Sung Lee's split workshop part 3, Saturday at noon in Hayward. Free!

[Rob Mathews, 2025 ACBA President]

Sung Lee (the club's own Bee Charmer!) has been demonstrating how to make splits at the club apiary in Hayward.

This week, he'll be there again, giving us the final update on what to look for after you've made a split. Did the queen hatch and mate? What about eggs and brood? Are there enough bees of each type? We'll learn how to fix it when things go wrong.

This is free for members, and there are five slots left. You can get more details and sign up on the event web page here.

Although it's been rainy, it's fortunately projected that it will not rain in Hayward tomorrow, so the event is still happening.

[Rob Mathews, 2025 ACBA President]

(And Sung reminded me that he plans to raffle off one of the splits to a lucky winner at the event, so this might be your chance to get free bees!)

[Rob Mathews, 2025 ACBA President]

Yesterday's workshop with Sung Lee was super fun and super successful. It was a gorgeous day: the world was washed clean but sunny and warm. Here's an album of pictures and videos.

This 8 minute video of Sung opening up a queen cell gives you a good idea of what it's like to be at one of these events: low-key, relaxed, but super educational. Sung put an edited version on his YouTube channel.

I personally learned about the dark ring around the end of a queen cell when it's about to hatch. And some garden kids got their first experience with bees, after first standing back because "I'm afraid they'll bite".

There's more hive dives coming up: I'll be leading one for beginners on March 29, and Sung plans to lead workshops on Maximizing Honey Production and Hive Management. So watch this space and keep an eye on the club website.

Thanks Sung!

(Also, the pollinator garden work day was in full swing, pulling weeds from the fertile soil. Phil and Thom, it looks great.)

[Ralph Szur]

Thanks to Sung Lee for his excellent program at the Bee yard. Here is some follow up information about the brown ring at the base of the queen cell, indicating evidence emergence.,"A queen bee secretes queen mandibular gland pheromones and other glandular secretions to help soften the wax of the queen cell cap before emerging. One key enzyme involved in this process is β-glucosidase, which helps break down the wax structure, making it easier for the queen to chew her way out. Additionally, worker bees often assist by thinning the wax cap in response to the queen's signals."