New(ish) Beekeeper Column
Off the Wahl Beekeeping
Start or Join a Dynamic
Beekeeping Club
By Richard Wahl
One of the wiser things I did as a beginning beekeeper was find a local beekeeping club. At the time, I was surprised that such a thing even existed. I was even more surprised to find over 80 people participating at the first meeting I attended at a very rural location. It soon became apparent that I could learn a lot from the frequent monthly speakers, the commercial beekeepers in attendance and the other seasoned and beginning beekeepers as they shared ideas and the dynamics of the current state of their hives. Interest in beekeeping increased when the media began to cover the effects of what was known as colony collapse disorder and the seeming disappearance of pollinators.
It would seem that interest has not waned. Recent beekeeping classes in our area have filled to capacity and there seems to be a greater interest in pollinator support as a whole. The area clubs that I am aware of have had increased participation over the past few years. Some of this may have been due to the COVID shut-downs as beekeeping can be a very solitary endeavor and still provide a deeper understanding of nature’s wonders and the need to have healthy pollinators to support many of our food sources.
A side benefit beyond learning more about beekeeping is the social aspect of making new friends. The possibility of gaining an outlet to sell excess nucleus (nucs) hives or queens after those spring splits are made from strong overwintered hives, and even the sale of whole productive hives, exists. Other hive by-products such as the sale of wax, following the honey harvest, may be a result of the increased number of contacts in a beekeeping club. Many clubs maintain a Facebook page or other social contact network so that participants can exchange ideas, ask questions or get advice between the monthly meetings.
I have given presentations at several area bee clubs and have visited another one or two. Each of these clubs has several things in common. Some have been in existence in one form or another for over 80 years while others have more recent beginnings, occurring shortly after coverage of our pollinator issues gained media attention. In each case, there were initially a small number of people interested in learning more about beekeeping and willing to share their experiences with others. As numbers grew, it became obvious that a regular meeting schedule and a location at which to meet became a necessity.
Leadership Options
Some clubs started to meet in private family homes and began to formalize a leadership structure. When room in the host’s garage or living room became too crowded other meeting locations were selected for the increasing attendance. If the initial host did not become the primary contact for meeting arrangements some sort of governing body was elected. This may have been as simple as President/Secretary, Vice President/Treasurer combos and possibly one or more trustees or members at large to form a board of directors. The leadership positions do not need to be complex, but should entail someone willing to coordinate meetings and events and act as a contact point to spread any bee news from outside sources to the beekeeping participants.
The Seven Ponds Bee Club, which is the primary club I associate with, has the positions of President, Treasurer and a board member at large elected for two year terms every even year, while the Vice President, Secretary and another board member at large are selected for two year terms on every odd year. This provides continuity as not all leadership positions are changing at the same time. It also allows for board members at large to gain leadership experience and often later run for election to the more defined positions. Each position can have specifically defined roles and responsibilities or be left somewhat loose provided the requirements of the club are met. The decision whether to have a more formal organizational structure or one that is a bit more minimalist in nature is up to the organizers and membership to decide. The key is to not be afraid to make changes if the current structure is not working or meeting the needs of the membership.
The Seven Ponds Nature Center has several assembly rooms used for meetings, lectures and school demonstrations.
Location, Location, Location
Another consideration is when and where to hold meetings. The clubs I am aware of all conduct a monthly meeting held the same day and time each month while some hold additional board meetings two weeks prior to monthly club meetings to determine future agendas or guest speaker invites. Intervening board meetings are held in the “Zoom or Discord” computer social media formats that became popular for group meetings during the COVID lock downs. All club members are invited to attend board meetings where future agendas and guest speaker invites are discussed, but more often than not, only elected board members and one or two interested parties with an input or request bother to sign in.
Clubs meet in a variety of locations. A common meeting place is at an area conservation district facility or park site that has a suitable meeting hall or room to hold the anticipated audience.
