We have decided to reorganize the meetings to better server our membership. The business portion of the meeting which is good and important to the association but less important than sharing knowledge of beekeeping, has been moved to a seperate meeting. So now, following the beginner class there will be much more time for beekeeping discussions at the general meeting. Keep in mind all meetings are open to all members and guests.

The West Sound Beekeepers Association general membership meeting is on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7:00p.m. at Stedman's Bee Supplies located at 3763 NW Anderson Hill Road, Silverdale, Washington.

The general membership meeting follows the beginner beekeeping class that meets from 6:00p.m. to 6:45p.m. Paul is going to try to get beginners to hold some of their questions for the general meeting in hopes of ending the class on time, allowing the meeting to start on time, and have beginners primed with questions for the more experienced beekeepers in the room to help answer. The meeting lasts for two hours. The first hour is dedicated to supplying answers to the beekeeping questions of the day and evolves into a very good sharing of knowlege among the membership. The second hour is generally reserved for a focused presentation on a diverse range of topics of interest to beekeepers. Some examples of recent topics are - Fall Colony Management, Integrated Pest Management, Marketing Honey, Native Bees, Apitherapy. There has been talk of having the presentation first followed by the bee discussions to see if it works better. Sometimes a presentation is replaced with an activity at the apiary. These can be incredible times to learn by observing or learn by participating.

The West Sound Beekeepers Association Steering Committee meeting is on the 1st Tuesday of every month at 7:00p.m. at Stedman's Bee Supplies located at 3763 NW Anderson Hill Road, Silverdale, Washington.

The steering committee meeting is open to all members. The focus of this meeting is to take care of the business portion, committee tasking, and planning for the associations. Once word gets out as to the material discusssed at these meetings, I would expect more than just officers and committee members to start showing up. Just hearing on what is currently happening with the association apiary makes this meeting worth attending. One of the tasks being worked on is the association bylaws to establish a board of trustees and allow the association to run more smothly through the annual elections.

In August the general meeting is held as a summer potluck picnic, location and actual time to be determined when the time gets close. In December the Association hosts the annual dinner meeting at a restaurant in conjunction with the popular annual WSBA auction.

Generally about 25-40 members are in attendance as well as a couple of visitors. Guests and prospective members are most welcome to drop in on any meeting. Regular membership dues are $24 per year.

If you require assistance with directions to get to the meeting location or general questions abount the meetings please call our President TJ Jorgenson at 206-851-4706 or by email at president@westsoundbees.org

Map of the meeting location: