Our regular 2010 meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of each month unless otherwise noted.
Our Next Regular Meeting will be
Reminder to registered beekeepers from
Freddie Howard, local apiary inspector:
SAVE THE DATES: The 2010 Bee College will be held in
Marineland, FL near St.
Augustine, March 12 - 13
PEST ALERT: Argentine Ant Problem To our knowledge (based on some quick preliminary research) currently concludes that the Argentine ant has not yet been yet reported in LEE OR CHARLOTTE COUNTIES. CLICK HERE to see a map of where the Argentine Ants may be a problem. Should they make it to Lee County the Argentine ants can overwhelm new colonies overnight, ultimately causing the loss of an entire bee yard. Since the Argentine ant has not officially made its way to Lee County, if you believe that you have lost a hive to these ants, and believe they are indeed the Argentine ant, then per the request of Agricultural Agent, Roy Beckford, please collect the ants in plastic zip bag and take them to Roy for positive identification. HOW TO IDENTIFY ARGENTINE ANT Note: there are ants very similar to the Argentine ant (i.e., Darwin ant). The Argentine ant has been reported from the following counties: Alachua, Bay, Broward, Duval, Escambia, Gulf, Highlands, Hillsborough, Okaloosa, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Seminole, Walton and Washington. SEE MAP Often beekeepers will falsely conclude that ants caused the demise of their colony when the ants are only there naturally cleaning up the remains of the colony which died by other means. Please don't jump to any conclusions and help Roy to determine if Argentine Ants are here in Lee County and not just a case of mistaken identity. Identification is difficult and there are other ants very similar. A microscope is required for many of the I.D. steps. Argentine Ant Information and Photos are available at Florida Department of Agriculture, Div. of Plant Industry.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Question):
QUESTION: Where can I get package bees, queens,
and equipment?
Free Bee Removal?
Annual UF Bee College and Master Beekeeper
Program
You are visitor No.
Not a beekeeper, but wish to support our efforts and show your support for our cause, then please consider donating. You may use the convenient "Donate" button to donate online (securely and safely) using your credit card... or you may mail your donations to our treasurer.
Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida can use
your help. Please DONATE to support our group's efforts. Notice: You do NOT have to be a member of PayPal (or sign up) to use your credit card to donate, simply look during the donation process for the section "Don't have a PayPal account? and click continue.
How do I join Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida (BASF)? Attend one of our meetings and pay applicable dues to our Treasurer, or you can DOWNLOAD an application for membership, and mail it to our treasurer along with applicable dues. Currently $10 for current year if you are already a member of the Florida State Beekeepers Association (FSBA). If you are not a member of FSBA then we can collect membership dues for FSBA as well, in which case the total amount would be $25 ($10 BASF + $15 FSBA).
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Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2010 Bee College. Please
