Volume 13, Issue 4 norfolkbees.org April 2015 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE On April 10, the beekeeping world suffered a great loss. Howard Crawford passed away, at the age of 91, after an illness. I referred to Howard as “The Mayor of Beekeeping”. Whenever someone in Franklin found blhthat I’m a beekeeper, they asked if I knew Howard. “Of course I know Howard” was the answer. He out was the beekeeper’s beekeeper - always there with some helpful hints, a story (or two), or just some encouraging words. Howard taught at bee school, sat on many a Q&A panel, and taught many of us oneon-one. He hosted hive dives at his farm, took care of the bee school hives, and was always there to help someone. For those reasons Howard was named Beekeeper of the Year by Worcester County Beekeepers Association and Massachusetts Beekeeper of the Year in 2009 my MassBee. He is a member of the NCBA Beekeeping Hall of Fame and has a Norfolk Aggie scholarship, donated by NCBA, in his name (and Sandy). He also won numerous prizes around the state for his honey. He was more than a beekeeper – Howard was a farmer, too. At one time he grew a number of rare varieties of apples he got from Cornell University. He was a regular vendor at the Franklin Farmers Market on Friday afternoons, where he could be seen handing out flags and telling stories to children, selling honey and wax products. But foremost, Howard was a decorated veteran and a patriot. He was very proud of his service to his country in World War II and Korea. His flags were out for the national holidays, and he always had a supply of small flags at the market. His years in the service provided for many of the stories he loved to tell. On the day of the wake, Marian and I were scheduled to teach at the final bee school class that night. I found a photo from 2010, my first year as a beekeeper, that was taken at a hive dive Howard hosted. I was opening one of the hives under Howard’s watchful eye. I made that photo the first slide in our presentation. Tony spoke about Howard, and I showed the photo, to the new bee students. Howard’s legacy will continue to live at NCBA. As a beekeeper and resident of Franklin, my world is forever changed with Howard’s absence. Ed Next Club Meeting May 4, 2015 400 Main Street Walpole, MA 7:30 Club Meetings: Board Members: President May 4, 2014 Ed & Marian Szymanski – Planting for the Bees George Johnson – Mead Making Ed Syzmanski June 2014 Club Picnic Treasurer Board Meeting: Recording Secretary The board of directors meets the 3rd Monday of each month (except July & August). Held 7:00 pm at the Woodside Montessori, 350 Village St. in Millis. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. This is where decisions that guide how the club is run are made. Your input is invaluable. Vice President Dave Shaner I am not sure if its too late to submit a post but I have tabled two bee keeping events for the Boston Area Beekeeping Association. On April 26 I provided information and talked about beekeeping at the Friends of Halls Pond(Brookline) Event from 11-1. On April 18 I did the same at the Whole Foods Store in JP. On may 16 from 9-12, Grow Natives Massachusetts will be have a sale of Native Plants at the Agricultural Extension Station, 240 Beaver St Waltham Ma David Kelman Keller Williams Realty [email protected] 617 388 0793 [email protected] Eileen Walther [email protected] Julie Norian [email protected] Corresponding Secretary Dana Wilson [email protected] Editor Monthly Newsletter Anne Kittredge [email protected] Bee School Director Tony Lulek Events [email protected] [email protected] Members at Large Judy Cox Bob Johnson Jessica Chen Committees: Extractor Debbie LaPlante [email protected] Librarian Eric Studer Door Prize/Raffle Kathy Varney IT/Web/Facebook Ed Szymanski Apparel Susan Robinson Historian The board of directors is looking for someone in helping to preserve the club’s history. If interested contact Ed Szymanski or any other board member. Howard Crawford July 17, 1923 –April 10, 2015 “Howard Crawford made an impact on many people’s lives. That was very evident at the wake and funeral this past week. I have two stories that I'd like to share with you. I was teaching bee school, I think it was my second or third year, and these two people signed up for bee school from Franklin. At some point during the second or third class I finally figured out who they were. It was Betty and her son Seth, daughter and grandson of Howard Crawford. Boy did I get nervous. I had the daughter and the grandson of Howard Crawford in my class. What could I possibly teach them? Howard knew it all. And he shared all his knowledge with everyone. It took me a couple of classes to think about this but I realized the most important thing that Howard imparted on me was his passion for beekeeping. I just hoped that I was able to share a little bit of that with Betty and Seth. To me it was an honor and a privilege to be able to have them in our class. I hope that they learned something. I know I did from Howard. My second story is about my first year as president of the club. I was approached by Paul Desilets of Mass Bee to nominate