Others meet in veterans, legion or church assembly halls that have adequate capacity. Any agency nice enough to allow utilization by a beekeeping organization with a sufficiently sized lecture room or two is acceptable. If the space is not donated there are several easy ways to cover the once a month utility costs. Most clubs charge a meager $10.00 or $20.00 annual membership fee while others pass the hat for donations during their meetings.
Club members Dawn Gialanella and Lisa Stinson, man the Seven Ponds raffle table where donated items are raffled off prior to each monthly meeting.
I know a more creative method used by some clubs is to hold monthly raffles. Members are asked to bring in any bee related items as donations. A quick list of donated items is recorded and shared with members just prior to the monthly meeting. Raffle tickets are sold at a rate of six tickets for $5.00 before the meeting and the first ticket drawn gets to choose which donated item they wish to take. Tickets are drawn and items selected until all donated items have been disbursed. Donated items vary greatly, and at my Seven Ponds Club have included mugs, pictures, honey jars, fresh eggs, jars of honey, jellies or canned goods, pollen producing bare root trees or plants, embroidered aprons or towels, candles and anything one can imagine that might be bee related with nearly all surpassing the $5.00 cost of a few tickets. The Seven Ponds Club will often bring in $250.00 to $300.00 in an evening. These funds are then used to make an annual donation to cover costs of the use of the facility, or to bring in more prominent guest speakers. When funds allow, some raffle prizes may consist of slightly more expensive items previously purchased by the board from bee catalogues such as refractometers, cartons of honey jars or hive equipment and bee clothing items. The possibilities are endless and this seems to add to the fun of the meeting while not taking up too much time.
Generalized Meeting Scenarios
During the course of the year, meetings will usually follow a set pattern. In clubs I am familiar with, the raffle followed by general announcements and any brief business is taken care of first. After the business portion, not lasting more than five or ten minutes, the membership is split into two groups during the first three monthly meetings. One group portion led by an experienced beekeeper or two consists of the new beekeepers with little or no experience, where all the necessary beginner aspects and purchasing requirements can be covered. The second group consists of more experienced beekeepers who may be more interested in splits, queen rearing, nucs or hive increases or ongoing sustainability. After those first three, January through March, split sessions are complete, meetings are no longer split and key guest speakers are invited to attend. Topics may vary greatly and can be coordinated with the timing of the beekeeping season. Pollination sources and how to best monitor for mites are often Spring and early Summer topics, while the Fall agenda may include honey extraction, other products of the hive or winterization preparations. The possibilities are limitless and may be suggested by the invited guest speaker whose travel expenses as a minimum are covered by the club.
Another aspect of some clubs that adds fun to meeting nights is to ask members to donate pre-meeting snacks and/or make available drinks such as water, soft drinks, coffee or tea. Snacks often consist of some new baked good consisting of a strong honey recipe component and result in unique recipes made available to the membership. If there is enough interest in pre-meeting edible treats a member volunteer can be solicited to organize each meeting’s “treats”.
Mike Connor, arborist and beekeeper at far left, instructs club
members on the proper way to plant tree saplings. Five linden saplings were purchased and planted on Seven Ponds property by the club as a memorial to a generous, commercial, recently passed beekeeper. Mike was the guest speaker that evening speaking about pollinator plant selection and care.
A nice addition to the monthly meetings is to hold a Summer picnic in conjunction with the June or July meeting and a December Christmas party when not much beekeeping work is in effect. When funds allow, the club will often provide the key meat or main course dish while members are asked to bring a favorite dish to pass. A “honey recipe” dish and/or dessert dish contest where members vote for the “best” can be held at these social events to make the evening even more entertaining. Along with the best dish contests, my club also holds other bee related contests. A smoker lighting contest consists of whose smoker puts out the best cool white smoke, with a three to five minute interlude to see whose smoker is still doing the best after sitting for a few minutes. Prizes for the dirtiest bee suit or a queen spotting contest using poster pictures to spot queens have also been suggested. Summer picnic prizes often consist of complete nucs with bees, queens, hive components or hive equipment. These prizes, if not donated by a participating commercial beekeeper, are at times purchased by the club elected board in advance. At the December party, an ugly sweater contest along with recipe contests and a white elephant gift exchange keep things interesting. Covering the cost of prizes for these contests comes from funds raised during the monthly raffles and adds a great deal of interest to these semi-annual social gatherings.
