In Memoriam:
Merril Tittemore
The Vermont Beekeepers Association is sad to report the passing of longtime beekeeper Merril Tittemore of St. Albans. He was a master beekeeper, earning the Vermont Beekeepers Association Beekeeper of the Year Award in 2017 and a "mentor to scores of people who had an interest or passion to learn from one of the best." Most recently he was recognized at the VBA Summer Meeting in September 2022 for his work as a mentor.
More information on his life is available here.
Recognizing Beekeepers
At the 2022 Summer meeting, the Vermont Beekeepers Association (VBA) recognized several people for their outstanding efforts supporting beekeeping, beekeepers, or honey bees
Mentor/mentee pair recipients Jeff Battaglini and Charlotte Neeves, left. Recognition Committee members, Fred Putnam and Anne Bowers, right, made the presentations.. The VBA also encourages participation in the Vermont Beekeeper Certification program.
There are two new Vermont Certified Beekeepers – Deb Pasho of Hartland and Eric Duncan of Corinth. Congrats to both of you for completing the steps needed to attain this distinction!
There were three other categories of recognition: Mentor/Mentee pair, Friend of the Bees, and Mission Superhero(s):
Mentor/Mentee Pairs: Jeff Battaglini and Charlotte Neeves and Merril Tittemore and Matt Callahan for their outstanding and successful efforts at teaching, learning, and helping each other. These are examples of great initiative on the part of the mentees and excellent guidance by the mentors.
Tunbridge Fair - 2022
Setting up the VBA booth at the 2022 Tunbridge Fair. L to R: Ron Hernandez, Bob & Mary Stoddard, Peter Hadeka, Richard Roy, Bill Mares.
EPA Awards Grant to UVM
The EPA has awarded six grants to advance
"Smart, sensible, and sustainable pest control in agriculture"
The University of Vermont won an award for their project which "aims to help reduce neonicotinoid seed treatments applied to row crops in Vermont by providing education in English and Spanish to more than 1,000 growers on IPM practices"
Details about the EPA's announcement along with a more detailed description of UVM's project are available here.
If You Missed the August 31 Workshop...
VBA's Fred Putnam, Jeff Battaglini, and Tony Antonucci collaborated to present this AMA online workshop on August 31. This is the time of year where your actions can make the difference between your colonies surviving the winter or not. If you missed the workshop the recorded video is available online. Simply login to the VBA site and look for Past Workshop & Events Recordings under the Calendar menu.
Topics covered include: Late season swarm control – Demaree method, mite (and virus) control - new HBHC Varroa management guide, readying colonies for Fall, value of pollen subs and when to use them, analyzing issues attendees might have had with their colonies and more...
Webinar: Winter Bee Biology
From SABA and NY Bee Wellness: Dr. Gard Otis discusses the biology of winter bees and how beekeepers can keep them healthy to improve the colony’s winter survival.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 7:30 PM until 8:30 PM
This is an external webinar hosted by NY Bee Wellness. There is no cost to attend, but you must register in advance by clicking on the following link: Webinar Registration