BCHPA Members – Get your copy with NO shipping charge.

Pick up your book locally through the following contacts:

Cranbrook – contact Lance Cuthill eastkootenay@bcbeekeepers.com

Kamloops – contact Ian Farber librarian@bcbeekeepers.com

Lower Mainland – contact Wayne Neidig president@bcbeekeepers.com

Local clubs can order in bulk to reduce shipping charges. Contact HistoryBook@bcbeekeepers.com

Early Bird Rate (February 1 – August 31, 2013)          $199.00 ea.
Regular Rate (September 1 – October 27)                   $225.00 ea.

You can also purchase individual tickets listed on the registration form. Go to

http://www.hiveandthrive.com

Just a quick up-date on what is happening with the possibility of opening the USA Border for the Importation of package bees. I understand from our Canadian Honey Council rep. Gerry McKee that the CHC Executive voted this last week in favor of keeping the border closed. I do wish to remind all this is a federal issue and With the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) updating the 2003 risk assessment I would assume we will not see any change this year due to timing.

I had the pleasure of attending a well packed meeting hall in Victoria at their last club meeting. That was truly organized. One of their members, Nairn Hollott, gave a great talk on what plants and shrubs are in bloom on the Island and specially the Victoria area. I have taken the liberty of asking Nairn to write up a review each month that would cover the Island and Lower Mainland and she has agreed to do so. Her report should be posted on the web very shortly. If others in the Province would be will to follow suit please contact me to make arrangements.

I don’t know if you have gone to the Kelowna AGM Committees web site lately at www.hiveandthrive You will find a complete list of all speakers that have been arranged for the upcoming AGM on Oct 25-27 along with their topics. The selected topics cover a large range of our industry with Information for not only the beginner but to the seasoned veterans as well. The trade show is also filling up quickly with exhibitors from as far away as Quebec and from other Prairie Provinces as well as local firms. The knowledge you will gain is almost priceless and talking with old friends and meeting new ones are in itself worth the price of the convention so take advantage of the early bird prices.

As a final note I have the unpleasant task of advising you that our First Vice President Eric Stromgren has resigned due to personal and work reasons. Butch Richardson our Second Vice President has also tendered his resignation due to Heath reasons. On behalf of the BCHPA I would like to extend our thanks to each of the above two gentleman for their contribution to our association during their term. The remainder of the Second Vice President’s term has been taken on by Kerry Clark and he is a welcome addition to our executive. We have approached several others to fulfill the First Vice President’s position and will advise you when it is filled.

Wayne Neidig June 2013

I would like to take the opportunity this month to inform you of a situation that the Executive has been dealing with these last few weeks.  About May 8th, we received a copy of a letter from our Provincial Apiculturist, Mr. Paul van Westendorp, written by Dr. Francis Lord, Director, Animal Import/Export Division, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer of Canada, to Dr. Jane Pritchard, Provincial Chief Veterinary Officer, Manager, Public Health Veterinarian.
It is my understanding that this same letter was to be circulated to all beekeepers with 20 or more colonies that are registered with the Ministry of Agriculture in British Columbia.
The basis of the letter from Dr. Lord was to advise Dr. Pritchard that, because of the large percentage of winterkill this year, there were a number of questions to open the border for emergency importation of packaged bees to replenish colonies from mainland USA.   In view of these requests, the Canadian Food Industry Association is currently reviewing their 2003 risk assessment.  Dr. Lord does say “A full evaluation of the disease risk associated with imports will be conducted before any changes can be made to the current import conditions for honeybee packages from the USA.”
Your Executive has responded to Dr. Pritchard advising her that, on numerous occasions since the  USA/Canada Border was closed in 1987, we have had motions to re-opening the border.  These motions have always been defeated by our membership and this is our official position.
We have also received a letter from the President of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association asking for our Association support in their quest to have the border re-opened to replace winter losses.  We have responded that our Association at this present time is not in favour of opening the border and, therefore, we can’t support their cause.

In closing, I will keep you informed of any new development regarding this situation.

Wayne

Visit the Canada Post site for more information on this product.

I have been receiving a lot of calls from members who want to move hives to locations where the property owner is requesting evidence of insurance. I contacted our insurance broker and this is the reply:

“Liability insurance is not restricted to your home or mailing address and hives can be moved anywhere at any time and liability will extend

Locations do not have to be specified.  The only time we hear of a specific location is when a producer has his hives on private property and the owner of that property wants to be added as an additional insured which we then endorse to the certificate – no charge.”

If you have paid for your 2013 insurance please contact the insurer directly to obtain an endorsement to the certificate for a new location. If you have not yet purchased your insurance please send your application to BCHPA and request the certificate with the details.

Randy Oliver has recently published an article that analyzes climate, forage and disease as factors in the decline of bees in the US. Click here to read the pfd.

Field Assessments for Choosing Breeding Colonies

April 27, 2013 – 11:00 to 3:00

BCBBA Workshop – 4 hours – $35 per participant – Maximum 16 participants / minimum of 6.  If more than 16 participants then we will consider adding a second day on April 28, 2013.

