This is my last president’s letter for MSBA. It has been a pleasure working with and meeting more of the exceptional beekeepers of Maryland! I thank everyone for their support as we worked through a most interesting time. COVID, of course, affected our meetings and classes, and let to us all become very familiar with Zoom.
MSBA is proud to offer our first hybrid meeting on November 13th, at the Maryland Department of Agriculture and via UMD's Zoom service. "Hybrid" simply means that you can participate in person or on Zoom.The board is engaging a professional audio-visual support company, to supply our technology and make this first-time format for us a success. We want everyone to feel safe, and attend the meeting the way they are most comfortable.
I am proud that MSBA has worked so hard on excellent programs for the last four years. Our agreements to work with the Bee Squad and Mark Dykes have led to opportunities to host new classes and develop others. We started a new education committee almost a year ago and created a list of almost 30 classes we thought Maryland needed. We chose the first three, and began the legwork, and data collection for them. One group has worked out an excellent Harvesting Class which could not be filmed this year due to COVID. Another group has collected the data for a Maryland Comparison of Nucleus Versus Package Colony Growth for a season. For the latter, Mark, Eric Malcom, Mike Mehalick and I met every two weeks to photograph every frame of three hives with and without bees. It will take months to go through all the photos and create a good class together, but we have done the leg work (or back and sweat work)!
MSBA will be proud to offer our Nucs and Splits Full-day Class in person again in January 2022. It is seven solid hours of information from eight different teachers: look for the signup to open on December 1. Once again we will offer one free seat in the class to every bee club in Maryland. Those free entrances mean that the attendees agree to return to their local clubs and share some of what they learned. This is part of endeavoring to find more ways to offer education to you, our members.
In May, we will be offering our Honey Show Judging Class. Look for the announcement and sign up.
Deb Hewitt and I have compiled a list of questions for new beekeepers who are purchasing nucs to appear on the MSBA website. There is no one standard in Maryland for what comprises a nucleus colony! Remember MSBA’s charter is education of beekeepers, not regulation. So a list of appropriate questions for new beekeepers was decided as the way to help our newest least experienced beekeepers make educated purchases. There are dozens of ways to make up a good nuc, just stand behind your product. Also, effective in 2022 if you want to list Nucs/Queens for sale on the MSBA site you must have registered your hives with the Maryland State Department of Agriculture. Hive registration is the state law.
I thank our volunteers who do all the work of this club. Without people willing to give up their time, you would not have three wonderful information packed meetings. You would not be drinking coffee, talking bees, or having just one more donut to get through the morning. We are having our honey show because AABA has provided runners to accept entries. Honey Show Judges are listening to our November meeting while scoring those honey show entries. For our club to continue to grow we still need more people to step up and help. Speak to your board members to see how you too can get involved. Many hands make light work is a basic truth!
Thank you for letting me serve as your president. It has been a wonderful experience.