someone from our club for Massachusetts Beekeeper of the Year award. I said okay this is easy; We are going to nominate Howard Crawford. I ran this by our board and they agreed. So I sent Paul an email saying the NCBA proudly nominates Howard Crawford. Well Paul wrote back and he said: no Tony I need a little bit more than that. So I thought about it and I wrote a couple of sentences. I emailed Paul and he said Tony you got to do a little better than that if you want Howard to get this award. So I thought about it for a while. I decided to give him a call and interview him. So on Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter, Diane I went over to Aiken Bak Farm and sat down with Howard, Sandy in the kitchen, and the woodstove burning. I interviewed Howard for a couple of hours. It was then that I really learned something about him. I got to hear the stories from World War II, all of the service in the military in Korea, the things he had done with Little League baseball in Franklin; about the kids he raised on the farm, the crops, and the apple trees (ask me sometime and I will tell you that story). And the bees, can’t forget about the bees. All the stories about swarms and trips to get bees, and angry hives over the years. I think he was most proud of his military medals and his blue ribbons for honey prizes. Diane took notes while I asked him questions. When the day was done I learned a lot about Howard and Sandy and their life on Akin Bak Farm. I went home, I sat down at the computer with the notes, and I wrote Howard's nomination for Massachusetts Beekeeper the Year. I emailed Paul and he said job well done. A few weeks went by and then I was notified that Howard had won the Massachusetts Beekeeper of the Year award. That was in 2009. I have attached the nomination letter that I wrote.” Tony Lulek “As I remember Howard, I smile to think about how quiet it would get at bee school and in meetings when he would speak up. There was such respect for his experience and insight that nobody wanted to miss a word.” Josh Philibert “Howard was a part of the NCBA furniture. He will be missed. We have an empty jar of Akin Bak Farm honey that we will save in remembrance.” -Scott and Kari Mofford “Going to his house to get honey brought my husband and myself to the bee school. Every time I went, sometimes with my mother from Japan, I would look forward to hearing more about their life stories; his service in WWII, how they moved from Maine to Franklin, how he was sent to Korea when they were expecting their 2nd child, his numerous medals from his service to the country. Those stories stay in my heard for the rest of my life.” Chiharu Kobayashi “Howard was my mentor when I first started keeping bees almost a quarter century ago. The practical knowledge that he passed along can’t be found in any book and the little tidbits of interest that he pointed out in each hive have taught me to see and understand not just look and move along. He was a good man and totally selfless.” Irene Gorczyca “Howard was always there at Club meetings when I joined, close to a dozen years ago. He was co-leader of the bee school and always available to all. Howard was ready to help anyone who had a question, with remarks that would not be found in beekeeping books. His many many years working with bees had made him an encyclopedia on practical beekeeping. He and his wife were happy to have us all at his Akin Bak Farm, opening hives and exploring. And there was no time we did not leave with apples or other produce. His positive, can-do attitude was an inspiration to all, and we celebrated his honey and wax championships winnings at agricultural fairs as they were our own. Howard will be sorely missed.” Miguel Lessing “Howard is the reason I became a bee keeper. He has kept bees at my family's blueberry farm for as long as I can remember. About 9 years ago, while I was out pruning the bushes in the spring, Howard came up to me and said, "you better learn how to keep bees, I'm 83 and I won't be around forever." That following January he called me up and told me he signed me up for bee school. I'm thankful every day for his insight and for opening the door to the wonderful world if beekeeping. He will be around forever because of the indispensable knowledge he has imparted on hundreds of beekeepers over the years. Those who were fortunate enough to have known Howard and who really listened to his wisdom, advice, tricks of the trade, and antidotes, will be able pass on some of his beekeeping gems to the next generation of beekeepers to come.” -Pam Gianetti Nomination for Massachusetts Beekeeper of the Year (This is the nomination paper that Tony Lulek wrote in 2009) This year the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association (NCBA) would like to nominate Howard Crawford for the Massachusetts Beekeeper of the Year. I have known Howard as long as I have been a beekeeper (6 years) and my wife and I got together with him one Sunday afternoon to chat about being a beekeeper. I thought I knew Howard, but let me tell you, after talking to him for 2 hours, we learned much more about this remarkable man. Howard is 86 years old and