Central Indiana Beekeepers Association (CIBA)
(report and photos by Bill Dorner and Pat Solenberg)
The weather was perfect on October 5 for CIBA’s Sugar Board Social. This annual party features a guest speaker, silent auction fundraiser, and, of course, a chance for members to make their sugar boards (a.k.a. candy boards) in preparation for winterizing their hives. As veteran beekeepers know, a sugar board is installed above the top hive box and below the inner cover. It provides emergency food, should the colony consume all its honey, and also absorbs condensation, keeping water from dripping down on the cluster throughout winter.
For the first time, the Social was held at Zionsville Lions Club Park, which has an enclosed picnic shelter. The 48 attendees were treated to a fascinating presentation by Ellie Symes, recipient of the TechPoint Rising Star Mira Award and founder of The Bee Corp, which was recently awarded a $750,000 National Science Foundation Grant. Ellie passionately described her rapid rise from apiary volunteer to CEO of an Indiana agtech startup developing solutions for commercial pollination.
Perhaps the most noteworthy item sold at the silent auction was a brood box beautifully painted by artist Susan Fordyce. Each side of the box depicted one of the four seasons. The auction netted over $700 for club coffers.
Other recent CIBA meetings have featured educational presentations by esteemed experts. The most frequent speakers have been Jim Berndt and our own Master Beekeeper David Hocutt. Jim typically presents a critical review of recent articles from “American Bee Journal” or “Bee Culture”. He is very talented at condensing and simplifying scientific content so that beekeepers of all experience levels can absorb it. David’s talks emphasize best practices, such as mite control and how to winterize hives. His delivery style is engaging, entertaining, and always humorous. CIBA is grateful to Jim and David for generously sharing their expertise with our club.
