

Attention all members: This is for our Club's 60th Anniversary celebration. If you have photos from past meetings (the older the better, but new ones are great too) or other historical items to display, please bring them to our LIBC meetings August through November. They may become part of a special display at our 60th Anniversary party in December.
Thanks!