lives with his wife, Sandy, on Akin-Bak Farm in Franklin, Massachusetts. He has been a farmer since 1950, when he moved to his wife’s family farm. They raised their 3 children on the farm, teaching them the value of hard work. On seven acres, they specialized in apple trees. With over 250 apple trees and 42 varieties, they harvested over 400 bushels of apples at their peak. In 1970, Howard developed “Crawford Delite” from a wild apple strain. They only have about 40 apples trees left among the blueberries, grape vines and vegetable gardens. It has become more difficult for Howard to care for the farm over the past few years and Sandy told him” Either the bees or the trees.” Guess what Howard chose? Forty-five years ago, Howard had his first hive, which he ordered from the Montgomery Ward catalog, but it died over the winter because nobody told him to feed the bees. The next year, he had two hives, but they both died when the covers blew off in a storm, because nobody told him to weigh them down. It was then that John Jennings of Curtis Road in Hopkinton invited Howard to bee school at the Worcester County Beekeepers Associations (WCBA). At that time, the WCBA met in the Horticultural Society Hall in the center of the city. Howard attended bee school very year with 10-15 other men, and was very vocal in class, learning as much as he could about beekeeping. He then started teaching bee school, one class per session, with help. In 1972 Milo Bacon taught bee school at the Norfolk Aggie for the NCBA. Howard was one of eight in the class that year, along with Bruce Barrett, Norm Shaw, and Pete Hayden. All of them are or were NCBA club members and have served in various positions in the club. Howard went on to help teach bee school with Milo and Pete. Milo passed away and Pete didn’t want to teach anymore, so Howard took over as Director of the bee school along with Norm Shaw. As well, he has taught bee school with Ray Hennessy (past president, twice) and John Eric Flem for about 3-4 years. His favorite partnership for teaching bee school was with Tim Sullivan (past president and bee school director). They taught bee school together for years, until Tim stepped down this past year. Howard continues to help teach bee school with a new group of beekeepers. Howard’s 45 years of experience has given him a wealth of knowledge. His understanding of the bees goes beyond any textbook out there. He understands the inner workings of the queen and the hive. He had also developed many useful tools over the years. He is able to discern what is going on in a hive- why this happened, why that happened. He understands the impact the bees have on the world and the impact the world has had on the bees. Howard currently is a lifetime member of the NCBA as well as the WCBA. He is also a member of the Essex County Beekeepers Association and the Knox Lincoln County Beekeepers Association in Maine. As president of the NCBA, Howard organized the board of directors. He initiated the diploma ceremony in 1976 for the bee school. Howard says the biggest change he made within the club was to include women. In his first term as NCBA president (in the early 80’s), the club was 6-8 guys sitting around socializing. Howard claimed that it would not be a club without women. He said that he would bring his wife, Sandy, to the meetings and asked that others would bring their wives as well. Besides teaching the NCBA bee school, Howard mentors new and old beekeepers. Over the 30 plus years that he has taught bee school, he has mentored hundreds and hundreds of beekeepers. He also hosts the bee school’s hives on his property, using them as teaching tools for the club members. He hosts the annual installation demonstration at his farm in April, and a hive dive in August. Howard has hosted tours on his farm and given talks on bees to the second graders in Franklin every year for the last 20 years. He also works with many other groups, helping educate kids and adults about the art of beekeeping. Howard has won many awards for his honey and hive products. One year he won nine first-place blue ribbons from the Massachusetts Bee Federation – the best in the state for four grades of honey and wax. He has an impressive collection of blue ribbons from years of exhibiting at the Spencer Fair, and has won the Outstanding Exhibitor Award as well. There have been many articles written about Howard, in local papers including the Metrowest Daily News, the Grafton News, The Norfolk Boomerang, the Milford Daily News, and the Country Gazette, and he has been featured in the Boston Globe and boston.com. Besides beekeeping, Howard has many interests. He was in the US Army in WWII and in Korea. He is very active in the VFW, the American Legion as well as a member of the Improved Order of the Redmen (formerly The Sons of Liberty, the first fraternal organization chartered by the US Congress and George Washington). In the year 1939-1940, Howard played right field for the Hollowell Cyclones, a semi-pro baseball team from Maine. He also started the Little League in Franklin and was honored in 2000 for this achievement. One of the most amazing things about Howard, which isn’t