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January 10, 2010
“New England Farms Beekeeping and Apiary Management Winter Seminar and Training Series presents Lunch with Mike Plamer”
Mike Palmer is a very successful commercial beekeeper and queen breeder. He will discuss the systems he uses for managing 600 plus colonies for honey production as well as his system for over wintering nukes.
Mike has a lot of information to impart in a manner that is easily understood and enjoyable.
April 10, 2010 10:00 am - 3:00 PM (Originally scheduled for February 27, 2010)
10:00 AM Nucs are not just for Increase Anymore
12:00 noon Buffet Lunch with Mike
1:00 PM Wintering Nukes
$25.00 per person, includes lunch and breaks, door prizes, a portion from each participant fee will be donated to the Vermont Beekeepers Association for the New Beekeepers Scholarships. Reservations are requested. Participants will also receive discounts from the sponsor on the day of the event. Seminar sponsor and location is New England Farms, 31 Main Street, Granville New York 12832. 518-642-3270 email newenglandfarms@aol.com. See www.newenglandfarms.com for directions, reservations and discount information.
“New England Farms Beekeeping and Apiary Management Winter Seminar and Training Series presents Lunch with Ross Conrad”
 Ross Conrad Ross Conrad, author and beekeeper will discuss CCD and Organic Solutions in the AM session, in the afternoon session, Ross will present Apitherapy, the products from the hive for healing and health.
Ross will also be available discuss his book, Natural Beekeeping. Copies will be available for purchase and there will be a time set aside for signing.
January 30, 2010 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
10:00 AM CCD & Organic Solutions
12:00 noon Buffet Lunch with Ross
1:00 PM Apitherapy, Products from the Hive for Healing & Health
$25.00 per person, includes lunch and breaks, door prizes, a portion from each participant fee will be donated to the Vermont Beekeepers Association for the New Beekeepers Scholarships. Reservations are requested. Participants will also receive discounts from the sponsor on the day of the event. Seminar sponsor and location is New England Farms, 31 Main Street, Granville New York 12832. 518-642-3270 email newenglandfarms@aol.com. See www.newenglandfarms.com for directions, reservations and discount information.
The New England Farms Beekeeping and Apiary Management Winter Seminar and Training Series is happy to announce lunch with Kirk Webster.
On January 16, 2010 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Kirk Webster, author and beekeeper will discuss his operation in respect to the changes involved in modern beekeeping in the Northeast and his work to maximize co-existence with Varroa.
 Kirk Webster 10:00 AM New Beekeeping in the Northeast
12:00 noon Buffet Lunch with Kirk
1:00 PM Making Varroa into an Ally
$25.00 per person, includes lunch and breaks, door prizes, a portion from each participant fee will be donated to the Vermont Beekeepers Association for the New Beekeepers Scholarships. Reservations are requested. Participants will also receive discounts from the sponsor on the day of the event. Seminar sponsor and location is New England Farms, 31 Main Street, Granville New York 12832. 518-642-3270 email newenglandfarms@aol.com. See www.newenglandfarms.com for directions, reservations and discount information.
Greetings, Beekeepers, Friends and Bees,
We had a great day at the First Spikenard Top Bar Hive Seminar. The Artic Blast cut attendance to four brave Artic Beekeepers, two from Vermont and two from New York.
 Graduates Because the snow chopped the attendance list we had a very informal and informative session. Lots of time for questions and lots of good food. These four wiped out a crock pot of chili and three dozen doughnuts.
We not only covered the benifits of the Spikenard Top Bar Hive, but the use of top bar hives in general. There are as many styles of top bar hives are there are top bar hive beekeepers.
Here is a photo of the Spikenard Top Bar Hve we manufacture at New England Farms.
 Spikenard Top Bar Hive and Stand Here a few of the topices we covered thru out the day.
Advantages of using a top bar hive:
- Only one crtical demension 3/8″ beespace
- No extractor needed
- No foundation needed
- No frames needed
- Can be built with local inexpensive materials
- No super storage
- Less heavy lifting
- Higher quality wax production
- Great comb honey production
Disadvantages of using a top bar hive:
- Lower honey production
- Difficult to swap bars
- Combs very fragile
- Transportation of combs difficult
- Not many top bar beekeeping mentors around
- Need natural swarm or package bees to get started
Keep an eye at www.newenglandfarms.com for the dates of the next top bar hive seminar.
Until then, happy beekeeping.
November 9, 2009
 Kirk in his Honey House It was a nice warm day in Vermont on October 21st. I called my good freind Kirk Webster, up towards Middlebury, and told him the glass honey jars he ordered had come in. He was extracting the last of his honey crop and was not able to pick up the order for a few days.
A good excuse to get out of the warehouse, I loaded the truck with Kirk’s order and headed North to deliver it for him. I got there around 10:30 am to find Kirk hard at it in the honey house.
 Kirk's Honey House is on a trailer and portable Kirk has his honey house set up for a one person efficient operation. He bult his honey house on a trailer. The entire house is portable.
I was impressed with how he fit so much in there and still have room to get around. Kirk uses an automatic Walter Kelley super lift, a Walter Kelley uncapper. His uncapping tank was custom made by Kelley also.
 Kirk's Honey House is set up for single person operation. He runs twin Maxant extractors both piped in to a series of 4 custom made Kelley settling tanks.
All of this in a Honey House 8 feet wide by 24 feet long.
After he finished the mornings work, we unloaded the glass honey jars. Then Kirk said something that was music to my ears, “Lets have lunch” Oh boy, this old Italian is always ready for lunch.
We drove about a mile to Kirk’s house where we had a great lunch with tea and honey.
 Kirk operates twin Maxant extractors The best part of the day was that I got to sit and talk Beekeeping with Kirk for over two hours. You can not buy that kind of networking. A plus Kirk agreed to present a beekeeping program in the New England Farms Luncheon Seminar Series.
I hope that he is not able to pick up his next order for a great repeat day.
July 13, 2009
The winter stayed long in the Adirondacks and Green Mountains this year. At the end of March beginning of April I started to make my rounds to our apiaries. We loaded the truck and trailer with the tools and equipment needed for the day. The first two apiaries looked pretty good. It was a nice sunny day still cool, 48-50 degrees. Bees were flying a little.
We removed the hive reducers, wire and the wire off the 3/4″ top entrances and pulled off the winter wraps. Some were just tar paper others were insulated hive wraps.
Most of the colonies had signs of life at the front door, others I listened to with my stethoscope for the buzz. They all had signs of winter cleansing flights at the front door and at the top 3/4 inch entrance.
 Died On Top of the Frame One colony died off because they did not move over two frames to the winter stores. (more…)
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