by Todd Youngblood

Dear Friends,

We have had some positive changes in the rainfall department in south Texas since my last article. In early September we received some very general amounts of rain. Some places received more than others, but it was all very welcome. At my warehouse, we received four inches and at my home, I had six inches. The best part is that everybody had some. It has really changed the outlook for next season. Although it is early, it was a very timely rain as for improving the prospect for a good brush honey crop next spring. We will need some good follow up rain, but this is a good start. I think my bees are in better condition right now than they have been in the last couple of years. I am not sure why, but I am very pleased. We have switched from corn syrup to sugar syrup and are feeding some essential oils mixed in the feed. Occasionally, we will drench the colonies with the oils and sugar syrup. My story is very common in the industry when I talk to other beekeepers. It seems that everybody is doing something different, so it is hard to pin point what is making the difference. I hope you are experiencing the same.
John Talbert has been hard at work on the agenda for the upcoming Convention. He has put together a great group of speakers who I think will be very informative about their topics. We will be having a panel discussion on the Rasberry Crazy Ants that have moved into the Houston area, as well as, updates on some of the other pests that we are constantly dealing with. On Thursday, we will have our Kids Learning About Bees program put on by the Honey Queens and also have Dr. Larry Connor talking about advanced beekeeping. And as usual, we plan on having the business meeting after lunch on Saturday with the Annual Banquet on Saturday night. I hope you have made plans to be there so we can share our experiences with you. If you are planning to attend, take advantage of the early registration and receive a discount on the price.
As for the Honey Bee Research Center in College Station, we continue to make progress in the construction. Monica Delisa and Chad Wootton will be giving an update at the Convention in Tyler. It is hard to believe we are nearing completion of this project. We are almost finished and then it will be time to put this facility to good use for the benefit of the whole industry. We will continue to need your support and input as we move into the next phase of this project. So stay involved. We have set February 20, 2010 as the dedication/ribbon cutting event. I hope you will make plans to join us on this day.
Thanks,
Todd Youngblood, TBA President