Honey Competition Results

Honey Competition Results

Our August 13th meeting marked our clubs 2nd Anniversary and our 2nd Annual Honey Competition. Dan Wright, Regional Apiary Inspector with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and President of the Illiana Beekeepers Association, was the judge for the event. Honey was judged in the following categories: cut comb, light, amber, and dark. 

 

 

Category winners are as follows:

Cut Comb: First Place - Dave Koenegstein, Second Place - John Killough

Light Liquid Honey: First Place - Larry Passalacqua, Second Place - Rick Russell & Stacey James, Third Place - Aaron Quicksall

Amber Liquid Honey: First Place - Dave Koenegstein, Second Place - Larry Quicksall, Third Place - David & Lisa Dhom

Dark Liquid Honey: First Place - Joan Willenborg

Congratuations to all winners and all competators!!!!

 

Honey Judging Program by Dan Wright

Dan Wright, Apiary Inspector and President of the Illiana Beekeepers Association, was our presenter for the July 9, 2012, meeting.  Dan spoke on "Preparing Your Honey for Competition".  Dan has been a beekeeper since 1967, has been entering his honey at the Illinois State Fair since the early 1970s, and has been a judge at several county fairs.

Approximately 35 members and guests were in attendance at our July meeting.

You can download Dan's handouts at this link:
http://www.quicksall.net/HoneyJudging-2012-07-09.pdf

Next month's meeting on August 13th will be our annual honey tasting competition for our local beekeepers.  Dan Wright will be our official judge, and all in attendance will get to sample and judge for themselves who has the best honey!

Next Meeting is July 9th

Good Morning Crossroads Beekeepers!!!

July 9th Meeting

The Crossroads Beekeepers will hold their next monthly meeting on Monday, July 9th, at 6:30 p.m. in the basement of the University of Illinois Extension Center, 1209 N. Wenthe, Effingham. Please enter through the west doors and go downstairs.

Dan Wright, Regional Apiary Inspector with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, will be presenting on the topic of "Preparing Honey for Judging at Honey Shows". Dan began beekeeping in 1967, has been an apiary inspector since 1972, a past Director of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association, and is the current President of the Illiana Beekeepers Association. In addition, he has been active in showing honey at the Illinois State Fair since the early 1970s and has judged several honey shows at county fairs. During his presentation, Dan will be explaining how to prepare all types of honey for judging at both the local and state level.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at the next meeting......p.s. the meeting place has air conditioning!!!

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Keep an eye on your bees during this hot weather.

*** Do they have a water source?

*** Do they have enough food stores during this drought?

*** Do they have adequate ventilation in their hive?

*** And most important, DON'T OVER HEAT IN YOUR BEE SUIT!!!!!

Eleanor Balson Speaks at June 11th Meeting

We had a great meeting tonight with approximately 42 people in attendance to hear Eleanor Balson give a presentation on the health of bees and the pests and diseases that can hurt them.

Next Meeting is June 11th

The Crossroads Beekeepers will hold their next monthly meeting on Monday, June 11th, at 6:30 p.m. in the basement of the University of Illinois Extension Center, 1209 N. Wenthe, Effingham. Please enter through the west doors and go downstairs.

Eleanor Balson, Regional Apiary Inspector with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, will be our presenter. Eleanor will be speaking on the topic of pests and diseases that impact honey bees. The mild winter and early spring not only impacted the behaviors of honey bees but also organisms that hurt bees and their colonies. Eleanor will explain how to recognize the most common pests and diseases and what beekeepers can do to effectively treat them.

As always, the general public is invited to attend.

For more information about the Crossroads Beekeepers contact Larry Quicksall at 217-347-5937 or visit their website at http://CrossroadsBeekeepers.blogspot.com.

Great Meeting Tonight!

We had a great club meeting tonight.  Our speaker was Mark Dyers who spoke on various methods for raising queen bees.  Mark brought various pieces of equipment to demonstrate how to set up starter and finishing hives, as well as various options for mating nucs. 

Club members also talked about the number of swarm calls that many have been receiving in recent weeks.  5 club members have captured over 10 swarms so far!

We also have three new club members join tonight: Michelle Barnick from Cowden, Ryan Spencer from Arcola, and JoAn Baker from Neoga.  Let's welcome our new members to the hive!!!

Next months meeting will be on Monday, June 11, 2012, and Eleanor Balson, State of Illinois Apiary Inspector, will be presenting on Bee Diseases and Pests.  Bee sure and mark your calenders for the next meeting!

May 14th Meeting

The next meeting of the Crossroads Beekeepers will be on Monday, May 14, 2012, at 6:30pm in the basement of the University of Illinois Extention Center, 1209 N. Wenthe, Effingham. 

Mark Dyers, beekeeper from rural Watson, will be presenting on the topics of raising queen bees.  This is a topic that every beekeeper, small or large, needs to understand.

Coming in June: Eleanor Balson on Bee Pests and Diseases.