August Beeline

In this month’s Beeline we will be recapping our July 6th PUB meeting. Our next meeting is Wednesday, August 3rd at Alberta Abbey from 7-9pm. Hope to see you there!

what's-in-bloomAs always, a huge thanks goes out to Glen Andresen for sharing his monthly Pollen & Nectar report. Alas, as the end of blackberry season is upon us, we also see the end of the honey flow. But there are plenty of blooming nectar and pollen plants still out there that are keeping our girls busy through October/November. For example, Scabiosa (also called the pincushion flower) will keep flowing and blooming on through November. For a more detailed report check out Bridgetown Bees for Glen’s monthly “What’s in bloom” report. Also email Glen with any photos and/or suggestions of other good honey bee plants.

We heard once again from Dr. Dewey Caron as he shared this year’s results for the PNW Honey Bee Survey. He also shared best practices for mite control.  This is something that all beekeepers must do to keep their hives healthy. His presentation outlined three basic methods for monitoring mites which included the natural mite drop and the popular sugar shake method. Click here to download a PDF and choose a method for your own hives. Again this is an essential step in maintaining your hives to give them the best chance to survive winter.

what-we-doWe also heard from Tim Wessels and Glen Andresen, co-owners of Bridgetown Bees. In addition to providing honey and beekeeping equipment at their brick-and-mortar store, the primary mission of Bridgetown Bees is to selectively breed and raise queen bees in the city of Portland that are suitable for year-round survival here and in other cities in the Pacific Northwest.  Tim and Glen shared an informative presentation for their queen raising methods. If you have any questions for Tim or Glen on their methods give them a email at contactusbridgetownbees(at)gmail.com.

walterTour De Hives 2016 was a smash success with our largest turnout yet! Thanks to all the volunteers, hosts and people behind the scenes that made it happen. Check out the Photo Gallery. Also if you haven’t filled out the Tour De Hives survey it would help us make next year’s event even better. It takes only 3 minutes. Thanks!

July Beeline

This month we will be recapping our June PUB meeting. Our next meeting is Wednesday, July 6th at Alberta Abbey from 7-9pm. Hope to see you there!
Rita Ostrofsky started things off with an overview of the Oregon Master Beekeepers program. The OMB program is celebrating it’s 5th year and is a cooperative effort between Oregon State University and the Oregon State Beekeepers Association.

what's-in-bloomGlen Andresen shared his monthly Pollen & Nectar report. Glen took us through annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines and flowering trees that are contributing to this year’s record honey flow. For a more detailed report check out bridgetownbees.com for Glen’s monthly “What’s in bloom” report. And please email Glen with any photos and/or suggestions of other good honey bee plants.

Our featured speaker was Washington State Master Beekeeper Morris Ostrofsky, who explored best practices for varroa mite control. Morris’ passion for teaching  julybeeline2and beekeeping becomes apparent when he shares his knowledge with others. An interest in genetics and queen rearing has led to a quest to breed locally adapted, treatment free bees using the Miller Method. Below is his presentation.

 

Tuesday’s PUB booth at Pioneer Courthouse Square had a great turnout of  both PUB members and public visitors. IMG_6677The weather cooperated 90% of the time and lots of people were out and about during the lunch hour, stopping by and learning about bees and Tour de Hives.IMG_6683

We’re less than 10 days from Tour De Hives 2016 which is the weekend of June 25-26! This is our yearly fundraiser and PUB’s best opportunity to introduce Portlanders to the art and science of beekeeping. Tickets now on  sale here so please spread the word to all your friends.

Mite Keeping 101

For our June 1st meeting Morris Ostrofsky came to present “Mite Keeping 101.”

MorrisOstrofskyNow approaching his 47th year as a beekeeper, Morris, a retired biology instructor, says he learns something new every day about bees and beekeeping.

Since 2010 Morris has participated in the development and implementation of the Oregon Master Beekeeper program. He is both a mentor and an instructor. Morris is also an active member and past President of the Lane County Beekeepers Association.

In October 2013 Morris was awarded the Washington state Master Beekeeper certification. He is the first Oregonian to receive this certification and is among only a half a dozen who currently hold this title.

Morris is an occasional contributor to Bee Culture magazine; his last article, Glass Jar Beekeeping, appeared in the May 2012 issue. His newest article, Overcoming Barriers to Beekeeping: How to Continue Doing What You Love, appeared in the May and June 2015 issues of Bee Culture.

Morris’ passion for teaching and beekeeping becomes apparent when he shares his knowledge with others. An interest in genetics and queen rearing has led to a quest to breed locally adapted, treatment free bees using the Miller Method.

Wells Fargo Eco Fair & PUB

The following article was written by Tom Unger, Oregon Region Communications with Wells Fargo, regarding recent connections made between Wells Fargo and Portland Urban Beekeepers at their Eco Fair. Reprinted here with permission.

