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Beekeeping 101 Virtual Course

This Virtual course offers beginning beekeepers an introduction to honey bee biology and beekeeping basics. The course covers honey bee castes, races, pests & diseases, beekeeping equipment, and seasonal management necessary for a successful first year. We are upgrading our text book this year to Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping and we provide a package of reference materials on critical topics. In addition to BK101 in the classroom we are including the Installation Demonstration, BK101W Beekeeping Workshop, and a 2019 Burgh Bees Membership at no additional cost. The Install Demo will show you how to install bees into a hive and the BK101 workshop will be a hands on event showing you how to inspect a hive. The Installation Demo and BK101W will be held at the Burgh Bees Community Apiary and scheduled in the spring as conditions permits. For more information, email [email protected]  Space is limited, So register today! Cost: Individual: $115 – Includes BK101 class, text book, package of reference materials, Install Demo, BK101 workshop, and a 2018 Burgh Bees Membership. Honey of a Deal: $195 – Includes 2 seats in BK101 class, 1 text book, 1 package of reference handouts, 2 spots at the Install Demo, 2 spots at the BK101 workshop, and either a 2018 Family Membership or 2 Individual Memberships. Dates: Virtual Location: Online Instructor: Will include a variety of Burgh Bees Directors Textbook: Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping by Dewey Caron & Larry Connor Note:  A confirmation letter and directions will be mailed out once a registration with payment is received. Exams: Brief quiz at the end of each session, graded in class by students. Course Fee:  includes the textbook, which will be handed out to students at the class. Payment:

By |February 28th, 2022|Categories: FrontPage, Uncategorized|Tags: |Comments Off on Beekeeping 101 Virtual Course

Burgh Bees Membership 2022

Become a member of Burgh Bees and help support Burgh Bees' mission "To educate beekeepers and promote beekeeping as a vital part of sustainable agriculture in Pittsburgh and its suburbs." Individual memberships are $10, family memberships are $15. What does being a member of Burgh Bees mean? Members receive: Access and Participation in our Mentorship Program (to begin early 2015) Free Admission to Open Apiary Tours A ticket to Burgh Bees Annual Banquet and Membership Meeting (early November) Voting Rights - vote for board members and have an impact on the structure and future of the organization (family membership = 2 votes) Monthly Email Newsletter Participation in member only Burgh Bees in the Field Days Infinite Gratitude from the Burgh Bees Community The yearly membership period is required to participate in our events and free offerings To become a member, visit our Membership Page on our website. You can either submit your payment electronically or print out our membership form and mail it in with your payment.

By |January 1st, 2022|Categories: Blog, FrontPage|Comments Off on Burgh Bees Membership 2022

Registration is Open for the 2020 Western PA Beekeeping Seminar

Seminar for 2020 will be held at the Gateway High School and is scheduled for: Friday, February 14th (7-9PM) All registrants are invited to attend the Friday Night presentation (including New Beekeeper class)!! and Saturday, February 15th – (8AM – 5PM) – Registration at 7:30AM on Saturday We are really excited about this year’s seminar! Speakers will include: Lewis Bartlett Brock Harpur Ian Steppler The topics that we have scheduled for this year are: Friday night – All registrants are able to attend Friday Night presentation (including New Beekeeper class)!! Lewis Bartlett – Learning from Bees in Nature: Dancing, Drugs, and Diversity. Covering the wonderful world of bee behaviors – what it means for our beekeeping, and how bees might reveal secrets that benefit all of society. Saturday Morning Lewis Bartlett – Crowding and Caravans: Is industrial beekeeping bad for bees? Understanding the complexity of how nomadic, densely packed beekeeping might make our bees sick – not always in the ways we might expect. Brock Harpur – Mite Biting Ian Steppler – Single Hive Management Afternoon Breakout Session #1 Bartlett – Bee Breeding: Problems and Promises of Darwinian Beekeeping Insights from an evolutionary biologist on the risks and rewards of trying to shape selection in our bees. Harpur – Drone quality Steppler – Sustainable Queen Rearing Charles Vorisek – Honey sources Breakout Session #2 Bartlett – Viruses, Varroa, and Virulence: What makes bee parasites deadly? Ever wondered why parasites and pathogens hurt the hosts they rely on, including our bees? We’ll take a dive into epidemiology and ecology of honeybee health, and what it can teach is about all diseases. Harpur – History of honey bee importation Steppler – Honey Bee Management within Our Changing

