We will be hosting BeeFest 2023 March 3,4,5 here at our farm. We are doing it earlier this year to try to get ahead of the swarms. All members are invited to come. We have room for tents Campers and RVs. There are hotels within 20 minutes of the farm in Macclenny Fl. The newest one is the Hampton Inn And Suites. Just opened last year.
If you are driving, please bring chairs and drinks as well as your bee suits and smokers for the smoker contest. If you are flying, I have 6 bee suits available and a couple of vails.
We provide the food, iced tea and lemonade.
Your children are welcome but you are responsible for keeping an eye on them.
Bring your fishing gear. We have a one acre stocked pond.
Our address is 23523 N County Road 125, Sanderson, FL 32087-3019. Apple Maps takes you right to our door.
If you are coming, please reply to this thread with how many people are in your party. This will give us an idea of how many are coming and how much food we need. Also let me know if you are bringing a tent, camper or RV. Hope to see you here.
Jim Altmiller
Jim Marley and I will be there all 3 days. Let me know if you need anything.
Bill
Okay, thanks Bill.
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on July 30, 2022, 09:32:23 AM
We are doing it earlier this year to try to get ahead of the swarms.
That will help.
Hey Jim, great to hear this! You can count me in and possibly Ashlynn as well.
Are you open to inviting Clay County again this year?
Is there anything else I can bring to enhance the experience this year?
I'll be there.
Guitarstitch,
Yes, Clay County is invited. Will you please let them know at the next meeting. I prefer that if they are coming that they log into BeeMaster and leave a post here with how many are coming and what days. That helps us determine how much food we need.
Since you are local and driving, bring chairs, drinks and your bee suits.
Jim Altmiller
Certainly. Thanks, Jim!
-Matt
Hi Jim,
This looks like a lot of fun. At this point My husband and I plan to be there.
With your permission, I?ll share the info with our members at our next meeting.
(Nassau County Beekeepers Association)
Is it ok to arrive on the 2nd? I?m happy to help with set up.
Thank you,
Tina O?Brien
Sure we can use the help. Are you going to camp out here. If so, what are you camping in?
Jim Altmiller
If my husband comes, we will be in our camper. If I come alone, I?ll be in a tent. I?ll give you a definite answer when we get closer to the event.
Quote from: TinaOB60 on December 04, 2022, 12:16:15 PM
If my husband comes, we will be in our camper. If I come alone, I?ll be in a tent.
Why wouldn't your husband just drive the camper for you and drop it off so you don't have to stay in a tent?
I?m sure he would if I asked him but I hate to do that if he?s working.
I?m actually quite comfortable in my tent and it?s much easier than bringing the camper.
Ok, I?ll put you down for the tent area.
Jim Altmiller
Sharon D from Nassau:
Count me in. Make sure that wife does not have an event like last year bringing out snacks. btw, I have a lot of pics from the afternoon hive inspection, and maybe even the Richard getting stung because he took the bee veil off. If you would like, let me know.
Sharon,
Glad you are coming.
Please post the pictures in the BeeFest 2021 thread.
Hopefully that won?t happen again. Judy is still in pain and going to the doctor on a continual basis trying to get permanent relief.
Jim Altmiller
I'll bee there, maybe with a friend, maybe with some number of kids. We'll camp if you don't mind.
Also with Bill, please let me know if I can bring something. I have a good handful of Chinese grafting tools in the drawer for example.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Sounds good Matt. Definitely bring the grafting tools. I?m have the same campsite area ready.
Jim Altmiller
Coming soon BeeFest 2023. March 3,4,5. For more information, see reply number one this thread. All members invited.
Please let me know if you are coming and how many in your party. If you are driving, please bring drinks, chairs and your 🐝 suit.
Jim Altmiller
Made reservations. Be there Friday afternoon. Looking forward to seeing fellow beekeepers. Always a good time.
Here is the schedule for BeeFest 2023.
When you arrive please sign in, forms provided.
We will have areas set for tents, areas for small campers and areas for RVs.
BeeFest 2023
Friday March 3
9:00 Welcome, Coffee and introductions
10:00 Dave Westervelt; Honeybee Biology
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Michael Bush; Natural Cell and Varroa
2:00 Hive Inspections, Separate Altmiller Split Hives
4:00 Bill Murray; Making Queens Using Double Screen Boards
6:00: Dinner
7:00 Evening Bonfire
______________________
Saturday March 4
8:00 Breakfast
10:00 Dave Westervelt; Flowers Beneficial to Bees
12:00 Lunch
1:00 John Boeckstiegel; Oxalic Acid Treatment
2:00 Marlie; Candle Making
3:00 Michael Bush; Huber?s Observation on Bees
5:00 Mead Tasting, bring your mead.
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Evening Bonfire
__________________
Sunday March 5
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 TBD
10:00 TBD
1:00 Lunch and Goodbyes
Reminder, BeeFest is this coming weekend, Friday,Saturday,Sunday.
If you?re driving, please bring chairs and drinks for your family.
Jim Altmiller
Looking forward to it! I got your awesome snail mail reminder as well. :D
Would a small amplified speaker and microphone be of any benefit?
Matt,
Yes, it probably would help.
See you here.
Jim Altmiller
Getting on the plane this afternoon. See you all soon.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QqBnV2NTMysguSu76
Bee fest photos!
Here are some more photos from today?s BeeFest
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It was a great weekend.
Thank you to Jim & Judy for hosting this great event.
Education is a wonderful thing and I feel I learned a lot.
