Welcome to the Central Washington Beekeepers Association, a non-profit organization established to help educate the public about honey bees, as well as to provide an educational forum for both backyard and professional beekeepers. The CWBA meets the first Tuesday of each month from 6:00 to about 7:30 PM at the Yakima Arboretum, 1401 Arboretum Drive, Yakima. The public is welcome to join us for education and lively conversation on raising bees! Serving Yakima County, Washington, and surrounding areas, the CWBA is a member of the Washington State Beekeepers Association http://www.wasba.org
Why Bees?
Study after study has demonstrated the importance of honey bees–and other pollinators–to human existence. Pollinators are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Fruits, including bananas; vegetables, like potatoes, asparagus, and melons; and even coffee and chocolate rely on bees and other pollinators to spread pollen from blossom to blossom in order to turn those blossoms into food products. Bees also support the plants that help the world deal with carbon, provide nearly one half of the Earth’s oils, fibers and raw materials, and help sustain our ecosystems by helping plants reproduce.
Here in Yakima, a valley of agricultural gold, our bees and pollinators support countless apple, cherry, and pear trees. They pollinate thousands of acres of peaches, plums, nectarines, and other soft fruits, as well as the best blueberries one can find! Yakima wouldn’t be the place we know as home if it weren’t for the bees!
Curious? There are many ways to help the efforts of the CWBA and protect our Valley’s honey bees, even even if you don’t want to raise them! Join us for a meeting or two and learn what you can do!
Hello beekeepers and interested beekeepers,
If you ordered a nuc or more from Double R Honey, those nucs will be available around the middle of April. You will be contacted by Double R Honey concerning when and where you should pick up your nuc(s). Please bring cash for payment. If you have any questions please call Laura or Randon at 509 452 8267. This is a landline. You can leave a message if there is no answer. They are busily preparing the nucs now.
The website for the Central WA Beekeepers’ Association is Yakimabees.org.
If you look at your list of members, I made a mistake when listing Lee Crane’s phone number. It should be 360-507-6436. Please correct it on your list.
Member, Larry Symonds, 541-250-1893, would like some help in splitting his hives. He lives in the Yakima area. He will share the splits with individuals who help him.
Member, Jackie Panattoni, 509-961-9205, has lavender plants which can be dug up and taken. Please contact her for more information.
Swarm training will take place during our May 5th meeting. If you would like to be contacted to pick up a swarm from someone’s property when they call in to report a swarm, be certain to attend this training session in order to be called.
In June we will be making yellow jacket traps during our meeting.
There will not be a meeting in July. Instead we will have a family picnic on Saturday, July 11th. Details to follow.
Please see the attached minutes for more information.
Be sure to attend our monthly meetings to learn how to keep your bees buzzing!
