Tuesday, September 17, 2019

2019 Big E Honey show winners!

2019 HCBA Honey Show Results

BIG E Farmarama Building



https://www.journalinquirer.com/connecticut_and_region/family-farm-flavor-at-big-e----days/article_6a823258-d68f-11e9-bca3-935ce84bb68e.html


So many outstanding entries this year.  A big thank you to all that contributed.  The following are the results of Monday's judging by Mary Duane:
Categories:

Light

1st: Lee Duquette
2nd (tie): Mark Lantzakis, Jeff Rys
3rd: Jeff Rys

Light Amber

1st: Mike Koleczek
2nd: Mark Gilmore
3rd: Joyce Munson

Amber

1st: Liz Bone
2nd: Annette Isner
3rd (tie): Jon Isner, Sean Martin

Dark Amber

1st: Mark Lantzakis
2nd: Jim Stefanik
3rd: Roxie Pin

Dark

1st: Lee Duquette
2nd: Jessica Martin
3rd: Zack Flebotte

Chunk Honey

1st: Pam Rys
2nd: Mike Koleczek
3rd: Bill Romito

Cut Comb

1st: Lee Duquette
2nd: Bill Romito
3rd (tie): Jeff Rys, Pam Rys

Best of show with a score of 98.5 in the Light Amber category: Mike Koleczek



Monday, July 30, 2018

BIG E HCBA Happily there for another great year!



HCBA is pleased to be a part of the Big E again this year!

Sign up for your shifts on our webpage!!

Smile you lovely beekeepers you.

Monday, April 23, 2018

Dandilions!!



Yes!! Dandilions are coming up all over!!

Here in the Northeast it is one of our first big bee food sources!


May your hives bee buzzing and happy!

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

March 15th HCBA regular meeting and last bee school Saturday!


HAPPY St. Patrick's Day!!

March 15th Regular HCBA meeting at 7pm.
118 Mount Vernon Road
Chicopee, MA 01013

Final Saturday of the 2018 HCBA Bee School
HCC, Holyoke, MA

See You All Soon!!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

HCBA January Meeting



Brrr..Yes it is cold outside but...

HCBA will be having it's January meeting!!

Thursday, January 18th at 7pm

Willimansett Heights Improvement League
Chicopee, MA 

our topic will be Mid-Winter Hive Assessment

Thursday, November 2, 2017

MASSBEE Annual Fall Meeting



HCBA is hosting MASSBEE ORG. Annual Meeting this year!

It will be held at Westfield State University in Westfield, MA

Saturday,November 11th 

Here is the link for information on the gathering.



Should be a great day of bee information with speakers and vendors and good folk to meet.


Friday, October 6, 2017

Our October HCBA Meeting.



Our Next HCBA Meeting is Scheduled for October 12th at 7pm.

We will be talking about the Big E, what worked and what didn't.

Dispursement to sellers.

And general Bee Talk!


WHIL 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA  01013

Thursday, September 14, 2017

HCBA Big E 2017



Hello out there!!!

Well this is it..the beginning of another year for us at the Big E!

Both Booths look super thanks to a lot of helpful hands and eyes making them look even better than before.

We have lots of new items for sale too!


Smile and have fun!!!

Thursday, August 24, 2017

BIG E 2017 HCBA



ANOTHER HCBA YEAR AT THE BIG E!!

We are all looking forward to attending the exciting Big E this year.

Our booths at both the MASS building and Stroh building will be in full swing!

We will have new products to sell and as always is our mission to talk BEES!

Spreading information and the good word of the work they do for us all.


Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Our Honey Candy Bagging Night! August 17 6pm start



We are getting ready for the Big E!

First said. Many hands make light work.

We start at 6pm.

Last year we had a banner year of helpers who attacked the candy bagging in record time.

More time for pizza, drinks and bee talk!!!!

118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee. MA 01018

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Bees LOVE Lavender!



Club member sent lavender loving bee picture for us all to enjoy!!



Thank you Pam!

Thursday, June 29, 2017

HCBA Annual Picnic


Our Annual HCBA  Picnic will be held on July 20th!
Starting a bit earlier 6pm so we can enjoy the daylight.

We provide hamburgers and hotdogs and the hot grill.

You provide whatever you like, a favourite picnic food, it would be fun if we could include honey in our recipes!

Bring a lawn chair so we can relax on the side lawn and have as always some good bee talk.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, June 19, 2017

HCBA June 22nd Meeting



Hello Out There in BeeLand!!

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 22nd.
7-9pm
118 Mount Vernon Road
Chicopee, MA 01013

Guest Speaker Mary Duane will be teaching us the ins and outs and dos and don'ts of preparing your honey products for honey contests.

We also will be having our elections for board members, if you have any nominees please prepare to present them at this meeting.

And a surprise is in store for all who attend, we will be celebrating someone's 80th birthday..any guesses?


