From Phil Craft Bee Craft January 2012 An electronic newsletter from Phil Craft, Kentucky State Apiarist, retired

My new webpage and beekeeping school updates
I’m happy to announce that my new webpage: http://philcrafthivecraft.com/ is up! More information follows regarding my new site and my plans for it in the future. Also in this issue, news about Kentucky beekeeping school updates. (Note: I’m having format issues with this issue of the newsletter, please bear with me.)

Development and birth of the webpage www.philcrafthivecraft.com
Since the announcement of my “retirement” in early January I have been overwhelmed by the response from beekeepers expressing their dismay, not only at my job loss, but also at the interruption in our communication and in the advice I have been providing the beekeeping community for many years. I don’t want a break in the dialogue either; it has been the most rewarding aspect of the work I have been doing for the last 12 years.

That is the genesis of my new webpage.http://philcrafthivecraft.com/ My goal for the site is to bring common sense, accurate advice to beekeepers, along with updates and other items of interest. The site will include beekeeping information sheets on various subjects which I will write to be downloadable by anyone. It will also have helpful links and a regularly maintained calendar of beekeeping educational events and meetings – initially concentrating on Kentucky and nearby states, but potentially growing to include a wider area if there is enough interest. Thanks to the urging and orchestration of my friend and webmaster Barry Richards, I will also make regular postings on the site’s main page in an online column to be called initially “Thoughts on Beekeeping from Phil Craft“. In this column I will, as I have in past newsletters, keep you abreast of what is happening in the ever changing world of beekeeping, give seasonal advice for both new and more experienced beekeepers, and possibly post questions and answers from emails that you send me. I‘ll also keep you posted on my speaking schedule and very likely ramble on with opinions which may not always be strictly confined to beekeeping.

I expect the webpage to evolve as we experiment with better ways to share information with visitors and as Barry pushes me to try new methods and technology. Don’t be surprised to see some reorganization and re-naming as we fine tune the site. And please, don’t stop emailing me with questions and posting comments to the webpage. As I said before, the dialogue I’ve had with beekeepers has been a great joy to me.

Eastern Kentucky Beekeeping School attracts over 100 participants!
This year’s Eastern Kentucky Beekeeping School came off without a hitch (that is to say without snow – last year’s school had to be cancelled due to a heavy snowfall) and close to 120 beekeepers, vendors, instructors and presenters clustered at the Hazard Community and Technical College for this year’s school. A good time and lots of beekeeping instruction were had by all. Thanks to Perry Amos and to Dr. Tammy Horn from Eastern Kentucky University’s Environmental Research Institute, the school featured a queen rearing track for the first time. Dr. Horn and Perry are planning an encore performance of the queen rearing classes at the Northeast
Beekeeping School in Morehead on February 25^th in Morehead.

I want to thank Charles May, Perry County Agriculture Extension agent, who did the lions share of the planning and logistical work for this school, along with other Eastern Kentucky Extension agents and personnel who assisted. Most of these schools would not happen if it were not for the efforts of the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University Extension Services.

For continued updates on upcoming beekeeping schools
For continued updates on upcoming beekeeping schools in Kentucky, head to the KY State Beekeepers Association webpage (you’ll also find a link for the site at my webpage). Information for all the schools can be found there (see the list below with included hyperlinks). Be aware that my old webpage at the Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture has not been updated since my “retirement” and I of course, am no longer able to update it. However, the KSBA webpage will be updated as more information about upcoming schools is available.

The next Kentucky beekeeping school will be the Allen County Beekeeping School in Scottsville. The program for that school, along with other information, has been posted on the KSBA webpage.

· February 4: Allen County Beekeeping School, Scottsville

· February 11: Southeast Beekeeping School, Stearns

· March 3: Audubon Bee School, Henderson

· March 10: Bluegrass Beekeeping School, Frankfort
Special guest speaker- Dr. Dewey Caron

Phil’s speaking schedule
One of the features of my new webpage will be the posting of my speaking schedule, along with my talk topics and additional details or links to the events. I look forward to seeing you at one of these events. I will be appearing and speaking, in some capacity, at all six of this year’s Kentucky beekeeping schools, as previously scheduled.

To have THIS NEW NEWSLETTER sent directly to you!
If you received this newsletter directly in an email from me, then you are on my email list. If someone has forwarded you this issue and you would like to have future issues emailed directly to you, you may sign up by clicking on the “Contact Phil” box on the upper right corner of my webpage (a message box will appear).

In addition to this newsletter, I sometimes send out special announcements and notices, some of these to beekeepers in a specific regional area, regarding events of a more local nature. So it is helpful to know where you live (town). And I’m always just interested in knowing more about you and your beekeeping activities, interests or future plans.

Note: A version of this newsletter more suitable for printing (Word or Adobe document) is available upon request. And I don’t mind if you make copies and distribute this newsletter.

Keep those smokers lit and your bee veils on!

Phil Craft, Kentucky State Apiarist, retired

PO Box 259
Wilmore, KY 40390

Email phil@philcraftbeecraft.com

Phil’s NEW webpage: http://philcrafthivecraft.com/

Kentucky State Beekeepers Association webpage: http://www.ksbabeekeeping.org