Welcome to the Lane County Beekeepers Association! |
The Lane County Beekeepers Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education about honeybees and beekeeping, serving Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley. |
Monthly Meetings: We meet on the third Tuesday of each month (except December)at the Eugene Science Center. Our meetings are open to everyone and guests are invited to attend. We usually have an Early Educational session at 6:15pm. Our General Meeting starts at 7:30pm. Check our Events Page for a calendar of upcoming meeting topics and events.
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A note from the LCBA President March 2025
Norm Jarvis
Wow! It’s March already! We have had a few really nice (dry!) days and I have been excitedly watching my bees come out and go foraging for whatever they can find. Where I am at (Cottage Grove), I haven’t seen many things in bloom yet, just some daffodils and a few brave dandelions, but I know that the big leaf maples and alder trees are beginning to produce pollen. I have seen some bushes and trees blooming in Eugene/Springfield, but would still caution people that our hives still need our help. The local plants give us a good indication as to how the season is progressing, but Mother Nature can still throw us some curve balls! You should still be “hefting” your hives to judge the amount of honey stores remaining, and provide additional sugar patties or fondant as needed. It is a critical time for our bees, with colony starvation still looming. I have also done my first varroa mite treatments to get a start on knocking down that pest.
This month we held our bee school for new beekeepers and had a great turnout! There were about 30 aspiring new beekeepers in the class! Pam Leavitt did a great job organizing and leading the event. There were a wonderful group of knowledgeable presenters. It was very inspiring for me to see the excitement and anticipation of “newbies” learning about what wonderful creatures honey bees are and how we are honored to be part of their lives, but I would also be quick to say that the beekeeping learning journey has only just begun for them. The amazing part is that there is always more to learn.
On that note… we are continuing our beginning beekeeping series of talks in the general club meeting. Last month Dr. Andre Sirois gave a presentation on bee biology! I know that I can’t come close to equaling his performance, but this month I will be talking on the subject of basic beekeeping equipment. I will try to demystify some of the many choices that new beekeepers face in choosing hives and accessory equipment. Please join us and talk bees with your fellow beekeeping enthusiasts on March 18th!
Happy beekeeping!
Norm
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