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on March 05, 2023, 09:51:24 AM
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Looks like y'all are having a nice time! Is that Michael with the guitar? Its hard to tell for sure with the smoke of the fire, which is a nice fire by the way! Glad to see and hear of another successful Beefest!
Phillip
Yes it is.
Looks like it was nice to be outside day and night.
Cheers
gww
I want to say thank you to Jim and Judy for their hospitality, and to everyone that showed up for Beefest. The comradery shared, the informative talks and lectures, the sharing of different ideas and and approaches on how to accomplish final goals you want to meet, Along with the time and environment to discuss it all makes this a quality event. So again a huge thank you to Jim,Judy, and to friends old and new that showed up.
Thanks Beemaste2 and guitarstitch for the pictures!
Phillip
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Guitarstitch, Bill Murray and Acebird discussing 16? deep hive frames.
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Kids holding court, about a boy and a girl holding hands.
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Hive inspection and separating Altmiller split hives.
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Taffy oaks doing a candle making class on how to make candles for honey shows.
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Phoebe and friend playing with baby chicks.
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Michael Bush discussing Huber?s Observation on Bees
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You had a good line up of events with a nice looking group of folks of all ages! Congratulations to you Jim, Judy and everyone who helped in the effort for your success!
Phillip
stich, jim thanks for the pics
Looks like it was another fun and successful BeeFest! :happy:
Just boxed my first swarm of the year. We did splits on all of the hives except the observation hive. It is now less than half strength.
Judy put a Nuc on a ladder next to it with lemon grass oil but they would not move in. I put a sheet down and put the Nuc on it and shook them down. Some went in but most went back in the tree.
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I did this over and over and most of the bees went back in the tree.
Continued
Ronnie did a presentation on 16? deep frames and gave me the box and frames.
I was planning on putting the swarm in this box so i decided to go get and see if they would like it. I put wood strips in the top slots with fresh wax on the strips. When I came back to the swarm the bees had all exited the box and were back on the tree. I put the 16? hive under the tree and shook them. Most of the bees that didn?t land on the top of the frames went back into the tree. The ones on the crawls top were very interested and went in. I shook them several times and more and more went in. Once they started fanning their nasenoff glands and calling the other bees I started shaking the tree with the rope and kept shaking it to keep them from landing when I stopped, they were all going down to the hive.
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They seem to really like the big hive box.
I?ll let you know if they stay without caging the queen nor giving them brood.
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: Ben Framed on March 05, 2023, 10:47:49 AM
Looks like y'all are having a nice time! Is that Michael with the guitar? Its hard to tell for sure with the smoke of the fire, which is a nice fire by the way! Glad to see and hear of another successful Beefest!
Phillip
Maybe you and Kathy will make one. Put it on your bucket list.
Beefest was great as always. Even if we just got together and talked it would be great, but the presenters were also great. Marley showed us how to make candles, Bill showed us how to make queens simply without grafting, which was a variation on Jim showing us how to make splits. And a lot more.. I clipped a few drones and gave them to the kids and one little girl still had it a couple of hours later (see picture above). The kids had a great time riding horses, paddling in the pond, doing the zip line, playing with the chicks, chasing the turkeys. The food was great. Well worth the trip. I would love to see a lot more of you who I've never met yet.
Quote from: Michael Bush on March 07, 2023, 01:25:37 PM
I would love to see a lot more of you who I've never met yet.
It really makes a difference seeing your on line buddies in person. I truly missed Wally but I know the trip is too hard for him.
Jim
You reminded me it is getting time to get some lemon grass oil into all my traps. Knock on wood on the shaken swarms, so far I have not had one leave once they started flying down to the hive body usually after I have dumped a few in it normally using a five gal bucket. Nice pictures.
Cheers
gww
QuoteI would love to see a lot more of you who I've never met yet.
I agree
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Here's Marley on the zip line.
Good picture Michael. That looks fun! Did any of you adults take a spin at it? :grin:
>Did any of you adults take a spin at it?
I think there were some. I didn't.
I?ve taken a lot of rides on it. 😊
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on March 09, 2023, 01:58:50 PM
I?ve taken a lot of rides on it. 😊
Jim Altmiller
:Thumbs Up:
I sure hate that I missed this :( hopefully next time!
Welcome to Beemaster Twylavarn!
Phillip
Twylavarn,
Welcome to Beemaster. We do have a Baker Bees meeting tonight. It is held the 4 Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM at the Firehouse Subs in Macclenny.
Jim Altmiller
Very Nice John
Now I need to go buy a couple of lottery tickets and win Id love to fill a few more tanks here with some of these
-al
Quote from: Ben Framed on March 08, 2023, 06:29:04 PM
Good picture Michael. That looks fun! Did any of you adults take a spin at it? :grin:
Didn't know it was for the adults. Besides the wife puts that in the "motor cycle" category at my age.
Quote from: Acebird on March 24, 2023, 09:38:13 AM
Quote from: Ben Framed on March 08, 2023, 06:29:04 PM
Good picture Michael. That looks fun! Did any of you adults take a spin at it? :grin:
Didn't know it was for the adults. Besides the wife puts that in the "motor cycle" category at my age.
:wink: I hear you!!
Wish I could have been there, but between family stuff and the weather was not going to make it. Snow on the ground right now :grin:
Looks like good times!!!
Kathy,
I really hope that one of these days you will bee able to make it to BeeFest.
Maybe next year.
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: Kathyp on March 24, 2023, 07:47:09 PM
Snow on the ground right now :grin:
Best time to leave
QuoteBest time to leave
Tempting, but the critters would disagree :grin:
Its three days or less not three weeks. How about help from your offspring for all you did for them? Just a thought.