Next Meeting is December 9th

The next meeting of the Crossroads Beekeepers will take place on Monday, December 9th, at 6:30pm, in the basement of the U of I Extension Center, 1209 N. Wenthe, Effingham IL.  Please enter through the west doors and go downstairs.

This meeting will be the Christmas Celebration for the Crossroads Beekeepers, and those attending are requested to bring a finger food or dessert to share.  Several activities will take place at the meeting including installation of officers for 2014, presentation of the Beekeeper of the Year, and detailed information regarding the upcoming Bee School to be held on Saturday, February 1st, at the Stewardson Community Building. 

As always, the general public is welcome 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.

November 11th Meeting

The next meeting of the Crossroads Beekeepers will take place on Monday, November 11th (Veteran's Day), in the basement of the U of I Extension Center, 1209 N. Wenthe, Effingham IL.  Please enter through the west doors and go downstairs.

Several activities will take place at the meeting including Officer Elections, Beekeeper of the Year Election, and a presentation by Michelle Barnick and Barb Brayfield on Making Products from the Hive, such as lip balm and soaps. 

As always, the general public is welcome to attend.

For more information on the Crossroads Beekeepers, please contact Larry Quicksall at 217-347-5937.

October 14th Meeting

The Crossroads Beekeepers will hold its next meeting on Monday, October 14, at 6:30pm in the basement of the University of Illinois Extension Center, 1209 N Wenthe, Effingham IL. Please enter through the west doors.

This month we will be addressing the topics of preparing your hives for winter and planting nectar producing flowers for spring.

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.

August 12th Meeting

The Crossroads Beekeepers will hold its next meeting on Monday, August 12th, at 6:30pm in the basement of the University of Illinois Extension Center, 1209 N Wenthe, Effingham IL. Please enter through the west doors.

This month will be an exciting time for members and guests as our club will be holding it's 3rd annual Honey Judging and Tasting Competition.  Club members entering the competition are asked to bring liquid honey in a clear glass or plastic 1 pound bottle with no labeling of any kind.  Cut comb honey should be brought in a clear presentation container.  Dan Wright, beekeeper and State Bee Inspector, will be our judge again this year.  In addition, Crossroads Beekeepers will be having a 3rd Birthday celebration and club members are asked to bring treats to share, especially those made with honey! 

As always, the general public is invited to attend.

Bee Swarms...Who ya gonna call???

Crossroads Beekeepers is your place for capturing bee swarms in south-central Illinois.  Many of our club members live in Effingham and the surrounding counties and are able to help out if you see a swarm hanging from your tree or mailbox or side of your car!  Below is a link to our list of beekeepers who catch swarms.    Who ya gonna call??? SwarmBusters! 

http://www.quicksall.net/swarmbusters.pdf

Next Meeting is May 13th

The Crossroads Beekeepers will hold their next monthly meeting on Monday, May 13th, 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.

Tim Lindley, owner of Big T's Honeybee Farm near Greenville, will be the evening's presenter speaking on the topic of "Biology of the Honeybee Colony" to help beekeepers better understand how the colony functions as a super-organism rather than as individual bees. As time permits, Tim will also address the topics or swarms and stings.

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.

Next Meeting is April 8th

Crossroads Beekeepers will hold its next meeting on Monday, April 8th, at 6:30pm in the basement of the University of Illinois Extention Center, 1209 N Wenthe, Effingham IL.  Please enter through the west doors.  John Michl, beekeeper from Newton, will be speaking on catching bee swarms.  John has been catching swarms since starting in beekeeping and will share what has worked best for him in expanding his apiary.

In addition, the Bylaws Committee will present their final draft of the new club bylaws for review and vote.  The Program Committee will also share their work this past month.  Finally, if you are a new beekeeper who needs to register your apiary with the State of Illinois, Eleanor Shumacher, bee inspector, will be able to do so at the meeting.

Dhom Named Beekeeper of the Year

At the January meeting of the Crossroads Beekeepers, Dave Dhom, was named Beekeeper of the Year for 2012 by the Board and Members of the Crossroads Beekeepers.

 

Congratulations Dave!!!

Nucs Available

The following club members have nucs for sale for May availability (weather permitting).  If you are interested in a nuc from their apiaries, please contact them.

Ryan Spencer 217-317-1342

Marlin Herschberger 217-543-2815

Lonnie Langley 618-292-1725

Larry Quicksall 217-347-5937

David and Lisa Dhom 618-562-8503

Bee School on WICS

WICS NewsChannel 20 in Springfield came to our bee school on February 9th and featured us on their 6pm and 10pm newscast.  Below is a link to the video report!

http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_9471.shtml

Bee School 2013

Below are a few photos from the 2013 Bee School.  We had a great turn out with 111 people in attendance.  Two all-day tracks were available: Beginning Beekeeping and Managing the Established Hive.  In addition, three demonstrations and two panel discussion were offered during the breaks.  Club members also created and manned educational displays of specific elements of beekeeping.  All in all, it was a great day for beekeeping!

Ken Kloepper on Queen Rearing



 

 

Danny Wright on Honey Production

 

 

Dawn Quicksall on Bee Gardens

 

 

Jason Weaver and Son selling their Hive Equipment

 

 

John Michl conducting a Swarm Trap demonstration.

 

 

Larry Quicksall talking on Bee Biology

 

 

Lisa Dhom on getting your first bees

 

 

Panel Discussion with Travis Dollarhide, Ken Kloepper, Danny Wright, and Lonnie Langley

 

 

Rita Rhodabarger on Bee-Friendly Gardens

 

 

Dave Dhom during his smoker demonstration

 

 

Terry Hopper being interviewed by NewsChannel 20 from Springfield

Here is the link to the new story: 

http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_9471.shtml

 

Kitchen Crew did a fantastic job!

 

 

Thanks to everyone
who helped make
this year's bee school
a great success!!!

No Club Meeting on February 11th

Crossroads Beekeepers WILL NOT have a club meeting on Monday, February 11th.

We all need a break after the bee school two days before!

The next Crossroads Beekeepers club meeting will be on Monday, March 11th.

Last Call for Bee School 2013!

If you haven't registered for Bee School 2013, we still have a few spaces available, but time is running short!!!  Handouts are being assembled and the final meal count will be turned in on Wednesday, so get your registrations in ASAP!  Follow this link to download the registration form:
http://www.quicksall.net/2013-CB-BeeSchool.pdf