By |January 6th, 2020|Categories: Blog, FrontPage|Comments Off on Registration is Open for the 2020 Western PA Beekeeping Seminar

KingView Meadery gives back to the bees

KingView Mead, a new small producer in Pleasant Hills, has launched its business, as well as a crowdfunding effort to boost it, while promising to give 10 percent of all sales as well as of donations to beekeepers, in the form of new hives and other equipment and bees. The beekeepers, from this region and beyond, don’t even need to be one of the meadery’s suppliers. They just need to sign up for the raffles. Click Here for Upcoming KingView Tastings Read More About

By |July 26th, 2016|Categories: FrontPage|Comments Off on KingView Meadery gives back to the bees

Live Bee Cam @ Wood Street Gallery

Ali Momeni, Daniel Campos & Jeff Shaw Observation Hive ll, 2016 Wood Street Gallery "All Around Us" Materials: Medium Density Fiberboard, Polycarbonate, Bees During the summer of 2012, Ali Momeni and his collaborator Robin Meier created an indoor habitat for a small colony of bees at Domaine Garenne Lemot in Clisson, France. The resulting piece, "If the Lion Could Speak…" was an experiment in human bee communication through the panguage of music (think Voyager Golden Record, brought back from space, and recomposed for palyback inside a bee hive). For this exhibition, Momeni created a new version of this observation hive that is larger, more durable, and capable of hosting a full colony of bees. This work was created in consultation with Jeff Shaw, Apiary Director of Burgh Bees, assist Daniel Campos was invaluable in his help in fabricating the hives. Camera L View Camera Camera R View Camera

By |April 22nd, 2016|Categories: FrontPage|1 Comment

2016 Open Apiary Days

Would you like to learn more about honeybees and beekeeping?  Are you curious about seeing the inside of a beehive?  Then come to our monthly Open Apiary.  You will be given a guided tour of the inside of a beehive by an actual beekeeper. Our apiary tours are held at our Community Apiary in the Homewood Neighborhood of Pittsburgh. 6933 Susquehanna St., Pittsburgh, 15208 Protective head gear will be provided.  Please wear or bring long a long sleeved shirt, preferably with a collar, and long pants (no Capris or shorts please!)  Also, closed toed shoes such as sneakers are recommended.  Honeybees are gentle but we want to keep as covered up as possible. A donation of $10 per person is appreciated. Open Apiaries are limited to 15 people so please register early.  RSVP by email to Lynnetta Miller ([email protected]) by 5pm on the Friday before the scheduled Open Apiary. The tentative schedule is below.  Actual dates will be determined by weather and will be posted in the events section on our website.  Events will start at 11am (gates close at 11:15am - no late arrivals are permitted. Please allow 2 hours for the event. Saturday April 30 (11am) Sunday, May 22 (11am) Sunday, June 19 (11am) - Father's Day Sunday, July 24 (11am) Sunday, August 21 (11am) Sunday, September 18 (11am) We have also partnered with Penn State's Master Gardener Program.  We will have students from the Master Gardener program on hand to discuss pollination and pollinator friendly gardens.  

By |April 1st, 2016|Categories: FrontPage, Uncategorized|Comments Off on 2016 Open Apiary Days

Get your Bees Nucs & Packages

Bedillion Honey Farm Mark Bedillion, Hickory 3# package $115 regular price/$110 for Burgh Bees Member Available end of April. Date TBD. 5 frame Nuc local survivor stock $160 regular price/$150 for Burgh Bees members Available May/June 724-747-4645 or email [email protected] Meadow Sweet Apiaries Steve Repasky, Pittsburgh 5 Frame Florida Nuc w/freshly mated northern stock queen, 2 fr. brood, 2 honey, and 1 brood/honey/or foundation. Standard deep frames in a cardboard Nuc box. No frame exchange. All sales are final after loading. Cost $155 Available April 9th. Subject to change. Call 412-445-7872 or email [email protected] Tom Johnson, Rochester Packages are from Georgia 3# Package w/marked Italian queen cost $102 3# Package w/marked Russian queen cost $105 April pick up date TBD Call 724-312-7584 (cell) or 724-728-6826 (home) or email [email protected]

