Honey-Pot Pot Luck

Posted on December 8, 2011 by

Join us on December 18 at The Matlocks' Home for this months Guild gathering.


Please contact us at info@phillybeekeepers.org if you would like to attend.
 

The party will begin at 5:00 PM.

Please bring an appetizer, drink, entree, vegetables or dessert with honey as an ingredient.  Better yet, with LOCAL honey as an ingredient.

We are a 3-block walk from the Mt. Airy train station on the Chestnut Hill East line.

Your family/partner is welcomed to attend, but give us the courtesy of your reply, so we can plan properly.

Tell us what you will bring and number of people in your party.

Beekeepers Wanted at Honey Fest!

Posted on August 15, 2011 by
Beekeepers, Sell Your Honey on Consignment or man your own booth at the Honey Festival - for more information, contact honeyfest@phillybeekeepers.org 

Volunteers who are knowledgeable about beekeeping are needed, to answer bee questions from the Honey Fest attendees at Wyck and Bartram's Garden on Sat. Sept 10 please contact: honeyfest@phillybeekeepers.org 

Vendors of Hive Products and Healthy Foods are welcomed, for more information, contact honeyfest@phillybeekeepers.org 

Special Bee/Bartram Membership Offer

Posted on July 12, 2011 by
This July receive a membership to both Bartram’s Garden AND the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild for the special price of just $45!

Price includes free admission for up to two adults and accompanying children to Bill Turnbull’s August 2nd talk “Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper,” nibbles, and a twilight tour of the garden with advance RSVP to http://bartrambillturnbull.eventbrite.com/

Plus you’ll have the satisfaction of supporting nature in Philadelphia through your tax-deductible contribution.

Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild


The Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild works to encourage and promote urban beekeeping through fellowship and education, and to raise awareness of the importance of bees to our environment.  The Guild meets monthly.  Meetings are free and open to the public.  For more information visit www.phillybeekeepers.org.

Members of the Philadelphia Beekeeper’s Guild enjoy:

  • Discounted admission to special events including talks by experts on bee and honey related topics and an introductory beekeeping class.

  • Ability to participate in group purchases of beekeeping supplies.

  • Cooperative ownership of honey extractors and an observation hive.


Bartram’s Garden

Bartram’s is curious garden, inspired by nature and created by the Bartram family over generations. John Bartram’s 18th century home, barn, cider press, 11 acres of historic gardens, and a spectacular skyline view are located right on the Schuylkill River just south of Center City Philadelphia.  Garden highlights include the delicate Franklinia alatamaha, saved from extinction by the Bartrams and named for John Bartram’s great friend, Benjamin Franklin, the oldest Gingko tree in the country, and an ancient yellowwood tree.

Bartram’s Garden Members Receive:

  • 10 Program Passes good for free admission to our house and garden tours and monthly educational programs (valid through July 1, 2012).  Passes are transferable, so you can share them with family and friends.

  • 10% discount on plants and most Garden Shop purchases.

  • Admission to members-only events including our plant sale previews and Bill Turnbull’s upcoming book talk “Confessions of a Bad Bee Keeper.”  Visit www.bartramsgarden.org for additional tour and event information.

  • Family admission to special events at other local gardens through the Passport to Philadelphia’s Garden History Series with RSVP and membership card.  Events include: Independence and Washington Square walking tour on Sept. 10; Outing at Powel House on Oct. 15; Fall Color Tour of Shofuso on Oct. 22; and Kitchen Garden / Hearth Cooking Demonstration at the Massey House on Oct. 30.

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Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild Honey Extraction Event

Posted on July 9, 2011 by

Have honey that needs extracting?  Read on...


Last year the Guild bought a 9-frame Maxant motorized extractor with the goal of making it available to Guild members to use. Well, here is your chance. On Saturday, July 16th from 10:00am - 2:00pm the extractor will be available for members to rent at the Unitarian Society of Germantown. We will also have a 2-frame hand-crank extractor available for use. There will be a Guild member with extraction experience present at the event to assist you if you need help. You must be a Guild member in order to rent one of the extractors (if you are not a member and would like to become one, see the Guild website). One hour should be enough for most people, if you think you will need more, let us know. In addition to a small fee for using the motorized extractor, we are asking for a donation of one pound of honey (you can donate more if you wish!). This honey will be used for Guild educational events (like honey tastings, yum!). The fee is as follows:

Motorized extractor – $10 / hour + minimum of 1 pound of honey


Hand-operated extractor – No money, just a 1 pound jar of honey



Also, FYI, we plan on having a few more dates later this year when the extractor will be available for rent. At the moment these dates are: August 20 at the annual Guild picnic, which will be held at the Unitarian Society of Germantown and from September 9-11th as part of the city-wide Honey Fest event. Stay tuned for more info about using the extractor on these dates.


Here's how it works...



  1. Sign up for an extraction timeslot via the Guild’s “info” email address. When you email us, specify at least 2 one-hour time slots that would work for you and let us know which extractor you'd like to use and we'll let you know what is available. Time slots will be given away on a first-emailed, first-served basis.

