Member Spotlight – Nathan Allan

Nathan Allan

Nathan Alan

OBA President

OBA Member – 10 years 

Q: How long have you been a Beekeeper?

A:  I’ve been a member for about 10 years. I became a member right after I took a Beekeeping Apprenticeship Course. I remember I got bees the very first year I was a member.

Q: Describe why you became a Beekeeper and your overall beekeeping strategy.

A: I wanted a hobby that I could do with my kids at the Inn. I thought beekeeping was interesting, fun, and maybe I could make a little money. I liked the idea of having another feather in a cap. At the time I became a beekeeper my oldest child was six and youngest was two. My oldest child Lauren took the apprenticeship class with me. The course was a little advanced for her and that made me think that maybe there could be a Beekeepers course developed for kids. She liked the snacks and learned a lot.

Q: What do you love most about bees & beekeeping?

A: I love the club and the social aspect of beekeeping. I’m not the best beekeeper but I love the club and I’m putting all my efforts there for now.

Q: What kind of hives do you use and how many do you keep?

A: I keep Langstroth eight frame hives and run two brood boxes and supers or mediums. However,  after taking class from Gail I will probably transition and just do all mediums. I have three active hives. I like to always have at least two. I’ve had as many as six. I have some good success with overwintering.

Q: What is your biggest beekeeping challenge you have overcome and how did you overcome it?

A: Time is my biggest challenge and I haven’t yet overcome it. I have so many ideas and not enough time to implement them all.

Q: What are your biggest beekeeping accomplishments or successes?

A: I had a nuc in my second year of beekeeping that kept growing, and growing. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I just kept adding boxes. I had four, five, six honey supers on top. There was about 150 pounds of honey or some ridiculous amount from that hive. I had to use a ladder to get them off – and they were so bloody heavy. It made me feel accomplished.

I also felt accomplished when I successfully overwintered my hives. There are so many factors to consider in overwintering here in the Pacific Northwest. For example, wasps and yellow jackets are big threats that we should talk about more.

Q: Describe your role with OBA and how members can connect with you to learn more.

A: Currently, I’m the President of OBA and it is a little like herding cats. I feel like OBA is in a good place. It is a volunteer organization and requires volunteering to make it all work. Members can always call me or email me. 

Q: How have you benefited from being a member of OBA?

A: The biggest benefit for me has been the learning from the knowledge that the other members have. There are incredibly good speakers that OBA brings to the club meetings. I love to hear about what others are doing with bees and I definitely love the social networking that OBA offers.

Q: What do you like most about being a member of OBA?

A: I love the social aspect. There are all different sorts of people and so much diversity in Thurston County. I meet so many new people with all kinds of knowledge and experience to share.

Q: What tips or advice do you have for new beekeepers?

A: OBA has mentors – work with them. Remember that mentors are volunteers. If you are interested in mentoring or being mentored, connect with the OBA Mentorship Representative.

I recommend educating yourself before you get bees. Take a beekeeping class from OBA. You’ll have more success overwintering and keeping bees if you take a class and work with others. 

If you have time and want to help, consider mentoring others, attending a meeting to share knowledge, staffing an event where OBA is conducting outreach to the public or reaching out to members to see if anyone needs a hand.

2023 Thurston County Fair – Volunteers for Bee Booth

  • Sign up and volunteer!
  • You do not need to be an expert beekeeper. You are welcome to bring your kids to help too.
  • Volunteers get admission covered by the Association.
  • July 26-30
  • Shifts vary from day to day but are typically 3 to 4 hours long. Specific shifts are noted on the sign up form.
  • To see current sign ups please open this spreadsheet. You will be able to see the places we do not have volunteers.