By |March 2nd, 2016|Categories: FrontPage|Comments Off on Get your Bees Nucs & Packages

The Benefits of Propolis

Our President, Steve Repasky, has recently talked about the changing perception of propolis in the hive and referred to research done by Marla Spivak, PhD. I wanted to pass these thoughts on for your consideration. We all know that propolis is the sticky resin bees use to glue everything in our hives together and that it is highly antimicrobial meaning it is antibacterial, antifungal, and even antiviral. Most of us work hard to scrape it out of our hives. The research in the article linked below, indicates that we should probably be encouraging our bees to line the inside of our hives with propolis as they do in tree cavities where they nest. To facilitate this you can rough up the inside of your hive bodies with very coarse sandpaper encouraging the bees to cover them with propolis. This is not a silver bullet for our problems, but may be one more tool to improve the health of our bees. To read the full article,click here.

By |March 2nd, 2016|Categories: FrontPage|Comments Off on The Benefits of Propolis

US National Beekeeper Survey

While there are very succinct colony loss and honey production surveys each year, there hasn’t been a comprehensive “beekeeper” survey since 2007. With the popularity of beekeeping on the rise, no one can argue with the fact that the beekeeper demographic has changed in the last decade. As educators, researchers, and individuals making up an industry, we should know who we are. Moving forward, having a grasp on census data of the industry will help us to know where, who, and how to reach out for better policy making, research, issue advocacy, continuing education, etc. Through this brief questionnaire we are hoping to gain a better understanding of current beekeeper demographics. We aim to provide current statistics to the beekeeping industry, beekeepers, and also better focus our education, outreach, and networking efforts in the beekeeping community. Your information is completely anonymous. Data will be analyzed by the Bee Girl organization’s Executive Director, Sarah Red-Laird, and Scientific Adviser, Scott Debnam, and published on www.beegirl.org This survey will close on March 18th, 2016. Click here to complete survey:

By |March 2nd, 2016|Categories: FrontPage, Uncategorized|Comments Off on US National Beekeeper Survey

Dr. Connor Special Engagement (Feb 9th)

Special Event Announcement Dr. Larry Connor is coming to give a presentation Title: The Sustainable Backyard Apiary Attendance: There is no cost to attend this event and it is open to ALL beekeepers. Date: Tuesday, February 9th Time: 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Location: Penn State Center Pittsburgh 1435 Bedford Ave, Suite A Pittsburgh PA 15219 The presentation will cover the objectives of setting up and maintaining an apiary for the long term, with particular emphasis on establishing and maintaining a good mite control program. With Varroa mites being the biggest threat to our bees this presentation should be of interest to both new and experienced beekeepers. Seating is limited to 60 people, so please register by clicking http://burghbees.org/?product=special-event-with-dr-connor Dr. Connor will have a selection of his books available for purchase the evening of the event. From the front door of the facility, take the elevator or stairs to level A and at the end of the mezzanine walkway you will enter through double doors into The Penn State Center Pittsburgh. There is a large free parking lot at this facility with plenty of parking right outside the front door. Dr. Connor's Bio: Lawrence Connor was born in Kalamazoo Michigan and earned his doctorate in honey-bee pollination of crops at Michigan State University. He has worked as Extension Bee Specialist at The Ohio State University, President of Genetic Systems, Inc. (which produced tens of thousands of instrumentally inseminated queens honey bees as well as the Starline and Midnite breeding stock), and now owns and operates Wicwas Press, specializing in publication of quality bee books. He relocated (from Connecticut) back to Michigan in April 2007 to continue growth of his publishing and writing activities. He has

By |January 28th, 2016|Categories: FrontPage|Comments Off on Dr. Connor Special Engagement (Feb 9th)