Field Day – Field Assessments for Choosing Breeders

This workshop is designed for intermediate level beekeepers and assumes that participants have experience with bees and are planning to breed their own stock. The workshop introduces the methods and techniques for assessing and comparing of colonies for choosing breeders. Liquid nitrogen freezing will be part of this workshop.

The workshop will begin with a demonstration of full assessments and then participants will have an opportunity to assess a colony with one or two partners.

Participants will need a CLEAN bee suit / protective gear and food (lunch).

Although Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) assessment will be discussed, this technique will not be done at this workshop due to time and resource restrictions. The workshop will focus on measurements that are more quickly done in the field without the moving of highly infested comb into clean hives.

Notes and forms provided.

Facilitator: Brenda Jager, B.C. Bee Breeders Association

Location:  Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm & Meadery

2595 Lefeuvre Road, Abbotsford, B.C.

V4X 1L5, 604-856-2125, www.bchoney.com

Registration Form

Workshop:   Field Assessments for Choosing Breeder Colonies

Date:   April 27, 2013

Time:  11:00 to 3:00

Name:____________________________________

Contact information:_________________________

Include phone and e-mail address, and full mailing address please

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Payment of $35.00  __________________________

Could provide a colony if required      Y      N

NOTE: Course payment required at the time of registration.  Credit card Payments can be done, however 2% fee will be added to cover the costs of the transaction.

Submit:  Registration Form & Payment to:

Workshop: Field Assessments for Choosing Breeding Colonies

c/o Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm & Meadery

2595 Lefeuvre Road

Abbotsford, B.C., V4X 1L5

Registration on or by April 20, 2013 required

Dear folks,

After two successful food safety workshops in Nanaimo and Kelowna, the organizing committee is planning a 3^rd workshop in Langley on March 7, 2013.  The theme of the workshop is Promoting a Culture of Food Safety in BC, and the target audience is anyone from farm to fork.  Please mark your calendar and plan on attending.  Please also circulate this opportunity to your colleagues.  See more details below.

Many thanks,

Tiffany Guan, M.Sc., P.Ag.

Food Safety and Quality Specialist

Food Protection Branch, BC Ministry of Agriculture

1767 Angus Campbell Road, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3

Tel: 604 556-3059  Fax: 604 556-3030

Vision:  An innovative, adaptive and globally competitive Agrifood sector valued by all British Columbians.
Mission:  Cultivate a competitive and socially responsible Agrifood sector.

Dear Members of the BC Food Safety Stakeholders Group, the BC Agri-Food Industry and Support Services:

Your BC Food Safety Stakeholders Group has decided to hold a third Regional Workshop. Previous workshops were held on November 29th in Nanaimo, BC and January 10th in Kelowna, BC.

The third workshop will be held in partnership with the BC Food Protection Association and will be held on March 7th, 2013 at the Newlands Golf & Country Club, 21025 – 48th Avenue, Langley, BC.  Some adjustment was made to the agenda for the third workshop due to speaker availability, but we hope all agree that the program includes a great line up of speakers and relevant food safety topics.

Should costs prevent you from attending the 9th Annual North American Summit on Food Safety in Toronto on the same date, then here is your affordable option close to home! An Event Brochure and Program are now available for download.  Please take the time to review this information and pass on to friends and colleagues interested in food safety.  Early Bird registration for this event will be offered at the more than reasonable fee of $59. The Early Bird rate will close on March 2nd at which time you will still be able to register at the still very reasonable cost of $79!

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. To register for this event please take advantage of the online registration link. We recommend registering early to avoid disappointment as it is anticipated that this event will sell out!

We will be providing space for a limited number of display tables for a fee of $150; this will NOT include the registration for any person(s) attending the display.  Each person attending the display will be required to pay the registration fee for individuals.  Prior to March 2^nd this will be $59 and after March 2^nd it will increase to $79.

If you are interested in this opportunity to feature your products and services in front of members of the BC food industry, please contact Peter Taylor at petertaylor58@gmail.com.  For those indicating interest, Peter will return you a PayPal invoice for the registration fee for your display table.  Those attending the display are required to register separately at:  http://promotefoodsafety2013.eventbrite.ca/#.

We welcome any contributions for door prizes, enclosures for attendee workshop packages or sponsorship of a portion of the day’s events.  If you are interested in any of these options to promote your organization to members of the BC food industry please let me know.

To learn more about the BC Food Safety Stakeholders Group (BCFSSG) please visit BC Food Safety Stakeholders Group (BCFSSG).

Thank you for your prompt attention.  Questions regarding this event may be directed as per the contact information on the Brochure and Program.

Please help make this event a success by forwarding  this message to your membership and any contacts who may be interested in Promoting a Culture of Food Safety in BC.

Lance Hill

On behalf of BCFSSG and BCFPA

Tel:  604-666-7534

Website: www.bcfpa.net

LinkedIn group:  http://www.linkedin.com/groups/BC-Food-Protection-Association-3008614?gid=3008614&trk=hb_side_g

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/BC-Food-Protection-Association-BCFPA/150100595058917

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BCFoodPA

Please consider subscribing to our: BCFPA Daily Digest[ion]

Growing Forward 2