Association meeting minutes – June 12, 2023

33 people in attendance; 30 in person, 3 online

Officer reports

  • Vice President
    • Bulk jar order is in!
    • The association received a honey donation for selling at the Steamboat Island Market 2 weeks ago and we sold out!
  • Treasurer
    • Checking $4,897.24
    • Savings $4,581.46

Upcoming events

  • June 24th is the next Steamboat Island Market – the association will sell your honey for you!
  • Thurston County Fair last week of July
    • Honey judging on the 24th
    • Need volunteers to manage the bee booth – includes admission to the fair, 3 shifts; morning, mid-day, evening

Presentation from Dewey Caron on Reducing Losses: PNW Survey on Overwinter.

Member Spotlight – David Bruun

OBA Treasurer. Other positions previously held include: Acting President, Vice President & Speakers Coordinator

OBA Member – 18 years (Since 2005!)

Fun fact –  Bees have the ability to distinguish numbers. Check out this Science News article “Honeybees order numbers from left to right…” from October, 2022. The article informs readers about a study related to trained honeybees recognizing and preferring smaller versus larger number options. I think the article may highlight pretty good neurological activity for a brain the size of a sesame seed!  

Q: How long have you been a Beekeeper?

A:  About 20 years. I felt like a real Beekeeper after I successfully overwintered a colony which occurred with a lot of effort, time, and luck.

Q: Describe why you became a Beekeeper and your overall beekeeping strategy.

A: I gained interest in beekeeping when my wife and I bought land and explored being off the grid as much as possible. I thought beekeeping would supplement whatever else we could grow and provide a source of sugars for beer, canning and wine.

My general beekeeping strategy is to disturb the colony as little as possible. I spend time watching the bees come in and out of the hive, and I check the slider every 2-3 days to see what debris there is. When I find an issue, like the first mite drop – then I attack the problem on a heavy basis.

Q: What do you love most about bees & beekeeping?

A: Not getting stung! And it’s a way to look and see how nature operates. Beekeeping is a hobby that I enjoy sharing with my older son.

Q: What kind of hives do you use and how many do you keep?

A: Standard Langstroth,10 frame, mostly westerns and shallows, not very many deeps. I  converted most of the deeps to storage boxes because it is easier to deal with the shallows. Three shallows of brood is the same as two deeps and then my hives are more interchangeable. This allows more flexibility. I’m a backyarder and keep 1-2 hives. In 2021, I had two hives that went down and I harvested 40 pounds of honey, enough to make 2-3 batches of mead.

Q: What is your biggest beekeeping challenge you have overcome and how did you overcome it?

A: Those pesky Varroa mites. I try to overcome it by being very aggressive when I see them. I use OA – and usually more than what is recommended. 

Q: What are your biggest beekeeping accomplishments or successes?

A: Getting the one colony through the winter. Yahoo! Then, I got an accidental split off of that hive. That was a fun day! 

Q: Describe your role with OBA and how members can connect with you to learn more.

A: Currently, I’m the Treasurer and do the treasurer things. I started out with OBA coordinating speakers for presentations of the meetings. Then I had a hand in the rewriting of bylaws which was such a good experience. I try to contribute where I can. I’ve been Vice President and acting President in the past. Members can connect with me at treasurer@olympiabeekeepers.org.

After enduring the pandemic, I believe the club is making great strides to fulfill its mission. We are embracing and relying more on technology and working to engage with and build back our  membership.

Q: How have you benefited from being a member of OBA?

A: The knowledge, understanding and shared experience that you get from others is the primary benefit for me.

Q: What do you like most about being a member of OBA?

A: I like the education and the  social end of things. I like to get together with other people that are interested in what I am interested in and I like that it generates a sense of community.

Q: What tips or advice do you have for new beekeepers?

A: Use screened bottom boards. They are a great analytic tool to use without having to open the hive and disturb the bees. Learn to interpret the debris and you can see what is going on in the hive. I also painted my bottom boards green which seems to keep bees at the entrance instead of trying to get under it. Most of all, keep at it! Don’t get discouraged when you have a dead hive.

Association meeting minutes – May 8, 2023

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.