29 people in attendance; 24 in person, 5 online

• Introductions from new members

Officer reports

• Treasurer – Savings $4,581.07, Checking $3,692.83 – about 2 years’ worth of expenses.
  • Club is buying honey to resell at the Steamboat Island Farmers’ Market
• Mentorship – mentor program need mentors!
• Library – if you’d like to learn something specific, talk with Lynn and she’ll help you! Lots of DVDs in there now, too.
• Education –
  • Apprenticeship class just finished up. Setting up another, date TBD for Sunday afternoon for 6 weeks, 2 hours each day, will include a visit to Dixon’s Bee Yard to go through bees, class costs $50 and must be a club member ($25 annually), join the waiting list on the website
  • Swarms – Not very many people yet have indicated that they are interested in catching swarms. If you are, indicate that you want to catch swarms on your membership profile online.
• Vice President
  • We are doing a bulk jar order – order form on the website
  • Went to a meeting at the Armory – potential future meeting location
• Outreach – we received some money as part of the Inspire Olympia Education and Arts programs for outreach that we’ll be figuring out what to do with next year

Presentation from Dave Muehleisen on Varroa Mites.

29 people in attendance; 26 in person, 3 online

• Introductions from new members

Officer reports

• Treasurer – savings has $4,580.69, savings has $3,498.59 – still in good shape
• Mentorship – go to our website and fill out the online mentorship form to either be a mentor or a mentee – potentially confusion between the membership form mentor question and the form – there is an option on the mentee form to observe (you don’t have to have your own bees yet)
• Library – Lynn pulled a few seasonally appropriate books from the library for folks to look through and check out – we ask that you try not to keep books checked out for more than a couple months
• Secretary – we have submitted applications to the WASBA and WMB

Special guest: Jim Jones – presenting on Mayan beekeeping practices

Attendees: Nathan and David in person; Catie, Lynn, and Camy on Zoom

Minutes & goals

• Minutes from last meeting approved by Nathan and Catie
• Goals from last meeting reviewed by Camy
• Lynn moves that we approve the minutes and goals from last meeting, all agree

Bee Faire evaluation

• Roy emailed vendors and asked them what they thought, no responses yet
• Harold mentioned that he didn’t get a lot of business out of it, wants to come to meetings more often
• Other vendors seemed happy
• We’d love Roy to be a member of the board

Membership update

• End 2022 126 members, 5 lifetime members
• Currently 87 paid for 2023, increase of 3 since March 13th
• Let Catie know if there is better or more info she can provide in her membership update
• New and renewing members need to use the website to sign up and pay for membership. It’s the easiest way for everyone! Payments by check are very unclear without an associated member login record. Payment by check MUST include name, address, phone, and email so that a member login can be created to account for the payment. If a member pays by check at a meeting, help them to use the computer at the meeting to sign up online at the meeting.
  • Nathan has double checked that you CAN pay by check on the website. It’s the honor system that you will send the check in.
  • David has heard that there is no email confirmation for some. Nathan will look into it to make sure it’s sending to everyone.
  • Catie will look into opportunity when a new member joins or renews online to send a welcome letter reiterating membership benefits.
• Catie would like to start a member highlight article for the beeline – who they are, how many hives they have, what they joined for, what they like about beekeeping
  • Interest? Yes
  • Who wants to volunteer to go first? Lynn suggests a standard set of questions sent to all Board members – Catie will do it
  • Maybe also gather pictures
  • Nathan suggests setting up a Google form to collect the data – Catie & Camy will create the form
  • Suggest Ryan to go first as the mentorship chair
  • Suggest lifetime members go first as well
• Catie would like to propose updates to members area of the website – did a comparative review of beekeeping clubs in WA and what they have on their websites for members. Bring our website up to speed.
  • Catie will provide a current state/future state
  • Nathan suggests website subcommittee get together – Nathan, Catie, Camy – to discuss and make changes live
  • Catie – send times you would be available to meet to Nathan and Camy

Outreach

• Ocean Shores library – beekeeping 101 class needs an instructor – must find someone in the next month
  • Paul add to Beeline?
• Yelm Pollinator Fair – want OBA to set up a booth to talk about beekeeping, no set date yet, we think it’s a good idea but need volunteers to do it
• Idea from Lynn – Need a standard presentation of beekeeping 101 so that anyone could take it and go out and give it
  • WSBA has something that they can provide to us
  • Nathan will look into it more
  • Suggest putting it on the website

Purchasing honey

• Purchased 50 lbs
• Put something out on OBA members Facebook, if we do an order of bottles for the club, would there be members who want to participate in that order to get a better price
  • Nathan has done the research and the best place to get jars is web restaurant store
• Recommendation to add a note in the Beeline to gauge interest (Paul), set a date deadline and a minimum for go-no/go (Nathan)
• Nathan will place an order at least to cover honey sales; markets and the fair