  2. Arrive 15 – 30 minutes ahead of your scheduled time, in order to uncap your honey for extraction.  The facilitator will teach you how to uncap your honey if you need guidance.  FOR UNCAPPING BRING: Serrated breadknife with a blade of 7 inches or longer, a cookie tray, a strainer or colander and a container into which the strainer fits. You will also need to bring some kind of container(s) for your honey. You can bring a bunch of small jars or larger containers.

  3. Enter your name and all requested information in the Extractor log book (only the motorized extractor has a logbook).

  4. Check the extractor for damage or missing parts; report any discrepancies to the facilitator.  After resolving any issues, go ahead and extract your honey as described in the instruction manual (only the motorized extractor has an instruction manual).

  5. Drain extracted honey through strainer(s) into the collection bucket, provided by the Guild.  This bucket has a “gate” (like a spigot or tap) at the bottom for dispensing the honey into smaller containers.

  6. If another person is extracting after you, ask them if they want you to fully clean the extractor before they begin.  Most people will not mind if there is a small amount of your leftover honey in the extractor.  However, each person is entitled to begin with a clean extractor if they prefer it.

  7. If you are the last person to extract, thoroughly clean the extractor and its parts with warm water. Do not use hot water as this can melt any wax that is present and make for a much more difficult clean-up. Rinse until all honey residue is gone and allow the extractor and its parts to dry.  The facilitator will properly store the extractor after it has dried.

  8. Clearly label a 1-pound jar with your name, the zip code of your hives, the year and the season in which your bees made the honey. This is the jar to be donated to the Guild.

  9. Dispense the remainder of your honey from the bucket into your personal containers.  If another person will use the bucket after you, ask them if they want you to fully clean the bucket before they use it. Most people will not mind if there is a small amount of your leftover honey in the bucket.  However, each person is entitled to begin with a clean bucket if they prefer it.

  10. If you are the last person to use the bucket, thoroughly clean and rinse it with warm water until all honey residue is gone.  The facilitator will properly store the bucket after it has dried.

  11. Last but not least, enjoy that delicious honey and share some with friends and family!


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The Guild Needs a Home! Help Us Find One!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by
The Guild is about a year-and-a-half old and we have grown faster than we could have imagined. Many of you know that we have been holding our monthly meetings at a few different places including Wyck Historic House, The Unitarian Church in Mt. Airy and the Francisville Rec Center. While all of these are great places and we are extremely thankful that they have extended us the privilege of meeting in their spaces, none of them really meet all of the long-term needs of the Guild.

So this is where you come in - if you know of a place where the Guild can meet once a month, send us an email about it and we will look into it as an option. The following is a "wish list" for the Guild's ideal meeting place:

  1. A central location that is easily accessible to residents from all areas of the city (we have members from the Northwest to the Northeast, from West Philly to Center City to South Philly and everywhere in between!)

  2. A location where parking is easy

  3. A location that can comfortably fit 50 people

  4. A location that does not charge for the use of the space

  5. A location that is available on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 7-9:00 pm

  6. A location where we can keep a few hives!


Now there is probably some flexibility with these criteria, but these describe the ideal place. Send us your ideas - no idea is too crazy! Thanks for your help!

Amazing Bee Video on Bee Vision and Thermoregulation

Posted on December 22, 2010 by
Take a few minutes to watch this video on how bees see and about a relatively new discovery (as far as we know!) of "heater bees" and the role they play in regulating the temperature in the hive. Besides the cool video, you get happy music, a lovely British accent and a spiffy white beesuit!  Enjoy!



Bee Vision and Heater Bees

Clothianidin Scandal

Posted on December 16, 2010 by
Well folks, beekeepers have been saying it for a while and it looks like the EPA has known it all along. At least one of the things killing your bees is Clothianidin, a neonicotinoid pesticide that is used on many, many crops including - of all things - sunflowers. Cripes.

Ariel Schwartz writing in FastCompany magazine has published a series of articles in the last week on Tom Theobold a Colorado beekeeper and his 'discovery' of an EPA document that shows agency scientists warning against the approval of Clothianidin in 2006.
Clothianidin’s major risk concern is to nontarget insects (that is, honey bees). Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid insecticide that is both persistent and systemic. Acute toxicity studies to honey bees show that clothianidin is highly toxic on both a contact and an oral basis. Although EFED does not conduct RQ based risk assessments on non-target insects, information from standard tests and field studies, as well as incident reports involving other neonicotinoids insecticides (e.g., imidacloprid) suggest the potential for long-term toxic risk to honey bees and other beneficial insects.

Theobold got the document by asking for it - it's in the public record - and it shows that despite their own scientist's warnings, despite the ban on these chemicals in most EU countries, despite the growing threat of Colony Collapse our friendly government went ahead and gave Bayer permission to inject this poison into our food supply.

I would reccomend that you read all of Ms. Schwartz' articles:

I'm sure there's more information out there that I'm missing. Please add to the comments if you see anything interesting.

Google Search for Clothianidin - opens in a new window