Look! The calendar says September. Summertime beekeeper picnics are over. Some beekeepers may be in the midst of requeening. Other beekeepers have almost finished preparations for winter (Winter, so soon? Yes.). And the local association meetings are going to be in full swing. Some state meetings will also be held from September through next Spring and even into the Summer. And every one of them – local or state – needs a program featuring at least one speaker.

It would be nice if we could just pluck a bee from one of our hives and have her tell us about life within her four walls. Since we can’t do that it is up to you to find speakers for all your meetings. It can be frustrating and challenging. It can be successful.

My first suggestion would be – listen to your membership. By that I mean not only the 'regulars' at your meetings but also to those members who do not or cannot come for one reason or another. You could start out by simply asking them. What topics do they want? What speakers can they suggest? However, make no promises. You have given them a chance to be heard and that is important.

You might prepare a brief survey sheet – a half page is completely adequate. The survey sheet could be passed out right at the end of a meeting to be left in a box by the door. The attendees can fill out a few simple questions: Was the topic interesting to you? Was the speaker easy to understand? Then put a line for Comments and another line for Suggestions.

But you really should also survey those who do not regularly attend. Don’t be afraid that a member might say that the programs are boring or useless. In what way are they boring or useless? There must be some sort of explanation. Any input from the members is valuable.

What if your members want speakers from far, far away and your little local association has a small treasury. It does no harm to explain to the members what their dues are used for and how much is in the treasury. Prepare a brief cost accounting of the funds necessary for such a speaker. Include transportation, lodging, meals and honorarium. Present the figures—funds available and funds needed – to the members and they will certainly see what can and cannot be done.

Your members have heard talks given by almost everyone in the club. No local association is an island surrounded by a sea of sweet clover. Your association is bordered by other local associations. In some cases distances may seem great; in other areas local associations are actually quite close to each other. You need to find the contact information for your bordering local associations. Go to www.beeculture.com, click on Who’s Who. Now you can contact them to see where they search for speakers. They are probably in the same dilemma you are – finding speakers.

Great! Here are opportunities that haven’t been discovered yet. Yes, your association has heard all about preparing hives for Winter – from one or more of your members. Would a speaker from a neighboring club give some different suggestions, different approaches? Think about all the topics you cover during meeting season: requeening, swarm prevention, feeding, supplements, laying workers, diseases, and many more. There is not one way to do something in beekeeping. A different view or reinforcement of a same view is valuable information. Trade speakers.

Will everyone in your association agree with that speaker from the neighboring association? No. But then will everyone agree within your own association? No. So do not let a few negative comments dissuade you from inviting speakers from other local associations. Oh oh, what if almost everyone in your association disagrees violently with views presented. If during the presentation, keep control of the situation; let the speaker finish. Then allow a few with a calm approach make a few comments. Now you have a topic for another meeting, perhaps a panel discussion of the controversial topic.

Planning a season’s programs is always a good idea. However, those of you who are faithful members of the Procrastinator’s Society may well get around to doing that later. How about taking a bit of time during a meeting and letting the members help plan? You will need to keep the discussion on track but if you can at least get the monthly topics chosen, you are ahead.

Beekeepers always want presentations that fit the season. For example, Spring seems to revolve around swarming; late Summer and Autumn is for Winter preparations. You need to think about topics that do not have to fit the seasons. You need to think about topics that are different from just plain beekeeping. You need to think of topics that will introduce different aspects of beekeeping to your members. You need to think about the Newbees – the ones that took your beginning beekeeping classes and are still floundering around, but enthusiastic. Here is where contact with neighboring associations is so valuable for locating speakers economically.

Let’s look at some of the topics that 'have no season.' How about photography? The bees and hives are interesting year around. Hives buried in snow; bees flying on a cold January day; a frame of starving bees (embarrassing for beekeeper, educational for Newbees); bees visiting blossoms in the south in February; endless possibilities. Beekeepers do not have to be 'professionals' to take some great photos. Have photography as a meeting topic then follow up with a photo show (no, I did not say contest, I said 'show') in six or eight months. The photo show could be combined with a picnic or a social meeting. Where to find a speaker? From your association or one of your neighboring associations. Lots of people are photographing everything since the proliferation of inexpensive digital cameras. Emphasize the 'not professional' aspect. Photography really does open up a whole new world in beekeeping.

Apitherapy has no seasons. It is an interesting topic and probably one that the club members have heard about but are a bit vague on what it all means. There is a national association, American Apitherapy Society (AAS), with members from every state. Many of them are willing to attend a bee meeting and give a presentation. There may even be someone in your local association but has never been asked to speak about it. To find a person in your area you can contact the AAS with this e-mail address: aasoffice@apitherapy.org.

I mentioned the Newbees – the ones who took your beekeeping classes in the Spring. I do hope you have invited them to join your local association and, most particularly, made them feel welcome. Remember you are running around saying words like 'refractometer' and 'pheromones' and the Newbees are trying desperately to remember what they mean. Have a meeting especially for the Newbees. A good time would be late Autumn or during the Winter. The new beekeepers have had their bees long enough to have lots of questions. Tell the Newbees to write down all their questions to bring to a panel of experienced beekeepers.

A variation of a program for the Newbees would be to have them as a panel, describing their experiences as new beekeepers and letting them make suggestions for the bee course to be given next Spring.

Is your local association in an urban or suburban environment? Perhaps a topic could be how to fit beekeeping into a busy work and family schedule. A cookery/social meeting can liven up Winter months. Have everyone bring honey goodies to eat and to trade. Don’t forget humor. Real but silly swarm catching stories can liven up a meeting. Start out a business meeting with one story. Plan a joint meeting with one of your neighboring bee clubs. Clean out your beekeeping things and books (duplicates, gadgets) and hold a mini-auction. Have all the members bring a small sample of their honey crop. Someone is sure to have a refractometer and polariscope. Now all your club members can have their honey checked for moisture and crystal content. Finish up with taste sampling. One of your members may have been asked to give a presentation to children. There is a topic for a meeting – giving bee information to kids.

Some beekeepers have libraries of videos and are now adding DVDs to their collection. Not only are these a good emergency backup if a speaker cannot come at the last minute but they can form all or part of a program. Not all videos and DVDs are good. If you are the program chairman you can review the ones you might wish to show, or have a fellow beekeeper help you do a review.

Showing those videos and DVDs brings us to the problem of equipment. Does your meeting place have the equipment to show a video or DVD? If not, is someone going to bring what is needed? Today many speakers have a presentation on Power Point in a computer. The laptop is usually not a problem. But the digital projector can be a big problem. They are expensive! And replacement bulbs are expensive! Few actually own a projector.

It is a good idea to discover the availability of a digital projector before you actually need one. However, some speakers, or even a member, may have access to one. Always ask. Otherwise you could contact your local Cooperative Extension Service office, the local library, an organization, a school, a university. Audio/visual equipment rental shops may be in your area. What is the cost of rental? Check with your club treasurer to see if renting a projector is possible. A bit of persistence and imagination is sometimes needed.

One of the buzzwords of today is 'Think outside the box!' To think of topics and the speakers for them really makes it necessary to think outside the brood box. In addition, work collectively just like your bees do.

Hey! Just because it’s September and you need months of speakers, don’t give up now. You are going to learn many things about honey bees in the months ahead all from your imaginative programs.