The Valley Hive 3rd Annual Honey Competition & Recipe Contest

The Valley Hive
10538 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Sunday, August 12th 4-7pm
https://www.facebook.com/thevalleyhive/

https://www.facebook.com/events/471608013283828/

Looking for a little old fashioned summertime fun? Stop by The Valley Hive on Sunday, August 12th from 4-7pm for the 3rd Annual Honey Competition & Recipe Contest. Taste honey from local backyard beekeepers and sample dishes made with honey. Kids activities, workshops, and local vendors will be on hand as well. To enter the competition or submit a recipe, send an email to info@thevalleyhive.com. This event is FREE to the public.

The Valley Hive's Startup Guide

The Valley Hive’s Startup Guide

Located in the northwest San Fernando Valley, The Valley Hive specializes in helping urban beekeepers start and maintain backyard hives safely in the greater Los Angeles area. 

Packaged bees are now for sale on their website featuring Italian bees with Minnesota Hygienics, a strain that has shown to be increasingly resistant to varroa mites. These packages will be available for pickup in early April but they are selling out fast, so be sure to reserve yours bees now at www.thevalleyhive.com.

Below are 5 tips to help ensure success with your first backyard hive:

Bee Educated: The Valley Hive hosts the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association Beekeeping 101 classes. Classes are FREE FOR ALL MEMBERS!  Come and meet new and veteran beekeepers in your area, and learn directly from them what works. This will include getting into the hives at the Valley Hive bee yard in Chatsworth.

Location, Location, Location: Hive placement on your property is important for you, any pets, your children, and the bees themselves. Per Los Angeles City Beekeeping Ordinance, the hive should not be in the front yard, the entrance should face away from, or parallel to, the nearest adjacent lot, and be a minimum of 20 feet away from public streets.  The hive boxes can become quite heavy when laden with honey so keep the colonies off roofs and hills. You can also have one of the beekeepers from The Valley Hive also offers FREE site surveys to determine the best location for your backyard hive.

H2O: Water - it’s good for you, and it’s good for your bees.  Before setting up a colony, make sure your water station is in place so your bees gather what they need from your yard and not from your neighbor’s pool.  There are many ways to do this; some are simple like a half barrel of water with water hyacinths to more elaborate fountains or birdbaths.  The bees like to fly a bit to get their water, so place their watering hole 20 feet away from the hive and in the direct sun where the bees are more likely to find it.  

    


Keep Nice Bees, Not Mean Bees:
  The buzz term for nice bees is “known genetics,” and that is what you want in an urban setting – Italian or Carniolan bees, received from a reputable distributor. The Valley Hive or Bill’s Bees, will have genetics renowned for gentleness.  Feral colonies can be dangerous to keep in the city with neighbors close by, so for safety, be sure to keep the “sweet” variety of bees in your backyard. 

Register Your New Apiary: To make it official, you must register your bee yard with Los Angeles County Dept. of Agriculture. You can download the form HERE. Registration is $20 a year, and it is meant to protect your bees in case there is a reported pesticide spraying nearby.  You may be given 24 hours’ notice to move your bees or to screen them in so they aren’t exposed to the application. 

One of the best ways to fully appreciate all that beekeeping has to offer, is to get involved with the local beekeeping community and take advantage of the amazing educational and community resources LACBA has to offer. This 5,000 year old craft is full of surprises.  Come to the monthly meetings, share your new knowledge with your family and friends, and know The Valley Hive is here to support you with the products and friendly service every step of the way.

Happy Buzzings!! 

Busy Week for LACBA Members!!!

Los Angeles County Beekeeping Class 101, Class #5, June 10, 2017, 9AM-Noon, hosted at The Valley Hive. Location: 9633 Baden Ave., Chatsworth, CA, 93063, (818) 260-6500. Bee Suits Required.
https://www.facebook.com/events/109590989583958/?ti=icl

/beekeeping-classes-losangeles/

6th Annual 2017 California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship, Saturday, June 10, 2017, 9:00AM-5PM  Central Park in Downtown Fillmore, CA. LACBA members/beekeepers ride the rails from the park to Bennet's Honey Farm, sharing information, education, and bee stories along the way. Maybe you've only had a couple beekeeping classes and might not think you know much about bees -- you'd be surprised how much you learn in the doing and, you don't need to be an experienced beekeeper to help out at our Honey Bee Table. GREAT FUN!
Learn more: /events/, http://www.bennetthoney.com/BHF-Events.html

The Valley Hive Celebrates National Honeybee Day

The Valley Hive - 1st Honey Tasting and Recipe Contest in Celebration of National Honeybee Day.

When: Saturday, August 20th 4-7pm  

Where: The West End Tavern
21356 Devonshire Street
Chatsworth, CA 



Our friends at The West End Tavern in Chatsworth have generously offered their location for this event. Beatrice, the bartender extraordinaire, will be on hand to make her amazing Honey Cocktail creations. 

WHAT: Beekeepers from the Los Angeles area will have an opportunity to showcase their Backyard Honey. Each entry will be judged by our panel of Honey Experts from all over Southern California. After a winner is chosen, the honey will be available for public tasting.

 Why: It’s National Honeybee Day and that’s something to celebrate!

Guidelines to Enter: Is your honey the best in town? Do you have a favorite honey recipe? Entering our contest couldn’t be easier!!

1. Fill out the form

2. We need two 1 pound jars of your honey: one in an unmarked jar for the contest; the other jar should be labeled, and will be sold at the event. All proceeds will be donated to a charity dedicated to helping to Save the Buzz!  

3. Bring your honey to The Valley Hive or bring it to The West End Tavern by 3:30pm on August 20th. Be sure to fill out the form above so that we know to include your honey in the competition!

4. If you are entering a honey recipe, simply let us know what you are making and bring it to The West End Tavern by 3:30pm on August 20th.

 The Valley Hive Shipping Address is: 9633 Baden Avenue, Chatsworth, California 91311

The Valley Hive
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