A Message From the Vermont Bee Lab
Hello Beekeepers, The Vermont Bee Lab is postponing its diagnostic services at this time. We are hopeful we will be up and running later this summer or fall- so hang on to those sample containers! We will keep VBA members posted as the University's work and travel guidelines evolve. Please continue to monitor our website for future updates.
Minding My Own Beeswax
by Jeanne Davis
I’ve been thinking about the quality of beeswax for quite a while and I’d like to share some of my developing ideas here. I keep 10-15 colonies of bees in two bee yards in southwest Vermont. My colonies consist of 3 medium hive bodies and shallow honey supers. In 2008 I started thinking a lot about the nature of beeswax to act as a sponge, holding environmental and intentional (beekeeper applied) chemicals. I had already been rotating out older combs but now proceeded to do it more regularly. I marked each frame with the year it was first employed and this helped me see which ones to cycle out first. Over time I’ve pulled out old frames so that I am on a 4=5 year cycle of replacement.
Vermont Beekeepers & COVID-19
The Vermont Beekeepers Association is watching the COVID-19 situation and will provide updates on this page.
At this time, all North & South Yard Beekeeping Workshops have been cancelled until further notice.
If you are ill and are unable to care for your colonies for any reason, you should reach out via the VBA web page forum (login required) to seek help in caring for them. The State bee inspector, Brooke Decker, encourages beekeepers to seek assistance and to be certain that colonies are cared for even if the owner become incapacitated.
SABA Seminar Canceled
The Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA) Annual Seminar at HVCC Tec Smart is canceled due to restrictions on HVCC and events at the facility.
Take Your Club to the Next Level
There are five needs that should be met by a bee club for its members: social, educational, financial, political, and promotional.
More:Bee Club
Calico, Bee Lights, Hexs & Honey
Uncommon Ingredients in VBA’s Bee Booth 
By Cheryl Dorschner;Stephen Mease Photography
I was thinking about 2021 last Thursday morning during the drive to Champlain Valley Expo to work the final shifts of the Vermont Beekeeper’s Association (VBA) booth; then pack it up for another year. All week our booth sat across from one of the slickest of the 130 booths at the 2020 Vermont Farm Show – hyper branded from banners to business cards, it clearly benefited from an ad agency and big budget. Down the aisle the media booths, chock full of handouts, looked like they were a snap to pop up, take down and carry with their stretch fabric walls, table covers and banners.