2015 LACBA Holiday Banquet Recap

Our Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association Annual Holiday Banquet was held Monday, December 7 at Pickwick Gardens (in the beautiful Rose Garden Room). Once again, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner provided by Outback Catering (LACBA member Doug Noland). As always, LACBA members contributed an abundance of hors d'ourves and all kinds of sweet desserts.

LACBA President, Keith Roberts, introduced Inspector Conrad Burton, LA County Apiarist from the Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures. Inspector Burton provided lots of useful information on the Bees in Our Environment Apiary Program, pointed out the benefits of registering our hives, and directed us to links for the: Annual Apiary Registration Form • Annual Registration Notification Letter • California Food and Agricultural Code: Division 13: Section 29040-29056. He also brought along some brochures on Bees In Our Environment with helpful info on: Swarms, Feral Bee Colonies, Foraging Bees, Beekeepers, and Bee-Proofing Your Home.

The Golden Hive Tool Award (our President’s choice of someone who has shown great dedication to the club and thereby improved people’s experience of beekeeping) was awarded to Clyde Steese. For the past 19 years Clyde has volunteered countless hours at the Bee Booth at the LA County Fair. For the past seven years he has been the Chairman of the Bee Booth and heads off to the fair each year for five weeks on the momentous task of organizing, setting up, and overseeing the Bee Booth. The Bee Booth is a major highlight of the fair and the only fundraiser of the year for the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association. Through the efforts of LACBA members who volunteer at the Bee Booth, we use profits from honey sales to support all our club’s educational activities throughout the year, enables the LACBA to send member representatives to the California State Beekeepers Convention, and donates support for ongoing research and other activities for the benefit of honey bees. At our November meeting, the LACBA members voted to provide funding to the following organizations. During the CSBA Convention, the LACBA was privileged to present checks to:

American Beekeeping Federation - American Honey Queen Program
Bee-Girl Organization
Bee Informed Partnership
California State Beekeepers Association Research Fund
California State Beekeepers Association - Right to Farm Act
E.L. Nino Bee Lab - UC Davis
Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility
Pollinator Partnership
Project Apis m.

In February of each year, Clyde and his business partner, Bill Lewis, host the LACBA Beekeeping Class 101. One Sunday each month for nine months, new and seasoned beekeepers gather at Bill's Bees Bee Farm where Clyde, Bill, and experienced beekeepers from the LACBA, share their experience and knowledge in educating others about bees and beekeeping. Clyde Steese is also a past president of the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association.

Former receipants of the Golden Hive Tool Award include: Walt McBride, Don & Robin Mitchell, William (Bill) Lewis, William (Red) & Anne Bennett, Bill Rathfelder, StacyMcKenna, and Cynthia Caldera.

RAFFLE!!! Our yearly honey-bee theme “RAFFLE” brought in more funds for honey bee research. With tickets going at $1 a piece, there were lots of eager bees awaiting prizes. Keith and Jeremy Jensen (LACBA Vice President), outdid themselves this year with their entertainment skills.