Hope to see you all there!

Friday, April 14, 2017

HCBA April 20th Meeting



Well this is it for our 2017 Bee School!!

Our class will be receiving their certificates proudly.

We will be having an auction of bee related items and as always
enjoy some delicious sweet treats!


See you there!

WHIL 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, March 20, 2017

HCBA March 23rd Meeting



Howdy Beekeeps!

Our next meeting will be March 23rd, Thursday.
7-9pm

Guest speaker Ken Warchol, MA Bee Inspector will be talking about some of the

challenges in beekeeping.


WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, March 6, 2017

HCBA March 9th Meeting



Our next HCBA Bee School meeting will be held this Thursday, March 9th at 7-9pm.


Our guest speaker will be Jeff Rys with the topic of "Bears and other invaders"

WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, February 27, 2017

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

HCBA February 23rd Meeting 7-9pm



Our February 23rd Meeting will be a combined effort!

Speaker Tom Flebotte will cover the topics of sourcing your honeybees and installing them into your hives.

Andrew Preissner will be discussing Queens and covering Dynamics of the Hive.

Should be a fun filled night!

And support your local farmstand! Buy local honey and maple syrup!

Yes the sap is running in NEW ENGLAND!


WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

HCBA January 26th Meeting



Our January 26th meeting discussion has been changed.

Lee Duquette will be speaking on how to build hive parts.


Come on time you won't want to miss a minute of this fun evening! 7-9pm

WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, January 9, 2017

2017 Bee School Begins




Hello Bee Peeps!

Our HCBA 2017 Bee School Starts

Thursday January 12, 2017 at 7-9pm

Willimanset Heights Improvement League
118 Mount Vernon Road
Chicopee, MA 01013

There will be a short introduction from HCBA BOD

followed by our guest speaker Ken Worchol.


See you all there to welcome our new bee lovers!

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Christmas 2017



Wishing All A Beautiful Christmas and Much Happiness in the New Year!


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Wishing All of you a Delightful Thanksgiving!

We All Have so much to be thankful for!



HCBA Annual Christmas Party to be held on December 9th



Hello All you Wonderful Beekeepers!

Our Annual Christmas Party is right around the corner so I hope you have sent
your RSVP's to Cheryl.

It is always so much fun with a great meal, good bee and not bee talk and a super wonderful
raffle with proceeds going to Toy for Joy. 

We also do a Yankee Swap to end out the evenings fun, bring a wrapped gift,
 (one per attendee valued at $15)
and let the chaos insue, you never know what you may end up with!

Friday, December 9,2016
6-9pm
The Villa Rose
Ludlow, MA 01056


Monday, October 31, 2016

HCBA Novermber Meeting on the 10th



Please join us November 10th 7-9pm.

We will be having a bee related auction. 

So if you have any items that you no longer have use for please feel free to donate them.

As usual we will have some good bee talk, coffee and treats.


Thursday, October 13, 2016

Our HCBA October meeting will be held on the 13th



Howdy Bee Keeps!

October 13th, Thursday at 7pm

Willimansett Heights Improvement League

118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013


Fall is definately here in New England.

Time to get those hives ready for winter!

Thursday, September 29, 2016

HCBA Member has a traveling hat


Our wonderful member Tom Porter is traveling the world
taking along our newly designed HCBA hat!


Lucky Tom, lucky hat in Venice, Italy.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Club member is a traveling man!



Traveling Beekeeper is enjoying some of the beauty out in 
Colorado.




Thanks Mark!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

September is National Honey Month!


Beekeepers be proud of your hardworking bees!

We add to the sweetness of the world.

How sweet it is! Since being established in 1989, September has been deemed National Honey Month here in the United States to promote beekeeping and the use of honey as a natural and very beneficial sweetener.
 
Artisanal honey is experiencing a renaissance, seducing chefs, foodies and cheese lovers to appreciate this ancient sweetener for all its culinary glories.
Once reserved exclusively for royals, honey was used to pay taxes during Julius Caesar's reign. Honey is made from the nectar of flowers by honeybees and beekeepers around the world who harvest thousands of varieties, each with a unique flavor profile determined by the type of plants visited by the honeybee. 
With more than 300 varietal honeys produced in the US, each with their own individual color, aroma and flavor profiles, there is no shortage of honeys to explore! Honeybees will travel up to four miles to gather nectar just to make honey!

Big E Photography Contest ~ Club Member wins ribbon!

Congratulations to club member Mark Lantzakis!

Mark was thrilled to be awarded a ribbon for creative arts with his honeybee photography.


Way to go Mark!

Monday, September 19, 2016



BIG E 2016 Honey Show Winners!

