July 17th Workday Recap

It was already warm at 8am when we gathered amidst the chicory, queen anne's lace, and clover at the apiary for the morning's clean up.

Apiary Director Steve Repasky quickly laid out the plan of attack and everyone jumped into the work.

A team of lawnmowers made short work of the overgrown meadow area.

A second group carefully handpicked the weeds along the burgeoning fence row of sunflowers, black-eyed susans, and goldenrod.

No bees were harmed as we pulled up the thistle that they were enjoying.

While that was happening, two deliveries of gravel were delivered and spread from the street to the apiary entrances.

Many hands made quick work of the clean-up and we had time to plant some herbs along the apiary fence and some comfrey around the trees near the street.

All the new plants got a decent soak and the bee's water was refreshed. By 11 am, when it was really hot, we had accomplished all the day's goals.  Just in time for the afternoon open apiary, which was a grand success by all accounts!

Thanks to those who gave their time and energy:  Gary, Rob, Viv, Steve, Jess, Jason, Jamie, Joe, Jen, Jack,  Mike, and Lynnetta.

Change is in the air . . .

Burgh Bees is at a crossroads.

As an organization, we are both at the brink of an exciting new phase in our development . . .

. . . and we are also experiencing the growing pains that change and progress inevitably bring.

The direction of the organization – and its success as a viable nonprofit with a mission in the community and to its members – will be determined over the next few weeks by those individuals in the community and among the membership willing to participate in the process.

The timetable is tight and will require members to accept the challenge of an extremely crowded agenda on July 29th – discussion of the proposed bylaws, voting on the bylaws, sorting through the qualifications of all nominated candidates, and voting eight of those candidates into office.

But I feel confident that the membership will bring to next Thursday’s meeting a clear willingness to engage the myriad issues on the table. As Burgh Bees grows our pool of talented members grows accordingly, and I’ve met and worked with some extraordinary individuals from the second class of students, this year’s 2010 graduates. Yet the first Burgh Bees class of students and potential beekeepers, the class of 2009, was unlike any other that will follow, and not only because it was the first. Everyone – everyone – sensed both the clear-eyed commitment to a worthy cause and the generosity of spirit that permeated everything these community leaders offered. As the Burgh Bees leadership changes, and as the identity of the organization inevitably changes with it, I know that I am not alone in hoping that the new directors will chart a course that retains that generous spirit of community as part of the Burgh Bees mission.






As for the Burgh Bees Community Apiary Blog, there will be changes here as well.

When the Apiary Committee first began discussing our purpose and plans, documentation of this first year was an important topic of conversation. We talked over format and content and agreed that an interactive, fluid rather than static medium, would best serve our purposes. It was decided that a blog documenting the apiary’s first year of activity, with that record later collated into electronic “book” form, would be easiest for a corps of volunteers to manage. And I think that’s served us well these first 4 months. But just as Burgh Bees will evolve into a more structured and representative organization as it grows larger, so too will the Apiary Blog and the website become more “managed” as the official tools of communication for our organization. This is a good thing :-)

On July 6th I sent an email to our regular columnists, and to the Directors, suggesting that the blog editorship be rotated, among those interested, on a quarterly basis. I knew I would be redirecting my energies toward returning to work fulltime in the fall, but I also felt that we needed to return more closely to our original vision of a fluid, interactive forum for documenting apiary events. I asked that anyone interested in taking on the blog editorship for what remained of the next quarter, through the end of September, get in touch with Director Jennie Wood. This was before news of the developing restructuring. Now that we will be voting on a president over the next few weeks, and that new officer will appoint a webmaster to manage both the website and the blog, the length of tenure for anyone taking over is also fluid and interactive :-) But I am pleased to report that Jeff Irwin, our current Pollinator Periscope columnist, has agreed to do just that. Jeff will serve as blog editor until we have a new Burgh Bees president, and I hope he will not find the job too daunting – and will be considered for the office of webmaster when that becomes available.

In closing, I will repeat what I said to our blog columnists and our current Directors: “I’ve felt very fortunate to have taken part in launching the Burgh Bees Community Apiary Blog, and to have helped shape the structure and column formats for this first quarter (April-May-June). But I feel most fortunate to have worked with each of you as contributing columnists, and have been very proud to be associated with such excellent writing – and writers . . . Thanks for your insight, your dedication, and your absolutely first-rate columns – we’ve done good work together :-) Linda”

IMPORTANT MESSAGE to Burgh Bees Members

Since there appear to be some glitches in getting a recent email out to all those interested, we are reprinting the message and 2 attachments, in their entirety, below. Anyone interested in participating, regardless of how late you may have received notice, is strongly urged to speak up – and please plan to attend the upcoming meetings. Thanks!


