Tualatin Valley Beekeepers
TVBA is a non-profit organization that provides community, advocacy, and education for those interested in raising honey bees and supporting their presence in the environment. |
Getting InvolvedMeetings TVBA members meet monthly on the last Tuesday of the month at 6:00PM (social and question time until 7:00pm), when a special educational presentation begins. (In July we have picnic and hands-on Bee Day instead of the usual meeting. ) **No meeting in December. Meetings held at Jessie Mays Community Center in North Plains. Membership Annual membership in TVBA costs $20 per household and goes from January 1 through December 31. Benefits include our monthly newsletter, access to meetings and to the Honey House, our fully-equipped honey extraction facility. Honey Houseo The TVBA Honey House is a fabulous community asset we maintain. Extraction equipment is available to all members, normally from mid-July through Labor Day. We have manual extractors available to check out for short-term use year-round as well. | Upcoming events
| MEMBER MEETINGSMay Please join us online in June for our online virtual membership meeting at 6pm on Tuesday, June 29. We'll have an expert presentation on Landing Board Diagnosis from Morris Ostrofsky, and as always we'll be talking about beekeeping basics as we prepare for Spring and more. It’s Honey Bee Swarm Season! What is a honeybee swarm? During the spring and summer months, honey bees will increase their populations in order to harvest the season’s pollen and nectar flows and also to propagate their species. Seeing a bee swarm is a really magical event! A swarm is led by a queen bee and for the first few minutes looks like a bee tornado. Then the group lands in a clump (see photo) while scout bees look for a great new home. A swarm may remain in a temporary location for a few hours or a day or more, depending on weather conditions and scout success. Once the scout bees find a new home location, they will inform the swarm, which will move on to that new home. Should I be scared if I see a swarm? Honey bees are a stinging insect and can be defensive if provoked or threatened; however, swarms tend to be docile as they have no home to protect. If you encounter a swarm, simply enjoy them from a comfortable distance or better yet, call a local beekeeper to come collect them! Please don't spray pesticide on a honey bee swarm! The bees will depart on their own as soon as they can. They are extremely beneficial to our environment as pollinators. A beekeeper will gladly come remove them, and might reward you with a jar of local honey! What should you do if you see or have a honey bee swarm in your area or backyard? TVBA MEMBERSHIP Be sure to register/renew as a TVBA member for 2021 to access all your member benefits! |
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Need help in determining the presence of disease by TVBA? Request assistance from the Beekeeper Task Force 