General Membership Meeting Information

The PPBA meets from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm on the third Thursday of the months of January, April, July and October. We are looking for a permanent location for our meeting but in the meantime, please be aware that the meeting locations may change from meeting to meeting. Meetings are open to the public.

The first half hour (6:30-7:00) of the PPBA General Membership meetings is reserved for socializing and general questions. The formal portion of the meeting will start promptly at 7:00 pm and will include association business and the presentations for that meeting. There will be time for questions during or after the formal portion of the meeting, but those questions should be limited to the topics being discussed.

Thursday, January 16th, 6:30pm:  General Membership Meeting

The next PPBA General Membership Meeting will be Thursday, January 16th, at the Gold Hills Mesa Police Station, 955 West Moreno Ave, in Colorado Springs. It’s the first meeting of the year so please come prepared to pay 2025 dues.

The Guest Speaker will be Andrew Hoskins, one of our PPBA members. Andrew will be presenting the combination flow/Langstroth hive that he uses. We will also be voting on leadership and board positions at the January meeting. The CSBA membership vote has been postponed until the April meeting. 

 Executive Committee Elections

If you would like to make a nomination (self-nominations welcome) please come prepared to present your choice. If you are nominating someone else, please make sure they are willing to accept the position. Anyone nominated should be ready to speak about their experience in beekeeping and with the PPBA, and why they would do a good job. 

• President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association, and shall perform such duties as are necessary and incident to the proper administration of the affairs of the Association, except such duties as are specifically delegated herein to other officers.
• Vice President: The Vice President shall serve as an assistant to the President. In the absence of the President from any meeting of the Association, the Vice President shall preside over the meeting.
• Secretary: The Secretary shall keep all records of the business transacted by the Association, send notices of all meetings of the Association, arrange for publication of the Association Newsletter, maintain an up-to-date roster of the Association membership, and perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of the Secretary. The Secretary shall oversee the operation and maintenance of the Association’s website.
• Treasurer: The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the Association, accounting for the receiving and the disposition of such funds. The Treasurer shall perform all duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of the Treasurer.
• Board member-at-large: Three year position, attending board meetings and providing counsel and expertise. 
• We are also looking for a volunteer to coordinate speakers and programming for our general membership meetings.

 Proposed Logo Change

Time permitting, we will also be voting on a proposed change to the PPBA logo. Our current logo is on top, the new proposal is below. We also have the option to wait until the next meeting to allow time for additional logo submissions.

 First Quarter Hive Management

January. Resolve to improve record keeping. Develop a routine for entering data. Keep the record book and pencil handy. Find a book that fits in one of the pockets of your bee suit or make a pocket to fit your notebook. Number every hive (or bee yard) and have a page for each. Analyze the timing of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) management. Oxalic Acid Vaporization (OAV) is recommended as a winter varroa treatment method, as it does not penetrate cappings and is most effective during broodless periods. https://beegreatlocal.com/blogs/news/winter-mite-treatment

February. Check for feed, especially protein supplies. Buy or make patties. Put one in EVERY hive. If they eat it, they needed it and they’ll need more. If you feed protein you should probably feed carbohydrates (sugar). Try fondant this year. It’s easy, fast, and no labor. The Honey Bee Suite website is one of many resources for fondant recipes: https://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-make-fondant-from-table-sugar/

March. Keep the feed on, check brood. Check queens when checking brood. Order queens if needed. Find someone who raises queens from stock resistant to Varroa or start raising your own. It’ll take a few years so start now. When food is short adults start to sacrifice their own bodies. This shortchanges the colony later, when they need every forager at full strength. Check for room-at-the-top and reverse if necessary. Inventory equipment and order what you may need.

2025 Meeting and Event Dates

January 16th	General Membership Meeting
March 15th and 16th	Beekeepers School at Bear Creek Nature Center
April 17th	General Membership Meeting
April 26th	Tentative Package Install Bee Yard Visit
June 7th	Tentative Summer Bee Yard Visit – Volunteer Hive Needed
July 17th	General Membership Meeting
July 19th	Tentative Bee Yard Visit and Potluck Picnic
August 23rd	Honey Extraction Demo at Bear Creek Nature Center – Volunteer Frames Needed
September 6th	Tentative Fall Bee Yard Visit – Volunteer Hive Needed
October 16th	General Membership Meeting

Beekeeping School at Bear Creek Nature Center, March 15 & 16, 8:30-3:45

This two-day course covers all aspects of beekeeping in the Pikes Peak region. You will learn how to acquire bees and the necessary equipment to keep them. Bee biology and the skills to manage your bees through the four seasons, including disease management, will be covered. 

We will also demonstrate equipment assembly and honey extraction. All lectures are presented by local beekeepers with years of collective knowledge. Whether you are interested in keeping your own colonies, or simply wanting to know more about these fascinating and necessary creatures and their wonderful product – honey – this easy-to-follow course will open a new door into the natural world for you.

Sign up here: 

Direct questions to pikespeakbeekeepers@gmail.com or PPBA_BeeClass@Ott-US.com

BEES IN THE NEWS

Combining pest treatments may be key to helping honey bees survive the winter

This study reports that beekeepers who used multiple types of treatments had better colony survival than those who used a single type of treatment. The researchers also found no significant difference between “hard” and “soft” chemical treatments. Soft chemicals, naturally derived organic compounds, were as effective at improving winter survival. However, the down side of the hard chemicals is they have long term residues that promote varroa mite resistance to treatment. This confirms previous Penn State studies that organic beekeeping methods were just as effective as the hard chemical treatments.

HELP OUT PPBA – VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!

MENTORING! If you’ve been a beekeeper for a while and would like to be a mentor, contact PikesPeakBeekeepers@gmail.com  to update the roster and get hooked up with a beekeeper who may need some help!

PPBA Guest Speakers.  PPBA gets lots of requests for guest speakers at schools, service organizations and local expos or events.  Most speaker requests are just for a one-hour long presentation on beekeeping.  If you could speak about beekeeping to a school or group, please email PikesPeakBeekeepers@gmail.com