Begin forwarded message:
From: "Joseph Zgurzynski"
Date: July 18, 2010 10:46:53 PM EDT
Subject: Burgh Bees Bylaws and Officers

Calling all Burgh Bees!
Burgh Bees is going to make the leap to become an organized beekeeping club on July 29th at 7:00 pm at the Allegheny County Extension Office in Homewood on the 3rd floor of 400 North Lexington Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208-2521 (check in at the security office).

Bylaws
The purpose of this meeting is to adopt bylaws and elect officers. Draft Bylaws are attached to this email. Please email any suggested changes to BurghBees@gmail.com for consideration as part of the adoption process.

Nomination Process
Until now Burgh Bees has been run by a core group of very passionate beekeepers acting as the directors of Burgh Bees. Now seems to be the right time to organize the membership. All of the current Directors are seeking new roles in the organization. We are accepting nominations for the following positions: the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, and four Directors. The webmaster will be appointed by the incoming president. Self nomination encouraged! Of the current directors the following are nominated for leadership positions in the new framework of the organization:

Treasurer - Michael Masiuk
Director, Three Year Term – Joe Zgurzynski
Director, Two Year Term – Steve Repasky

Clearly we need more nominations! Please email nominations to BurghBees@gmail.com. Candidates should provide a brief statement. A list of candidates, with a brief statement from each candidate, will be emailed to the membership on July 22nd. There will be an opportunity to meet the candidates at the regular beekeepers meet up on July 27th at 7:00 pm at the Carson City Saloon on the Southside at 1401 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA. Nominations will be accepted right up to the time of voting. Some potential candidates have expressed concern that they are not ‘experienced’ beekeepers. Beekeeping experience is not a requirement! The only requirements for a leadership position are a passion for beekeeping and a willingness to lead the membership.

Voting
In order to vote you must be a dues paying member of Burgh Bees. A membership form is attached to this email. Annual dues of $10 may be paid at the meeting or ahead of time by mail. In order to have a viable organization our goal is to have at least 100 dues paying members. Currently we are far short of that goal.
If you have any questions, please contact Joe Zgurzynski of Jennifer Wood of the bylaws and nominations committee by emailing: BurghBees@gmail.com

Burgh Bees is an all volunteer organization working in partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension “To educate beekeepers and promote beekeeping as a vital part of sustainable agriculture in Pittsburgh and its suburbs.”


ATTACHMENT 1

DRAFT BYLAWS OF BURGH BEES

These Draft Bylaws will be proposed to the membership, after proper notice, at a special meeting to be held on Thursday July 29th 2010 at 7:00 pm at the Allegheny County Extension Office in Homewood on the 3rd floor of 400 North Lexington Street Pittsburgh, PA 15208-2521 (check in at the security office). If these bylaws are adopted in whole or in part with changes as an amendment according to Article XI of this draft, the newly adopted bylaws will replace any preexisting organizational structuring of Burgh Bees. If bylaws are adopted officers will be elected immediately according to the procedures outlined in the newly adopted bylaws. No elections will be held at the November 2010 meeting except to fill vacancies.

ARTICLE I — NAME
The name of the organization shall be Burgh Bees. It shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE AND MISSION
Section 2.1
Burgh Bees is structured as a club exclusively for charitable, scientific and education purposes. The purpose of this corporation is to educate beekeepers and promote beekeeping as a vital part of sustainable agriculture in Pittsburgh and its suburbs. In particular, these activities include educating school children, beekeepers, and the public about honey bees; assisting beekeepers with setting up and managing their apiaries; and doing such fund-raising activities as necessary and proper to acquire the resources to accomplish the above activities.

Section 2.2
To further the above purposes, the Burgh Bees has adopted the following Mission Statement:
“To educate beekeepers and promote beekeeping as a vital part of sustainable agriculture in Pittsburgh and its suburbs.”

Section 2.3
Burgh Bees has established a partnership with the Penn State Cooperative Extension. In recognition of that partnership all official correspondence, documents, signage and the website
will have a statement such as “In Partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension” and or the Penn State Cooperative Extension logo whenever reasonably possible.

