>Hello Bee folks!
>
>I was just nominated president of my county's Bee Guild last night.  The
>past year's  meetings have been pitiful.  Boreing, unimaginitive and
>stale.  I want to breed some new life into my bee club so I am turning
>to the Bee-L for ideas.
>
>I would like to know what interesting ideas, events, contests, games and
>projects people have enjoyed over the years at their bee meetings that I
>might use to help our club.  I feel the turn out will improve and people
>will actually enjoy attenting meetings if I can spice things up a
>little.
>
>If this is not an appropirate thread for the list, please mail me
>directly.  If you feel others may benefit from what you come up with,
>post to all.
>
>Thanks
>--
>Mason Harris, MA                             (\
>SMCOE Educational Audiologist    -{ ||| 8-
>[log in to unmask]       (/
 
Mason;
        Years ago there was a monthly meeting held for area beekeepers in
this area being the North East kingdom of Vermont. The gentleman retired
and everything stopped. I personally took the initiative to get it started
again and have had 3 maybe 4 meetings to date. Our last meeting for this
year was just held with a dwindling attendance.  I have been offering
information from this list to the members and have also offered to do
research for the members. One request was the international queen marking
system. The info was in hand within days.  We have elected officers now and
are planing a midwinter ( February ) pot luck supper with a local queen
raiser as guest speaker. This spring I am going to try to get a few of the
members to donate a nuc each and start a communal yard. In this yard I am
now thinking that it would be a great idea to try the Top Bar hive you read
about on the list along with the conventional langstroth hive and maybe
some others such as a skep.  We are planning to use the organization to
couple up with other nearby bee organizations to buy sugar and other
supplys wholesale.
        The organization is also going to offer information about bees to
the local newspaper for a filler as a public promotion and awarness
campaigne of apiculture. The organization will also work at marketing its
members products  at fairs and through the newspaper articles. The club
hopes to have a beenet by fair time and to open a few colonys for the
public to see. We are also thinking of caring and sponsoring an observatin
hive at the three area schools science class.
        Because of a wonderfull elderly gentleman in this neck of the woods
by the name of George Lund, I have been able to learn some of the skills of
beelining. This is the art of capturing wild bees in the field and later
feeding and releasing them to find their hive.  At present I have one wild
colony in the back yard in a 2'dia cedar by 8' ht. Cut, hauled, and
reerected from 10 miles away. Unfortunately the mite problem is devastating
the wild stock. At any rate we are going to have field trips of beelining
seminars open to the public on several weekends.
        Thats all that I can think of, we're only 4 months old. I could use
more ideas. I think to, that it is important that the members do the
planning of events and you as president pull it together or do the
deligating.
        George