Barnhart team members help save bee swarm in Beaverton

Team members save endangered bees by tapping a connection made at their Eco Fair

5/12/2016
Page Content
By Tom Unger, Oregon Region Communications

BEAVERTON — The [Wells Fargo] Barnhart Center is usually a beehive of activity as our team members are busy as bees serving customers by phone. But last month the center was the site of an actual swarm of endangered bees and our Green Team team members jumped in to save them.

wf_swarm01Two team members first noticed the swarm on a tree near the call center’s patio on April 26. They told Sandra Busch, a member of the center’s Green Team. She informed JT Davis, secretary of the Green, who reached out to Bob Wayman, a CBRE building maintenance technician based at the Barnhart Center.

Bob checked out the swarm before leaving work that night.

“It was very small at that point, about the size of a racquetball. I was thinking maybe they would take off and go to another area. When I came back early the next day, it had grown to the size of a basketball,” Bob said.

There is a middle school near the Barnhart Center and one of its staff members was about to spray poison on the bees. Bob intervened and told him not to.

“These were honey bees and they are an endangered species. We don’t have enough of them,” Bob said. “But the swarm was so big, I knew I had to do something.”

Eco Fair Connection

Luckily, the Beaverton center had held its annual Eco Fair last month where the participants included two beekeeping groups. The groups had passed out cards with the phone number of a “Swarm Hotline” (staffed by a network of bee associations throughout Oregon). The network locates and contact beekeepers closest to where a swarm is located.

Bob called the hotline around 6:45 a.m. on April 27. He used the phone keypad to enter the center’s address and phone number into the automated system.

A woman beekeeper in Hillsboro [Lynnea L-K] called Bob within a few minutes and was on site by 8 a.m., Bob said (see photo below).

“When she came out, she was amazed at the size of the swarm. There were probably around 4,500 to 5,000 bees there,” Bob said.

“I thought it was great that through the Eco Fair, we made a connection we might not otherwise know about and then were able to reach out and get help for an unusual situation,” said Operations Processor Debra Kennedy.

Bob remained on scene the entire time to warn team members to stay away. He also asked the school to keep the students inside their building.

The beekeeper had a wooden container. She sprayed a mixture of sugar water and honey into it and to coax the bees into the box, filling it completely (see photo below).

“She was very nice and answered a lot of questions from curious team members,” said Sandra.

A Thick Cloud of Bees

At one point during this two-hour process, the bees started swirling in the air between Bob and the beekeeper. The bees were so thick that Bob couldn’t see the beekeeper standing only 10 feet away.

“I was covered with bees all over my shirt and hair for about 45 minutes,” Bob said, adding he got stung a couple of times.

After the beekeeper got all the bees into the box, she taped it off to keep curious bystanders from getting stung. She came back early the next morning to take the bees to her home where she has a few beehives.

“It was a wonderful experience for me,” said Bob. “I was amazed to see how this person was taking care of these bees and how careful she was.”

wf_swarm02

June Beeline

This month we will be recapping our May 4th PUB meeting. Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 1st at Alberta Abbey from 7-9pm. Hope to see you there!
billsaberPUB President Bill Catherall started things off reminding those not on the Swarm List to register as this is the month for swarms. If you haven’t registered jump on over to the Bee Allies site and take advantage of swarm reports, mentoring opportunities, and available apiary spaces.

what's-in-bloomGlen Andresen shared his monthly Pollen & Nectar report. In addition to his advice on using mouse guards with your hives, Glen took us through annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines and flowering trees that are contributing to this year’s record honey flow. For a more detailed report check out bridgetownbees.com for Glen’s monthly “What’s in bloom” report. And please email Glen with any photos and/or suggestions of other good honey bee plants.

springchecklistOur featured speaker was Professor Dewey Caron, who explored best practices when caring for your hives during the  month of May. To view the complete presentation go here. He also gave us a presentation on swarm control offering up many different solutions you can try out depending on your goals and how much work you want to put into it.

Swarm season is underway and it’s not too late to get in on the action! If you need bait hives there are still a few available for purchase for $30 ($25 for 2 or more) so email Lauren Smith to order yours today.

We’re just 6 weeks from Tour De Hives 2016 which is the weekend of June 25-26! This is our yearly fundraiser and PUB’s best opportunity to introduce Portlanders to the art and science of beekeeping. Tickets now on sale here so please spread the word to all your friends.

ODA Apiary Registration

(Note: Still current as of April 19, 2024)

The following information is a new requirement (as of 2016) for beekeepers in the state of Oregon with 5 or more hives. Please note it does not replace or change Portland’s permit process.

Any beekeeper; whether backyard, hobbyist or commercial; who had 5 or more hives (not including nucs) during the previous (last) year is now required to register with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). This is the result of House Bill 3362 which modified Oregon Revised Statute(ORS) 602 and the subsequent adoption of Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 603-055 by the ODA. The registration fee is $10 ($20 after July 1) and 50 cents per hive. The registration is for one year and must be made each year if the beekeeper had five or more hives during the previous year. The registration runs from June 1 to May 31.