ARTICLE III: Membership List
Section 3.1
The Membership List is a list of the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of the current year’s paid members. Members give the Club permission to list their contact information on the Membership List at the time they pay their dues each year. The Membership List is a Valuable Asset of the Corporation and is to be protected.

Section 3.2
The Membership List will never be provided in any form to any outside group. This includes, but is not limited to, the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, Penn State, other bee clubs, bee suppliers, commercial bee magazines, or any other third party.

Section 3.3
The Membership Form enrolls members in the Club, facilitates the payment of dues, and tacitly grants permission to the Burgh Bees to include each person’s contact information in the Membership List.

Section 3.4
The President must approve all requests to contact the Membership List.

Section 3.5
All contacts with the Membership List will be made by the Secretary or other person acting with the approval of the President in the absence of the Secretary.

ARTICLE IV: WEBSITES
Section 4.1
The Website www.BurghBees.com is the Proprietary Intellectual Property of the Corporation and most pages of the Website will be protected by copyright where appropriate.

Section 4.2
The Websites are the primary point of communication of the Club with the broader community.

Section 4.5
All actions of the Webmaster in regard to the Websites must be approved by the President.

ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP
Section 5.1
Any person who is interested in honey bees or who is a beekeeper may join.

Section 5.2
Membership is on an annual basis, the year running from October first through September thirtieth of the following year.

Section 5.3
Dues shall be set by the Board of Directors and are payable on October first of every year. In order to vote on issues before the Club, members must have paid their dues for that year.

Section 5.4
No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of its nonprofit purposes.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS
Section 6.1
The Board of Directors shall establish the day and time of the regular meetings. Notice of the time, location, and program of each meeting shall be sent to all paid members by either email or United States Postal Service at least one week prior to the meeting.

Section 6.2
The Annual Meeting of the Club will be held at the regular November meeting. The purpose of this meeting is the election of Directors and Officers, and presentation of annual reports.

Section 6.3
Fifteen paid members of the Club will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 6.4
Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to resolve any parliamentary questions. The order of business for all meetings shall be the following:
a. Call to order
b. Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting
c. Reading of the Treasurer’s report
d. Recognition of new members and guests
e. Old business
f. New business
g. At the Annual Meeting, election of new Directors and Officers.
h. Adjournment

ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 7.1
Not more than one person from a family may be an Officer or Director at the same time.

Section 7.2
The Board of Directors shall consist of nine people: the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, and four Directors.
The Executive Officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Webmaster. The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer are elected by the members of the Club at the Annual Meeting in November. The Webmaster is appointed by the President.

Section 7.3
The President is elected for a two-year term. The Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer are elected for one year terms. The Webmaster serves at the pleasure of the President.
The terms of the Directors are as follows: One Director shall serve a three year term. One Director shall serve a two year term. Two Directors shall serve a one year term.

Section 7.4
The Officers and Directors are elected by the members of the Club at the Annual Meeting in November.
Any Officer or Director may resign by giving written notice to the President or the Secretary of the Club. Such resignation shall be effective at the time specified in the notice.
Any Officer or Director may be removed from the Board, with or without cause, by a vote of a majority of the Officers and Directors, or by a vote of a majority of the paid Members.
Whenever there is a vacancy on the Board, for whatever reason, the President will appoint a replacement. This person will serve until the next Annual Meeting and Election of Officers, at which time a permanent replacement will be elected by the members.

ARTICLE VIII: DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
Section 8.1
The Board of Directors shall direct the business and affairs of the Club, make all rules and regulations governing these activities, and plan the programs for the year.

Section 8.2
The Board of Directors shall meet four times a year in December, March, June, and September. The date and time of these meetings will be set by the Board. Special meetings of the Board may be held at the discretion of the Board.

Section 8.3
A majority of the Board of Directors (five) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board. Members of the Board of Directors may vote on issues before the Board in person, by telephone, or in writing by either email or the United States Postal Service.

Section 8.4
No Director, Officer, or member of the Club shall receive any salary or compensation for services rendered to the Club, unless approved by vote of a quorum of the members of the Board at a regular Board meeting.

