WELCOME TO TRI-COUNTY BEEKEEPERS
For beekeepers and bee fans in (and around)
Benton, Sherburne and Stearns County, MN.
You’re Invited! 🐝
Join Us for Our Next Monthly Beekeepers Meeting!
We would love to see you at our next beekeepers meeting on Monday, August 3rd at 7:00 PM, at the Benton County Fair Grounds - Discovery building. There will be a brief meeting followed by set up our booth for the fair. An email is going out to TCBA members to sign up to staff our booth at the fair, and to staff the honey extraction demonstrations. The Benton County fair runs from Tuesday, August 4th - Sunday, August 9th. This year the honey extraction demonstrations are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:00pm. As in past years, we will have live honeybees in a demonstration hive, and will sell 13 flavors of honey straws.
Club members, we want your honey! Please bring your bottled honey to the fair to sell at our booth. Please note, it must be bottled in new bottles/jars, and labeled with your name and address, along with the weight of the honey.
Prior to the meeting on August 3rd, Sal will have Jessica from the U of M Bee Lab demonstrate mite testing at his farm. Please arrive between 5:00 - 5:30 PM bring your own bee suit / protective gear as we will be in Sal's bee yards.
Our next regular meeting is Tuesday, September 1st, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on Clearwater Road in Saint Cloud. Roger Carstens will demonstrate some equipment he created to make honey extraction and prep easier.
Whether you’re a seasoned beekeeper or just beginning your journey with the bees, our meetings are a place to learn, share experiences, ask questions, and connect with others who share a passion for supporting healthy hives and pollinators.
Come for the knowledge, stay for the camaraderie—we look forward to welcoming you! 🐝💛
See you there!
Hot Topics From Last Month's Meeting
*At the June meeting, Isabelle from the U of M Bee Squad talked about Varroa destructor mite biology, mite diseases and different forms of mite treatments. She passed around samples of mites and handed out the new U of M Extension's 'Guide to Beekeeping in Northern Climates'.
* It is swarm season, get your swarm traps out and watch for swarm cells on the bottom of your frames. If it seems your colony is going to swarm, you can do a split/ walk-away split to try to deter the swarming.
* Kevin is selling 8 frame equipment from Paul's bee yards. There are wax-dipped, insulated double-deep, (4 deep boxes with frames) set ups, including bottom boards and migratory covers, painted supers with drawn and new comb frames, swarm traps and hive stands, (cement blocks with timbers), frame feeders, nuc boxes and more. Reach out for more info.
* Sal and Sue/Neil both have local beeswax for sale for waxing new frames.
Upcoming Events
* Sal will have Jessica from the U of M Bee Lab at his farm to demonstrate mite testing at 5:00pm on August 3rd, (prior to the August meeting). Bring your own protective bee attire/ bee suit and gloves.
* The August meeting is on Monday, August 3rd at the Benton County Fair grounds. Sign up to work for shifts to staff the TCBA booth at the fair. It is a great opportunity to meet other beekeepers and talk about bees. If you would like to sell honey at the fair, bring it to the August meeting. Please ensure it is properly labeled by weight and location.
* The Benton County Fair is August 4th - 9th. Our TCBA booth will sell honey straws, have a live bee observation hive, and honey extraction demonstrations.