HCBA is proud to announce the winners of our honey contest


Best in Show Mike Koleczek


Our display at Farmarama

Light     1st         Mike Koleczek
              2nd        Jim Stefanik
              3rd        Tom Flebotte

Light     1st         Lee Duquette
Amber  2nd        Bill Romito
             3rd         Annette Isner

Amber  1st            Tom Flebotte       
              2nd      Dan Gleason
              3rd        Marilynn Zielinski

Dark     1st         Lee Duquette
Amber  2nd        Mark Lantzakis
             3rd         Mike Cavanaugh

Dark     1st         Mike Koleczek (Best in Show)
             2nd         Jessica Martin
             3rd         Sean Martin

Comb  1st         Lee Duquette
             2nd        Mike Koleczek
             3rd         Tom Flebotte

Chunk  1st        Mike Koleczek
             2nd     Zach Flebotte   
                 3rd       Tom Flebotte



Monday, September 12, 2016



BIG E 100th ANNIVERSARY 

HCBA is celebrating the event with new and beautiful additions!!

Our members have been hard at work making our booths even more interesting and educational!!

We will have a HONEY SHOW this year with guest Judge Mary Dwain.


Come and join the celebration!


Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Suffield CT Bee Trap



Andy and my first attempt at a bee trap out. Of course it had to be on Main Street!

Everyone has been super nice and supportive at saving the hive.

One large egress which we coned and a nice new home for them. 


At present, all seems to be going well. We hope to be there when the remainder of the tree is dropped.

More pictures to follow for sure!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

HCBA 2016 Big E Honey Contest


Hello Out there HCBA Beekeepers!

We are having a honey contest this year at the Big E.

The display will be at our space in the Farmarama Building.

Be thinking of which honey you think is prize worthy!

This will be fun.


Details will be available soon!

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

HCBA AUGUST 11th Meeting


Hear Ye!! Hear YE!!

Our next HCBA meeting will be held on August 11th  7-9pm

This is a big one guys so please show up with your dancing shoes on.

We will be packing our honey candy for the Big E and many
hands make light work.

We also invite any of you who would like to sell their beekeeping related items they no longer need or have created. Sort of a mini bee tag sale if you will.

Pizza and beverages for all!!


118 Mount Vernon road, Chicopee, MA 01013




Monday, July 18, 2016

Gearing up for the 2016 BIG E!


HELLO BEE LOVERS!

We are getting our ducks in a row as the 100th anniversary of the BIG E approaches.

So please visit our webpage and select your shift so we can dazzle the crowds 

with loads of bee loving poeple at our booths.

We are located at the Massachusetts Building and Farmarma.

All club members are welcome to sign up.



Friday, June 24, 2016

HCBA Annual Picnic July14th



Hello you beautiful bee people!

Well here we are again heading into summer and it is time
to gather and eat, drink and be merry.

Our Annual HCBA Picnic will be held on Thursday July 14th.

Starting at 6pm so we can enjoy the good summer weather.
until...whenever...

Andy will be grillmaster and the club will provide grill, hamburgers, hotdogs, condiments and untensils.

You bring a chair and your favorite summer picnic specialty.
Last year we had a wonderful assortment of things to sample.

So come and enjoy the evening rain or shine. 
As always lots of bee talk!


WHIL 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, June 20, 2016

National Pollinator Week



It is National Pollinator Week!

Bee Proud you are a beekeeper!



National Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them
Nine years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.
The Pollinator Partnership is proud to announce that June 20-26, 2016 has been designated National Pollinator Week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by the Pollinator Partnership.


Monday, June 6, 2016

June 9th HCBA Meeting


Howdy Bee Peeps!

Our next HCBA meeting will be held on June 9th

7-9 pm 

The topic will be dealing with allergies.

Hope your hives are growing strong and non swarming!



WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

Friday, May 6, 2016

HCBA May 12th Meeting



Howdy All you wonderful bee interested people!

Our May 12th meeting is right around the corner.

7-9pm at WHIL, 118 Mount Vernon Road, Chicopee, MA 01013

The topic will be Hand Cream and discussion of wax products.



It's a beautiful thing!!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Fenway Park Bees!


So thrilled to see this at Fenway Park this weekend..

Not only did the Red Sox whomp the Yankees but the park just added

new bees to their roof top garden area!

GO SOX!!!


Saturday, April 30, 2016

Tom and Tom on their bee adventure to Georgia


We are so grateful for Tom Flebotte and Tom Porter for making the long journey

to Georgia to pick up those gorgeous packages of bees!


You guys are the best!!

HCBA 2016 Bee School Graduation

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Announcing our newest group of bee school graduates!!



What a great group of beekeepers they will bee!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

HCBA Celebrates Earth Day at Springfield Museum



What a great day we had representing HCBA and our bees.

It was a lovely event attended by a welcoming crowd.

Special thanks to club members and recent bee school graduates Tommy and Jane Stanziola.

They jumped right into making bee headbands and talking bee talk.



People love bees!