ARTICLE IX: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 9.1
The President shall:
a. Preside over all meetings of the Club and of the Board of Directors.
b. Call special meetings when required.
c. Perform all acts and duties of an executive and presiding officer, including appointing committees.
d. Approve all broadcast emails prior to being sent to all the members by the Secretary.
e. Approve all additions to, changes in, and deletions from the Website proposed by the Webmaster.
f. Appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of two members.
g. Appoint an auditing committee consisting of three members, one of whom is a member of the Board of Directors, to audit the books kept by the Treasurer and report to the membership at the Annual Meeting.
h. Select an Historian to maintain records of Club activities.

Section 9.2
The Vice President shall:
a. Perform all the duties of the President when the President is absent.
b. Assist the Board in implementing programs.

Section 9.3
The Secretary shall:
a. Keep a complete written record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board of Directors.
b. In cooperation with the Treasurer, maintain a complete list of paid members, their names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.
c. All emails to the Roster shall be addressed to the Secretary with blind copies to the Roster.
d. Send the minutes of the regular monthly meetings to the members by either email or the United States Postal Service.
e. Send information to the members after approval from the President.
f. Write letters as requested by the President or Board of Directors.
g. Send all notices required by these Bylaws or requested by the President.
h. In cooperation with the Treasurer, notify members in September of the October 1 dues payment date.

Section 9.4
The Treasurer shall:
a. Assure that the Club is at all times in compliance with the IRS rules for a non-profit corporation, including, but not limited to, maintaining complete financial records and filing annual tax returns.
b. Execute the Corporation Filings with the State of Pennsylvania, as needed, and pay required fees.
c. Keep full and accurate account of all the financial transactions of the Club in books belonging to the Club, and deliver such books to a successor Treasurer.
d. Maintain savings and/or checking accounts in the name of Burgh Bees and receive and disburse funds in these accounts.
e. Sign as Treasurer all checks and other financial transactions of the club.
f. Pay all bills.
g. Keep a record of all property and equipment owned by the Club.
h. In cooperation with the Secretary, maintain a complete list of paid members, their names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.
i. In cooperation with the Secretary, notify members during the month of September of the October 1st dues payment date.

Section 9.5
The Webmaster shall:
a. Manage the Website www.BurghBees.com, as well as the club’s social networking accounts.
b. Consult with the President about the design and content of the websites. The President has final authority in all matters relating to the Website.

ARTICLE X: DISSOLUTION OF THE COPORATION
Section 10.1
Upon the dissolution of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS
Section 11.1
These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Club provided:
a. The proposed Amendment is provided by email to all paid members and in writing to the paid members at the regularly scheduled meeting prior to the meeting at which the proposed Amendment will be voted on.
b. Paid members receive ten days notice of the meeting at which the Amendment will be voted on, and that the proposed Amendment is included in the notice.
c. The proposed Amendment will pass with yes votes from three quarters of the paid members present.
Adopted:


ATTACHMENT 2

Burgh Bees Pollinator Membership
As a Pollinator You Will Receive:
- Monthly E-Bulletins with all the juicy bee news and local events - Free Admission to Burgh Bees' Open Apiaries - Discounted Admissions to other Burgh Bees events - Infinite Gratitude from the Burgh Bees Community
To become a Pollinator, send a $10 check made out to “Burgh Bees” with this form.
NAME _____________________________________________
ADDRESS __________________________________________
PHONE NUMBER ____________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS ____________________@____________________
PLEASE INDICATE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING THAT APPLY TO YOUR EXPERIENCE:
NEW BEEKEEPER _____ HOBBYIST _____ PROFESSIONAL BEEKEEPER ______
I PRESENTLY HAVE ____________ BEE HIVES
INTERESTED IN ATTENDING A BEGINNER WORKSHOP _______________
INTERESTED IN ATTENDING W. PA BEEKEEPING SEMINAR _____________
Membership in Burgh Bees is $10. Membership in PA State Beekeepers Association is $20. We encourage membership in both groups.
PLEASE PRINT OUT AND COMPLETE THIS APPLICATION AND MAIL ALONG WITH YOUR $5 CHECK
MADE PAYABLE TO: Burgh Bees
ADDRESSED TO: Burgh Bees C/O
Michael Masiuk
Penn State Cooperative Extension
400 North Lexington Street Pittsburgh, PA 15208-2521

Neighborhood Buzz . . . by Joan Guerin

City Bees on the Farm

A couple of years ago I found myself with an empty nest and a future full of postponed possibilities. My farmer wanna-bee genes were kicking in. I took an organic gardening class through Phipps Conservatory that happened to be taught by Barb Kline from Mildreds’ Daughters Urban Farm. On the last day of class, we students visited her farm – 5 agricultural acres in the middle of a Stanton Heights neighborhood of circa 1950 brick homes. We all checked out the fields, the crops, the bugs, and the soil. We heard the plans for a hoop house and next year’s crop rotation. Then Barb asked, “Who’d like to do a volunteer for the CSA next year?” “Ooo Ooo – me, me, me!!” I raised my hand and jumped up and down like a school kid. And that was that. By the next year, I was planting seedlings in the spring, harvesting in the fall and doing everything else there is to do in between. I was farming!

