October 18. 2009

My Fellow Kentucky Beekeepers,

This will be my last missive to you all before the Fall Conference when I pass the gavel and position of KSBA President over to Joe Taylor.  I’ve really appreciated all of your input, recommendations and updates on the status of beekeeping throughout Kentucky.  Please continue to stay in touch with Joe.  For those of you who don’t know him personally, he’s a dynamic individual with considerable experience in education, agriculture and beekeeping.  He’s going to be a great KSBA President!

I’d like to let all of you know that Phil Craft has recently sent in a request for a Section 18 Variance to the EPA to allow another mite treatment, Hivastan, to be used in Kentucky.  Hivastan is a commercially developed mite treatment that is akin to Aphistan and Check Mite Plus, being a chemical treatment with specific application guidelines and exposure restrictions.  The active ingredient is fenpyroximate, which is used as an insecticide in agricultural ventures raising grapes, hops, cotton & pomme fruit.  If you have any questions about Hivastan, there is a plethora of information available on the internet.  If you have any specific questions, I’m sure Phil will be glad to answer them for you when you see him next at an Association Meeting or a conference such HAS.

How many of you are registered with the KDA as part of the Kentucky Proud program?  The cost is $0.00, and the benefits are many.  Being a part of the program, you have the ability to display the Kentucky Proud logo on marketing materials you display as part of your beekeeping business, to include banners, flyers and product labels.  Consumers who are regulars at Farmers’ Markets and Festivals look for the Kentucky Proud logo, and vendors who display it have a higher percentage of sales than those who are not a part of the program.  Participating in the program also allows you to list your business type and products on the KDA web site.  This allows consumers to find you and your honey from the comfort of their homes.  Whether you produce only spun honey or offer a full range of products from honey to pollen to package bees to farm tours, the Kentucky Proud program offers you another venue to market your products and add to the depth and diversity of our state’s agricultural programs.  Best of all, it’s free.  So consider participating if you aren’t already registered.  You can find more information at:

Program:          http://www.kyagr.com/kyproud/producer.htm

Registration:    http://www.kyagr.com/forms/documents/KYProudApplication2009.pdf

The Fall KSBA Executive Board Meeting will be held at the Warren County Extension Office on Friday, 13 November at 7 PM.  All association presidents should plan on attending or send a designated representative if you will not be able to attend. 

The Fall KSBA General Membership Meeting will be held in Bowling Green at the Warren County Extension Office on Saturday, 14 November 2009.  Our guest of honor is Dr. Marion Ellis of the University of Nebraska who will present two programs - Living with Varroa in Cold Climates and Managing Bees for Comb Honey Production.  Additional presentations will be given by Dr. Tammy Horn - Coal Country Beeworks 2009 Youth Outreach and Robin Mountain - Successful Mating Yard Essentials.

A KSBA business meeting will follow after the educational programs are complete.

Lunch will cost $5.00 and will consist of a choice of one of three different cold sub sandwiches or three different hot sub sandwiches.  There will also be a choice of home made chips or fries as side items as well as an offering of different soft drinks.

If you plan on attending the Fall KSBA General Membership Meeting, please consider sending an RSVP to me as soon as possible.  This will be very helpful for us in planning out the last minute details of the meeting; i.e. coffee and donuts, seating, etc.

Last but not least, we will have KSBA shirts and hat pins available for purchase at the meeting.  They make great gifts and are ideal for wear at farmers’ markets, festivals, beekeeping schools and regional conferences such as HAS and EAS.

Speaking of Beekeeping Schools, dates have already been set for:

The Allen County Beekeeping School – Saturday, 6 February 2010

The Audubon Beekeeping School – Saturday, 6 March 2010

The Bluegrass Area Beekeeping School – Saturday, 13 March 2010

The Heartland Apicultural Society Meeting – Thursday, 8 July to Saturday, 10 July 2010

In closing, you guys have made this a great year for me as KSBA President.  I hope you have a great holiday season with your family and friends, and come Spring, a great honey flow and beekeeping season.

My best regards,

Martin