About



     The Strathcona Beekeepers Association is a small group of beekeepers in the Strathcona Community of Vancouver.  We are dedicated to the support of bees (both native and honey) and beekeepers and raise  Honey bees and Mason bees at Cottonwood Community Garden in Strathcona Park.  We meet once a month (weather permitting) during the bee season from April to October on the last Sunday of the month and can be reached at strathconabeesatmaildotcom. Everyone is welcome including non beekeepers.  We have some protective clothing for you to participate in hive inspections. This website was never intended to be a "how to" because we realized early on that there are many experts much more qualified than us that have already produced this needed information. That is why we created the beekeepers' library to create a centre for freely available information from universities, governments and beekeeping experts. Bee well. 




8 comments:

  1. Please look into whether hfcs could be toxic, considering the whole gmo problem (GMO corn!!!). Also, if white sugar comes from beets (all brassicas) there could be a gmo connection. All of this is in regard to winter feeding. Also please advise your readers that retailers of garden plants may have unmarked gmo plants that could have neonicotinoids spliced into them. If you are unclear about this danger, please email me at sarah_mc@msn.com. I adore nature & all of her children, especially bees. I am worried that big brother wants all food to be hybridized & to kill off all pollinators, just to control cross pollination, among other things.

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  2. All of what you say is true and important to consider. I have written endlessly in the past about the dangers of genetic modification, pesticides and agrochemicals in general. I am an organic farmer and beekeeper. As you can see the sidebar on this website is filled with information about the dangers of these practices. Most of the general population are unaware of how much of their food supply is now genetically modified and contains dangerous amounts of agrochemicals. A few months back I wrote about the garden plants sold by Home Depot, Lowes and other retailers containing neonicotinoid pesticides and since we are approaching spring I will do so again. Thank you for your words of wisdom.

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  3. Hello,

    I came across your website while searching for help.

    I am new to keeping bees and delighted they survived their first winter
    with me. Today I looked in the hive and was saddened to find very few
    active bees. Their hive is only two boxes high with activity limited to the
    upper frames. I took a quick look at the lower half which seemed very
    quiet. There was what appeared to be a dusty residue on the lower frames.
    The bees that were alive seemed active yet I could not find any signs of new
    eggs being layed. Any suggestions? Thank you.

    Michael

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    1. Hi Michael, Most important is where are you? After winter your bees will probably move up to the upper frames and you may have mold in the lower depending on the winter moisture reduction you use (not a big problem usually). Where are you? What's the temperature and what's in bloom? How many frames of bees do you have (i.e small cluster)?

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  4. I stumbled onto your site through a link somewhere... and have been reading all day! You have collected such a fabulous wealth of information for beekeepers and bee friends. Thank YOU!
    Shanna Rose
    Applegate, Oregon

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    Replies
    1. You are welcome. I made it for all to learn and enjoy. Bee well.

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  5. Hello , I have recently moved here from the Toronto area. I was a member of the Toronto Beekeepers Cooperative for 3 years. I would love to participate in the Cottonwood Community Garden beekeepers cooperative. Is that possible? Thank you,
    Caroline

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    1. Hi Caroline, To be part of the Cottonwood Beekeeping Coop is possible. You must be a member of Cottonwood Community Garden, tend to your organic garden plot, come to 6 garden work parties per year, give half your honey to the garden to be sold to gardeners to raise money for the garden, attend some of the beekeeping coop get togethers and raise your bees organically. I think that's about it.

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