Bottom Boards... Screened or Solid?

To screen or not to screen that is the question.  Let's hear some feedback members!  How do you bottom board?  Just like every other beekeeping question, I expect we'll get a variety of answers.  I've heard people say to use the screened board year round, the solid board year round, or a combination of the two.  In the comments section below, I'd love to hear your bottom board practice as well as an explanation for why you favor your practice.

SCREENED

SOLID

The Big E...

The Big E is in full swing, and we've been having a great time at both of our fair locations.  For those of you who haven't visited the fair yet, here are some photos of our booths...

The MA Building

The star of the show.

Our brand new mural...

And our satellite location in Farm-A-Rama

Thanks to all of the volunteers manning the booths during the fair! 



October Meeting...

Hampden County Beekeepers Meeting October 2012

               When: Thursday, October 18th at 7pm

           Where:  Willimanset Heights Improvement League (WHIL)

                       118 Mount Vernon Rd.

                       Chicopee, MA 01013

Let’s get together and go over how we’re managing our hives this fall and winter. 

*MEETING UPDATE*

-There will be a “Big E Review” meeting starting at 6pm on the night of the regularly scheduled meeting.  If you were a seller or a volunteer, please attend and come early, we need your input.  The regular meeting will still start at 7pm. 

-HCBA member Lee Duquette will have his Lee’s Bees feeding stimulant available for sale.  Lee’s feeding stimulant is similar to Honey-B-Healthy at a fraction of the cost, just $12.00 per bottle.  Lee will also have some single serve doses of Fumagilin-B available for purchase, for anyone who still needs to medicate their bees. Cash only, so bring your money!

Here's a LINK to an old blog I posted about Lee's Bees feeding stimulant.

A First Timer's Install...

New HCBA Member, Vanessa Mathieu shared this video of her first install earlier this year.  Vanessa started two hives this year, one standard Langstroth hive and one top bar hive.  Thanks for sharing Vanessa!