Paul was planning on getting the next Beeline out today

Club membership in state organizations

• WSBA – join as a club, mentioned to members at last meeting and there was interest – need to formalize that – $1 per member at the end of the prior year (end 2022, had 131 members)
• WSMB – as well? Don’t want to show any favorites. Funds available for clubs from both organizations – we could become club of the year, they are also looking into insurance to be able to cover clubs
  • Find out the cost – Only $5?!
• David motions to join both organizations, Camy seconds
• Camy – complete both registrations and work with David to pay the fee
• Nathan – Promote membership on the website

Equipment

• Nathan bought a new uncapping tray, a cutter for foundation-less frames, bottom boards (sold some already)
• Attended the last apprenticeship class – said we have enough equipment to set up three hives, no one has jumped on it yet – not worthwhile keeping
• Nathan’s daughter is thinking of doing the Freedom Farmers, Yelm Hwy and Blvd, program there next year, thinking about adding bees in – something the club could actively get involved with, helping local youth, would be good PR for the club.
• Lynn thinks it should be brought up at a meeting, Nathan will pursue it and come to next meeting with more info

Library

• Nathan got a new library bookcase with more room, needs help organizing it better

Meeting topics/speakers through June

• David added speaker for June
• Nathan will confirm April speaker

Quarterly board meeting tentative schedule – first Saturday of each quarter. For 2023; April 1, July 1, October 7

47 people in attendance – 45 in person, 2 online

• Introductions from new members

Officer reports

• Vice President’s update (Nathan)
  • Club needs to decide if we want to be members of WSBA – motion to join and seconded (potential to win money for large and small club of the year, beekeeper of the year)
  • Reminder that we have extra equipment available for sale, including frames with drawn comb
  • Rhonda at Ocean Shores Public Library is looking for someone to give a talk – if you are interested talk to Nathan
  • Yelm is putting on a Pollinator Palooza in May and looking for speakers – talk to Nathan
• Treasurer’s update (David) – In good financial shape – Checking $4,404.11, Savings $4,580.3
  • If you want to sell honey or volunteer at the Steamboat Island Farmer’s Market, let David or Nathan know – runs every other weekend through August
• Membership update (Catie)
• Education update (Gail) – Awarded 6 new certificates to apprenticeship beekeeper class graduates
  • Planning an in-person apprenticeship class at Swantown starting sometime end of April, it will run for 6 weeks of 2-hour classes
  • Swarm list – If you want to be on the swarm list, make sure you indicate that in your membership profile online, including when you will be available to get swarms and how far you are willing to go and how high up you are willing to go – when a call comes in, Gail looks for the person who is closest to the swarm
• Librarian’s update (Lynn) – located at Swantown Inn and open same hours as the coffee window on the weekends, can also email Lynn to check out a book
• Mentorship update (Bryan) – Need more qualified mentors – sign up on the website to be a mentor or request a mentor or both. You don’t have to have a ton of experience to be a valued mentor to our new beekeepers.

Update from Jeff Ott – Beekeeping Today Podcast

• Peter Nelson of the film called “The Pollinators” (available for download on Apple) – shared a DVD with the club that Jeff will add to the library
• Free podcast mug given away!

Reminder! Everyone please register your hives with the state! You will only be protected as a beekeeper if your hives are registered. Also if you live in the city of Olympia, this registration is required to have bees in city limits. Registration is due by April 1 each year.

Introductions from vendors and start Bee Faire!

28 people in attendance – 22 in person, 6 on Zoom

• Introductions from new members

Officer reports

• Treasurer (David) – In good shape; savings has $4,579.95, checking has $4,407.17
• Mentors (Bryan) – So far, 9 mentees that have filled out papers and asked for a mentor – need more mentors! 45 people want mentors but haven’t filled out the paperwork, 12 are willing to mentor but haven’t filled out the paperwork; Bryan has come up with a way to streamline the paperwork online via fillable form – look for updates coming soon
• Library (Lynn) – Library has moved to Swantown Inn and has many new books! Let Lynn or Nathan know if you want to check something out. Coffee window open Fri-Sun 8am-12pm if you want to come and read without checking out.
• Membership (Catie)
  • 5 Lifetime members
  • 72 paid members through 12/31/2023. This is an increase of 29 paid members from last month. Of the 72 paid members:
    • 20 are new members (If the date joined field reflects the correct date the person joined)
    • 9  are renewing members 
  • 85 members are currently listed as expired as of 12/31/2022 or 01/01/2023
    • A decrease of 9 from last month.
  • New membership representative – I want to make sure I’m providing value added information in my report to the members. If there is additional membership related information would you like to know or would be helpful – let me know.
• Education (Gail) – Just started a new apprenticeship class last week with 20 students (full class) – filled up in 2 weeks
• Vice President (Nathan) – next month’s meeting will be a Bee Faire with vendors here to network with and place bee orders.

Special Guest: Debra Langley-Boyer – Hive Choices: Which hive is best for you?