On-site Hives
Another advantage to belonging to a club is that many have nearby access to or on-site hives that can be used as a teaching or observation tool. The several area clubs I am familiar with have three to four hives that are maintained by a club member beekeeper that can be observed by the club membership. An hour or two before the start of monthly meetings (weather permitting), the managing beekeeper invites club members to come and observe the opening or inspection of the club hives. Additionally, the club hive manager may notify the membership of any intervening inspections or modifications that are being made to the hives outside of meeting nights. Interested members can then come and assist or simply observe the necessary action being taken. Occasionally, a hive with an errant characteristic such as laying workers or a missing queen may be left to persist for a bit longer so as to provide a learning experience for club members. The managing beekeeper will assess whether timely critical action is necessary so as to not jeopardize other nearby hives or those in the club apiary. Mite assessment techniques as well as treatment options being used can easily be demonstrated during on-site hive inspections. In each case, a “state of the hives” report is presented to the club at the next monthly meeting.
Seven Ponds club hives used for demonstration purposes.
Club Equipment Use
New beekeepers often find the costs for the “getting started in beekeeping” to be prohibitive. To help minimize some of the start-up costs, many clubs may source bulk buys of bee equipment, mite treatments or other supplies at slightly reduced rates that are then split into smaller user quantities and resold to club members. The Seven Ponds club maintains several extractors, refractometers and honey harvesting equipment that can be checked out by club members for a short period of time which is then cleaned and returned for others to use. This provides a great benefit to the new beekeeper who can hold off on buying all the necessary harvesting equipment and perhaps buy other items from the club in smaller quantities. After a season or two of using club equipment, they can then decide whether or not to buy their own, having become familiar with different styles or brands. There are often other club members willing to rent out or allow their personal beekeeping equipment to be borrowed. Naturally, this requires a member to be in charge of tracking the loaned equipment, collecting any misuse or damage fees and the scheduling of usage times. A thorough understanding of expectations by the user should be established by the club or club board officers before any club cooperative equipment program is set in place.
Other Club Considerations
Before starting a beekeeping club, check to see if there are already existing clubs in the serviceable area. In Michigan, there are over 30 clubs located throughout the state, while Wisconsin lists over 25, with Ohio listing over 50 clubs or beekeeping associations. Most are affiliated or fall under the umbrella of larger state organizations such as the Michigan Beekeeper Association (MBA). Local clubs can tap into the larger benefits of the state associations which may provide reduced insurance coverage for planned “open to the public” conferences or events. As a result of the larger organizations normally having 501c3 status, seed money may be available for smaller clubs sponsoring local public events. State associations are often coupled with university research departments that can provide speakers and the latest developments in efficient beekeeping techniques which allow member clubs to stay at the forefront of the ever changing world of beekeeping. If a club is considering 501c3 status, I suggest reading the January 26, 2016 Bee Culture Magazine article on “How to Start a Nonprofit Bee Club” before any further 501c3 action is taken. This article can still be found on an internet, search under the article and magazine titles, or go to https://www.beeculture.com/how-to-start-a-nonprofit-bee-club-part-1/.
If you subscribe to this magazine, there is a good chance that you already belong to a bee club or association. If not, consider a search in your area to see if one exists and if not, consider starting a club with like-minded beekeeper aficionados. I do not think you will be disappointed sharing and gaining knowledge with others interested in the art of beekeeping. I hope I have provided some new ideas to enliven your beekeeping club experience or convinced you of the benefits of joining or starting a club. Your perceptions are sure to vary depending on your club dynamics, leadership styles and use of supporting assets. Keep the goal in mind that the objective is to become a better beekeeper while learning from others, and this should make for a very enlightening and enjoyable experience.
