ROTARY WEEK VOL 5 NO 1

 ROTARY WEEK EDITOR:    MAQUOKETA ROTARIAN DENNIS VOY

EDITOR NOTE:   WEEK IS THE START OF YEAR FIVE FOR THIS WEEKLY

APIARY PROGRAM TODAY (10-11) BY

GUEST DAVE HAYES, GUEST OF ROTARIAN AL TUBBS...

DAVE OPERATES "PRAIRIE CREEK HONEY" WITH 10 HIVES, UP FROM 7 LAST YEAR.
HE PRODUCED 500 POUNDS OF HONEY THIS SUMMER.   HE SHOWED
HOW HE COLLECTS THE  HONEY AND HE DISCUSSED THE SEX LIFE OF
BEES.    THE QUEEN LEAVES THE  HIVE EARLY IN THE YEAR, MATES WITH 6 OR 7 DRONES AND  GOES BACK TO HIVE AND PRODUCES 1500 EGGS A DAY FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER.   TO GET STARTED IN THE BEE BUSINESS, YOU CAN BUY A BOX OF BEES TO POPULATE A HIVE.   THE BOX HAS 1 QUEEN AND
UP TO 10,000 WORKERS.   THE QUEEN HAS TO FLY OUT OF THE HIVE AND
MATE WITH DRONES FROM OTHER EXISTING HIVES.    DAVE EXPLAINED
HOW HE CARRIES THE BEES THROUGH WINTER.    HE SHOWED THE TOOLS
HE USES TO DEAL WITH THE ACTIVE HIVES AND HARVEST THE  HONEY.
HE BROUGHT SOME HONEY TO THE ROTARY MEETING AND ALL HAD A CHANCE TO TASTE IT.     HE DISCUSSED SOME OF THE CAUSES OF
"COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER" AND HOW HE ADDRESSES HIVE
HEALTH.    THIS STORY ABOUT DAVE BY ROTARIAN AL TUBBS FOR
ROTARY WEEK.
AL SAYS IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING PROGRAM.
DAVE, BY THE WAY, IS RETIRED, AND SPENT MANY YEARS WORKING FOR  CITY RECREATION DEPARTMENT.    HIS WIFE IS A MAQUOKETA NATIVE TOO,
DARLENE BRADY.

PHOTOS BY ROTARIANS NORM KENNEDY AND SCOTT WARREN.