Previously only those beekeepers engaged in commercial pollination were required to register and the moneys collected by the ODA went into the agency’s general operating budget. The new law and rules make it clear that the monies from the new registration fees “shall be spent on pollinator research that is predominantly focused on honey bees.” The ODA agreed with the OSBA that most (all) of the collected monies will go to the Oregon State University (OSU) Bee Laboratory and the ODA will not use any of the monies for their administrative costs. Members of the OSBA met with the ODA and requested that specific language for our agreement be included in the OAR. The DOA proposed the addition, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney assigned to the ODA said the agency did not have the authority to include it in the OAR. Nonetheless, the ODA said it will honor the agreement and look to adding the language to the ORS in the future.

It should be noted that the ODA not only will not receive any monies for administrative costs but also there will be no monies for enforcement (at least at the present time). This does not mean you should ignore the law as it is a legal requirement and there are benefits to registering. Registering might serve to strengthen your position as a responsible beekeeper should a legal issue arise. In addition, you will receive notifications from the ODA on matters relating to beekeeping, such as the registration of a new Varroa mite control and the monies will go to OSU for research on honey bees.

You may register on-line or by mail by going to the Apiary Registration page and filling out on line or downloading the application form. You may also request a hard copy by calling the ODA, Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program at 503-986-4636.

When counting the maximum number of hives (not including nucs) that you had, you look to the previous or last year when registering your hives and as of now, that period ran from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. The registration year is not the same as the calendar year because the registration year begins on June 1 of the current year and runs until May 31 of the next year. The registration year was chosen to better accommodate commercial beekeepers who may not know the maximum hives they have until the following spring.

May 2016 Beeline

In this month’s Beeline we will be recapping our April 6th PUB meeting. Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 4th at Alberta Abbey from 7-9pm. Hope to see you there!

In lieu of our monthly member spotlight, Bill Catherall led an informative Q&A session called “What to do in the hive this month” that included strategies in swapping brood boxes and when to split your hives. Feel free to email Bill if you have any questions regarding his session.

what's-in-bloom

Glen Andresen shared his monthly Pollen & Nectar report. We are seeing the beginnings of a nice spring flow which is quite advanced for this time of year. Wisteria is blooming now as are fruit trees such as the sweet cherry, Asian pear and Greengage plum. Broccoli and kale are flowering which is great for those urban farmers. For a more detailed report check out bridgetownbees.com for Glen’s monthly “What’s in bloom” report. Please email Glen with any photos and/or suggestions of other good honey bee plants.

nativepollinatorsDid you know that there are over 4,000 species of native bees in North America alone? Our April meeting featured local entomologist Rebekah Golden, who gave a fantastic presentation about native pollinators. Thank you Rebekah for  sharing with our group. If you have any questions about Rebekah’s presentation you can contact her here.

Swarm season is underway and it’s not too late to get in on the action! If you need bait hives there are still a few available for purchase for $30 ($25 for 2 or more) so email Lauren Smith to order yours.

And last but not least… don’t forget to SPREAD THE WORD for Tour De Hives 2016 which is the weekend of June 25-26! This is our yearly fundraiser and PUB’s opportunity to introduce Portlanders to the art and science of beekeeping. There are still opportunities to volunteer or host your hive so if you are interested follow this link to the official volunteer/host application.

April 2016 Beeline

In this month’s Beeline we will be recapping our March 2nd PUB meeting. We met at our usual location at Alberta Abbey – and will be again on Wednesday, April 6th from 7-9pm. In lieu of our monthly member spotlight, Bill Catherall led an interesting 20-minute Q&A on all things bee-related.

what's-in-bloom

Glen Andresen shared his monthly Pollen & Nectar report. With perennial additions such as the hellobores, and bulbs like the crocus tommasinianus, we’re also seeing a lot of the usual suspects like the sweet cherry and the asian pear starting to bud and flower. For a more detailed report check out bridgetownbees.com for Glen’s monthly “What’s in bloom” report. Send photos and suggestions of other good honey bee plants to glen@bridgetownbees.com.

baithivesBill Catherall shared an informative presentation on Swarm Traps and best practices on design, placement and baiting. By setting out swarm traps we can make it easier to catch our own swarms and give swarming bees a place to move into instead of a neighbor’s wall or attic space. For more information on his presentation and to download swarm trap plans go to Bill’s blog post here. Also there are a few bait hives still available for purchase for $30 ($25 for 2 or more) so contact Lauren Smith at librarian@portlandurbanbeekeepers.org to order.

highres_163317072

Our March meeting featured Jacqueline Freeman, who gave a dynamic presentation about her experiences working with warre and top bar hives. Jacqueline is committed to a more relational and non-intrusive way of working with her bees to create treatment-free health and contentment in the hives. For more information about Jackie’s classes go to http://spiritbee.com/classes/. We are so grateful to Jackie for taking the time to share with our group.

And last but not least… don’t forget to SAVE THE DATE for Tour De Hives 2016 June 25-26! We will feature tour stops of backyard apiaries all over Portland. If you’d like to become a sponsor and be featured on this website, booklet, poster and even t-shirts, please send send an email to events@portlandurbanbeekeepers.org.