At the same time, I was enrolled in the first class of wanna-beekeepers through Burgh Bees. The more I learned, the deeper I wanted to get into it. The only thing to do was to keep some hives of my own. So, after a season of consideration, Barb and her partner Randa graciously agreed to let me bring hives to the farm. In April, Robert Steffes -- with the help of Steve Repasky -- delivered my first hive to the farm. It was a proud moment when Robert handed over the hive tool to me. I’ve been at it, happily, ever since. And so have the bees. At least I think they may have something to do with the blueberry bushes being so laden with fruit this year!

Since the bees have arrived at the farm, we’ve all been considerate about their plant preferences. We planted some borage outside of the hoop house to coax them inside to work on the tomatoes there. We planted hundreds of sunflowers along with rudbeckia, aster, sage, anise hyssop and more. The wooded hillside below the hive site is, of course, loaded with Japanese Knotweed and many native pollinator favorites.

As of last month, the bees have new neighbors: ten young chickens raised from peeps share the same fenced yard. I watched as one of them snatched a firefly in mid-air the first day she was out and wondered whether she’d try that with a bee. I figure the chicks and bees will work it out. And why not? They have the best of both worlds: a lush working farm in the middle of the fun and interesting city of Pittsburgh.

I’m thankful to share that space with them – at least for a few days out of the week.

Pollinator Periscope . . . by Jeff Irwin

July - A Bee’s World

The queen pokes her head into the cell, sizes up the situation, and determines the type of egg to lay. Smaller cells house fertilized eggs that will develop into female worker bees and slightly larger cells receive unfertilized eggs that will become male drones. It’s the first instance of how the bee’s environment impacts its life, even before it enters the world.

Once hatched, the worker bee spends the first couple of weeks of its life inside the fascinating architecture of the hive. The hexagonal comb pattern leaves no wasted gaps, and the cells are capable of storing everything needed by the colony, including developing brood, pollen, nectar, and honey. Depending on its age and current role, the interior worker bee tends to the contents of these cells.

Our hives at the apiary are based on the movable frame design pioneered by Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth. His discovery of “bee space”, the ideal gap between frames, ~ 3/8”, allowed for removal of frames without destroying comb. Bees control their colony’s environment quite precisely, and any bee space violations will be quickly remedied. Gaps smaller than 3/8” will be filled with propolis and larger gaps will be filled with honeycomb.

Honeybee colonies are not autotrophs and rely on the plant world outside of the hive for sustenance. In his blog, Kim Flottum recently estimated how much bees eat. As he put it, “the rule of thumb is that it takes an acre of flowers to feed a colony of bees. But that's a constant acre of bloom to feed a colony of bees, not just a field of dandelions blooming in May then gone and the bees have enough for the rest of the year. Nope, doesn't work that way.” It’s clear that the ½ acre garden around our apiary won’t be sufficient for the multiple hives on site even if we plant as densely as possible, up vertically, and with a well-timed succession of blooms. The bees will forage elsewhere, expanding their world in search of their continuous acre of flowers. Another general rule of thumb is that they’ll go anywhere from 1-2 miles to find them.

For most bees in a stationary hive, this foraging zone represents the limits of their world. But queens and drones may travel further to drone congregation areas. As the name implies, these are places the drones gather in hopes of mating with a virgin queen. They tend to stay established over multiple years—and many generations of drones—and it’s still unknown how queens find them. For additional reading, Bee Culture sums up the state of our understanding of drone congregation areas.

That’s the world as the bee might experience it. In an upcoming Pollinator Periscope we’ll look at the beekeeper’s world--the larger, more abstract areas that also impact the hive.
--
Recently blooming plants that are hopefully in your local bee colony’s foraging area: sunflowers, blazing star, bee balm, oregano, lemon balm, echinacea.