• 05May

    Randy Oliver owns and operates a small commercial beekeeping enterprise in the foothills of Grass  Valley in Northern California. He manages about 500+ colonies for migratory pollination, and produces queens, nucs, and honey.  He has 40 years of practical beekeeping experience, plus holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biological Sciences.  Randy researches, analyzes, and digests beekeeping information from all over the world in order to not only broaden his own depth of understanding and knowledge, but to develop practical solutions to many of today’s beekeeping problems, which he then shares with other beekeepers through his various articles in bee magazines, his speaking engagements worldwide, and on his website: www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

    To have Randy speak to the association it would cost the association around $1000 including his daily
    travel fees, and his airfare, etc.

    Possible Topics include

    What’s New in BeekeepingI gave this presentation at the National Convention in Orlando 2010. I cover the state of the art of beekeeping and bee science (overlaps New Paradigms).

    Small-Scale Queen Rearing Detailed photo presentation step-by-step for producing 50-1000 mated queens.

    The following two have been abbreviated and rolled into “New Paradigms” above, so should not be scheduled with that presentation.

    Nosema ceranae—Kiss of Death, or Much ado about Nothing All about this “new” parasite—life history, detection, sampling, microscopy, treatment. Many questions remain.

    Varroa Management Strategies and Techniques State of the art for managing varroa in your operation, whether commercial or hobbyist.

    If you would like to see Randy present please contact the NMBKA board members and let them know you are interested.

  • 03Nov

    Friday 11/13/2009

    1-1:30 pm
    Greg Watson with NM Dept. of Agriculture — “Survey and Inspections” Discussion about Changes to the Bee Act.

    1:30-2 pm
    Carol Sutherland with NM Dept. of Agriculture. — “Colony Collapse Disorder Survey & Legislation Moratorium on CCD in NM”

    2-2:30 pm
    Doug Price — “Nutrition For Your Bees”

    2:30-3pm
    Gram Yelton — National Honey Board Update Information & Honey Packers Board

    3-3:15 pm Break

    3:15-4:15 pm
    Diana Sammataro — Research From the Tuscon, Arizona Lab.

    4:15-4:30 pm
    Joe Westbrook — “Public Education About Bees & Bee Keeping”

    Saturday 11/14/2009

    8-9 am Coffee & Registration

    9-10:30 am Election of Officers & Financial Report

    10:30-11 am
    Larry Classen — Skit about Bees

    11-12 pm
    Diana Sammatro — Discussion of Varroa Mites

    12-1 pm Potluck Lunch

    1-2 pm
    Les Crowder — Top Bar Hives & Pollination in California

    2-3 pm
    Lorie Lang — NM Native Bees

    3:30-4 pm — Round Table Discussion

  • 24Sep

    The New Mexico Beekeepers Assocation will be holding their annual meeting November 13-14th in Albuquerque, NM at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church located at 114 Carlisle Blvd SE Albuquerque, NM 87106-1428 Tel:(505) 265-7628.

    Friday, November 13th agenda will run from 1pm-5pm and will include updates from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture State Bee Inspector, Mr. Greg Watson.

    Saturday, November 14th session runs from 9am-4pm or thereabouts. Agenda includes presentations from local beekeepers and bee enthusiasts about all sorts of pertinent and interesting info for backyard and professional beekeepers!

    • Laurie Lange with the NM Native Bee Collaborative
    • Mark Spitzig from Zia Queenbee Co. with his honeybee pollen patty recipes and other bee friendly foods “cooking demo”
    • NMBKA officer elections
    • Pesticide issues
    • Marketing ideas and “Gourmet Honey Selling” by Melanie Kirby;
    • Migratory beekeeping for pollination by Pancho Garcia
    • A sweet theatre production by Larry Claasen entitled, “Mankeeping by Queen Bee Natalia and Drone Boris”
    • Discussions of the proposed changes to the NM Bee Law and Act.
    • Also presenting will be Keynote speaker Dr. Diana Sammataro from the USDA/ARS Carl B. Hayden Bee Research Laboratory in Tucson, AZ.
  • 12Sep
    Categories: Meetings, News Comments: 0

    The NMBKA will be hosting it’s fall meeting November Friday 13th and 14th.

    Melanie Kirby asks: Do you make wine with honey? Make candles? Make your own beekeeping equipment? Practice apitherapy? Migratory pollination? Do batik with beeswax, make floor polish with beeswax? Do you have an affinity for honeybee plants, gardening or cooking with honey? Do you do book reports on various beekeeping literature? Run a small, diversified farm and have livestock- including bees?
    Melanie trying to find persons interested in doing small presentations for the upcoming New Mexico Beekeepers Association November meeting- which will be held in Albuquerque Nov. 13-14th. There is plenty of time for prepping. However, she is running out of time for certain media advertising. It would be nice to submit who, what, when and where to Bee Culture and The American Bee Journal. They require a two month advance notice of print. I would like to include a list of presentations and presentors (even if only partial)- which she must submit within the next ten days.

    Anyone interested in sharing their beekeeping experience- no matter how grand or small- is welcome! We are all learning from our bees, and from each other- so don’t be shy!

    Topics can include anything and everything pertaining to beekeeping management (beginning and advanced), horticulture, research, climate, hive products, marketing, education, other native pollinators, medicinal, artesanal- you name it!

    I can try to approach specific beekeepers directly- however, I don’t know everyone nor their experiences. But I do know that there are many of you out there who have great info to share. So this is an open-call, and open invitation to all of you bee enthusiasts in our New Mexican beekeeping community (and our neighbors). No one will be turned away.

    If interested- you can contact Melanie Kirby (ziaqueenbees@hotmail.com) or Jerry Anderson (janderson240@comcast.net).

  • 26Jul
    Categories: Meetings Comments: 0

    As many of you are aware the New Mexico Beekeepers Association held it’s first annual “Nectar for Your Noggin’” summer beekeeping seminar on Saturday- July 11, 2009 from 9am to 4:30 in Rio Rancho. Word is it was an overwhelming success.

    We don’t yet have any presentations to post on our site, so in the mean time please take a look at some of the pictures taken by association member Jerry Anderson.

  • 31May
    Categories: Meetings Comments: 0

    The NMBKA now has a tentative schedule for the upcoming Summer Session, it is as follows.

    • 8AM registration starts
    • 9 - 10:30 First seminar session with Two concurrent speakers
    • 10:30 -10:45  break
    • 10:45 - 12:15 Second seminar session with two concurrent speakers
    • 12:15 - 1:45  Lunch Break
    • 1:45-4:30 Guest presenter Serge Labesque
  • 27May

    New Mexico State Beekeepers Association is holding a summer seminar July 11th, 2009 in Albuquerque. The full day program will run from 9a.m. - 4:30pm, with visiting guest Serge Labesque- “Chemical Free Bees” from northern California, as keynote speaker. The morning session will include round-robins with local NM beekeepers.

    Topics include:

    • Top Bar Beekeeping by TJ Carr
    • Beekeeping Education: Presentations by Chris Behl , NMBKA Vice President
    • Queens by Doug Price
    • Beginning Beekeeping by Chantal Foster

    Registration will commence at 8am.

    Location:

    Rio West Community Church
    6751 Pasilla Rd, NE
    Rio Rancho, NM 87144
    Tel: 505/771-0284.

    Attendance is free for all NMBKA members, $10 non-members and $15 for families. Come forage nectar for your noggin’- todos bienvenidos! All Welcome!
    More information to follow shortly.