WOW!!! We have had a whirlwind of an autum season here. It is unseasonably warm right now and we hope to finish extracting honey before it crystallizes in the comb. Otherwise, it gets saved to be returned to the bees in the spring. We are anxiously awaiting the ski season, too!
To update everyone,
We attended the 2012 Western Apicultural Society annual conference which took place in Seattle, Washington this past October. We had the blessed opportunity to share the establishment of The Rocky Mountain Survivor Queenbee Cooperative, which despite initial funding delays, developed on target this past 2012 season thanks to the dedicated participants. The cooperative includes 9 beekeepers, 6 from NM and 3 from CO from 5000′-8000′ elevation through 7 counties, from Santa Fe, NM to Fort Collins, CO (close to 500 miles) dedicated to preserving and promoting quality chemical-free honeybee stock. Visit www.rmsqbcoop.org to follow the process.
I am so excited to be serving as the 2013 Western Apicultural Society President and to help coordinate this next season’s WAS-NM Conference!!! This is a first for our area and with the help of Vice President Marygael Meister of DenverBee.org, it is destined to be full of forage for thought including current global research, diverse apitherapy methodoligies and practice, medicine, health, alternative management and alternative pollinators, cultural and artistic excusions relating to bees and of course, sustainable farming and management strategies. It will also include nectar for your noggin’ via honey, mead and bee product tastings! We anticipate the 2013 WAS-NM conference to be in late summer/early fall in Santa Fe, NM. More info to be posted soon!!!
I also just got back from sharing the RMSQB Cooperative establishment in Quebec City, Canada at the Apimondia- World Queenbreeding Conference this past month in November. It was truly awesome!!! Additional survivor stock breeding efforts and projects are in the works!!! It does indeed take a world community to raise bees!
We are currently getting one of our continuance grant proposals drafted and submitted. Ultimate vision is to assist in establishing The Rocky Mountain Pollinator Institute come 2014-2015.
We came back from Seattle to be present at the Dixon Studio Tour in early November. With coordination from our associate Resa Sawyer, she represented us this past post-Thanksgiving feast at the annual Taos Yuletide Fair and just recently at the Taos Pueblo Head Start Annual Christmas Fair.
Coming up, Resa will be sharing this year’s ZQB pure and raw NM honey harvest at the Santa Fe Railyard Sunday Artisan Market. You can also find our bee products at The High Road Art Gallery here in Truchas, the Dixon Cooperative Market, and the upcoming Espresso Gallery Holiday Bazaar in Embudo this holiday season.
We have smaller sampler gift jars and packs including a new lipbalm in a 100% recycled tube.
We will post info on this upcoming 2013 bee season schedule, including information on timing and start up of reservations/order list (starting in January).
We are also designing our new website focusing on our Enchanted Empress Breeder Companion line- www.longevibees.com and our free, educational resource website, www.survivorqueenbees.org. These will be up and running soon!!!
SEASON’S GREETINGS!!!
M&M and family.