about awards or achievements, is his untiring dedication to beekeeping. I do not know another beekeeper that works as hard as Howard, has such a wealth of knowledge, and such amazing stories to tell. There is not a single member of the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association whose life has not been impacted by one of the most giving and gracious people in the history of our club. His life, as a husband, father, friend, farmer, and beekeeper has touched so many lives and continues to do so. Though he has slowed down a bit in the past few years, he continues to help fellow beekeepers. Call him up some day. Ask him a question. Go visit him. He is a jewel in our crown and we value the time we have with him. Respectfully submitted, Tony Lulek President, Norfolk County Beekeepers Association Highlights: Member of Norfolk County beekeepers Association, Worcester County Beekeepers Association, Essex County Beekeepers Association, and Knox Lincoln County Beekeepers Association Member of the Veterans of the Foreign Wars Member of The Redman Past President of Norfolk County Beekeepers Association Bee School Director (NCBA) Bee School Teacher (NCBA, WCBA) Won numerous awards for honey and wax Beekeeper of the year 2009 for NCBA Ed Karle shared his photos from Howard’s services, you can see them here: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYt3LZi5cuWiiiK&emid=shareprintviewer&linkid=link 5&cid=EM_sharview A beautiful photo of Howard with the Scholarship to the Aggie named in his honor. Photo by Ed Szymanski Notes from Monthly Club meeting Monday (4/6) Ed Szymanski, President, brought the meeting to order at 7:35 pm. Ed updated the club on up coming meetings. The next club meeting, May4th will have two topics. “Bee friendly plants” and “mead making”. For the first half of the meeting Marion Szymanski, with the assistance of Ed Szymanski, will be speaking on bee friendly plants and the plants they have in their gardens. The last half of the meeting will be Bob Johnson talking about making mead. The club picnic is set for June 6th at Stoney Brook. It will not be catered as it was last year. Club members will be doing the cooking. There are seven seats left for the Queen Rearing class that is happening on June 15th. If you are interested in attending contact Ed Szymanski via email [email protected]. The cost is $25.00. Mass Bee Annual Field Day is scheduled for Saturday June 20th. For details go to www.massbee.org. The sessions are free with lunch costing $10.00 if you do not want to bring your own. Ed Szymanski has extra copies of the book “Honey Bee Biology” which can be bought for $55.00. The regular book store cost is $60.00 Bee packages have been sold out and now are arriving on Saturday April 25th. Stayed tuned for any possible changes. Aggie Day was a very successful event. Sue Robinson was the organizer and everything went well. Ed Karl was the featured speaker this evening. Ed has been a bee keeper for eleven years having taken bee school with Norfolk county beekeepers Association in 2005. His teachers at that time were Harold Crawford and Tim Sullivan. Karl told a very funny story of getting his first package of bees. His first package made it through the winter into the second year. Ed has a site www.beeviews.shutterfly.com where there are photos and monthly highlights and suggestions. You might want to check it out. Ed then talked about “Spring Hive Check” and things do during the spring season. Ed is very big on being a mentor. He stressed a number of times the being a mentor will not only help the mentee but will make the mentor stretch to learn more and become a better beekeeper themselves. Some of the things Ed mentioned were 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. He makes sure his hives are 12-18 inches off the ground. Make sure your tools are cleaned at the beginning of the year using rubbing alcohol Ed actually stores his tools in rubbing alcohol during the season Make sure you clean your gloves every time you go into the hive. Ed gets new gloves every year. Protect your ankles and other sensitive parts of your body. Bees love to find these areas. 6. Always use a veil 7. Attend Mass Field day in June Spring Management and strength of hives Dead outs (why) 1. 2. 3. 4. Starvation Hive loses Queen Mites Moisture a. Dead bees will be black 5. Mice Weak Hive (3 frames of bees or less) 1. If Queen is doing well and bees ae in 2 hive boxes consider moving to 1 hive box Medium Hive (3-5 frames of bees) 1. 2. 3. 4. If you find bees off to side of hive box move good frames towards the center Ed doesn’t feed 1:1 syrup until later in the season. (May) Ed suggest still using fondant for feed in March & April Leave bottom board insert in from Labor day to Memorial Day Strong Hives (5+ frames of bees) 1. Hive runs the risk of starvation. Make sure they ae fed fondant and pollen substitute. The meeting ended with a raffle and giveaways. Lovely photo submitted by Deborah Trickett! Club Membership: "Go to www.norfolkbees.org to download renewal/enrollment form. Raffle Table A reminder that that the club is in need of, and appreciates, all items brought to the raffle table. Bear in mind to keep the items of good quality and as bee related as possible. Membership dues offset less than half of the club’s yearly budget. This fund raising effort helps to close that gap. Besides there are some very nice items and we have fun! I believe the plant raffle is in May! Bring your plants to raffle off and maybe you’ll go home with something new for your Bee Garden! Farmer’s Markets Do you participate in Farmer’s Markets? Let us know where and what day and time of the week and we will publish where we can find you! Tell us all about it! Perhaps you are an artist? A photographer? Draw us a bee! Send your best photo! Words of wisdom! Here is a gorgeous picture submitted by Ed Syzmanski Please send submissions to [email protected] Just wait until next month, I have some beautiful water color submissions for the May edition. I’d love to have some more of your artwork to publish! Honey Extractors The club has 6 extractors for club use. Contact Debbie LaPlante [email protected] if you would like to use one. Snack Table Snacks are provided for free at the monthly club meeting. Thanks to all of you who bring in sweets. Contact Julie Norian at [email protected] or Susan Packenham - [email protected] Susan would like it if you could bake something for May! Club Membership Club membership runs form the calendar year. From January 1st through December 31st. Dues of $15.00 are collected at with the September’s club meeting for the up coming year or they can be mailed to: Eileen Walther 23 A Street Wrentham, MA 02093 The dues of $15.00 are for both the individual and family. If you attend Bee School the $50.00 fee include a year’s membership in the club. Howard with Ed doing a Hive Dive at Akin Bak Farm 2010 NEW! Members in good standing may now insert a small classified ad in our newsletter for FREE! Please keep it simple and relevant to Bee Keeping, Bee Products, Home/Cottage Industries that you think would interest other members. Please email to [email protected] Woods Beekeeping Supplies Custom Hive stand and Screened Bottom Board Built as one piece instead of two separate pieces for stability. They are made with galvanized 1/8” screen and white plastic slide-in tray to count mites. Glued and screwed together for long lasting durability. Slatted Racks Completely assembled, glued and nailed. This gives the bees more room in the hive on rainy days and when they are all in for the night making them less likely to think about swarming due to crowding. Supers Made out of pine; with pre-drilled finger joints, and handles cut into boards, comes unassembled. Deep, Medium and Shallow available. Inner Cover Ventilated, wooden inner cover. Outer Cover covered with Tin Made from ¾ exterior plywood, completely assembled, glued and screwed. Cover comes with tin cover to protect from outdoor elements. Complete Hive Setup Includes screened bottom board, two deep supers, 20 frames with wax foundation, inner cover and outer cover. Hive Frames–Deep, Medium, and Shallow Wooden frame, made out of pine, held together with 10 nails. (Does not include wire or foundation). Browse or shop our online store www.woodsbees.com 401-305-2355 FULLY STOCKED RETAIL STORE POLLEN PATTIES WITH 15% REAL POLLEN SINGLE DOSE FUMAGILIN-B HONEY B HEALTHY HIVE TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES FEEDING SUPPLIES & FEEDERS PROTECTIVE CLOTHING HIVE COMPONENTS FOUNDATION WOODENWARE EXTRACTING EQUIPMENT JARS AND CONTAINERS BULK HONEY GIFT CERTIFICATES BOOKS The Best Bees Company still has a few packages of bees left for sale for beekeepers. Pickup, delivery, or delivery and installation options are available. Contact (617) 445-2322 or [email protected] to order. Please feel welcome to contact us if you would like to order bees for this spring. We will continue to have packages coming in at multiple times in April. Italian honey bee packages are available for pickup for $150, delivery for $200, or delivery and installation for $250 each. Our proceeds fund our research to improve bee health. In addition to our full beekeeping services, which include monthly visits to beehives throughout southern New England, we also now offer beekeeping mentoring services for beekeepers who would like to go through their beehive(s) beside expert beekeepers, at a cost of $150/hour, also going toward our research to improve bee health. Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D. Founder & Chief Scientific Officer The Best Bees Company 839 Albany Street (rear) Boston, MA 02119 [email protected] (office/lab) 617.445.2322 http://www.bestbees.com Twitter: @bestbees Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestbees THE BEE A Natural History Noah Wilson-Rich With contributions from Kelly Allin, Norman Carreck & Andrea Quigley Hardcover | $27.95 | ISBN: 9780691161358 224 pp. | 8 x 9 Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D. Founder & Chief Scientific Officer The Best Bees Company 839 Albany Street (rear) Boston, MA 02119 [email protected] (office/lab) 617.445.2322 http://www.bestbees.com Twitter: @bestbees Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestbees
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