Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association

Charter:  For the charitable purpose of promoting interest in honey bees and beekeeping by encouraging good beekeeping practices in Illinois, promoting the utilization of honey,  pollination of agricultural crops, and the dissemination of information about bees and beekeeping in northern Illinois.”

The Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association (NIBA) meets six times a year in Woodstock, Illinois. Membership is open to all interested in beekeeping and related activities. NIBA is affiliated with the Illinois State Beekeepers Association (ISBA) and its members will receive the newsletters and membership benefits from both organizations.

Next Meeting  *** Friday, June 19, 2009 ***

We look forward to seeing you there.  Please get the word out to ALL INTERESTED BEEKEEPERS who might want to attend!  This meeting will be at the "Bee Yard."  If you're a member you will have the location from Sweet Stuff (our Newsletter).  If you're not a member and interested in attending then come to the Farm Bureau and we'll get you there.

NIBA Meetings

NIBA Meetings are held at 7:30pm on the third Friday of the month (February, March, April, May, June, September, and October) at the McHenry County Farm Bureau (1102 McConnell Road, in Woodstock, IL). Please join us; everyone is welcome! 

Remaining meeting dates for 2009 will be June 19, September 18, October 16.  We will have a Summer Outing on July 25 at Doug Hawthorne's place.  Don't forget our booth at the McHenry County Fair from July 29 through August 2, 2009.

NIBA sincerely thanks the McHenry County Farm Bureau for providing us with a convenient meeting place. They coordinate “Agriculture in the Classroom” every other year and feature Beekeeping and its benefits to agriculture.  That’s important to us all.  Please consider joining the Farm Bureau. There are numerous discounts and benefits available to all IFB members at a modest cost in support of their objectives.

IMPORTANT Announcements

Consider Joining Us

Membership is open to anyone interested in beekeeping or in bee, honey, or related activities.

NIBA dues include membership in the Illinois State Beekeepers Association ($10) so you also receive their newsletter and benefits like discounts on the two Beekeeping Journals. NIBA/ISBA dues for 2008 will be $19 and may be paid at any of the club meeting or mailed to our Treasurer Doug Hawthorne. Dues should be paid by the March 21, 2008 meeting in order to remain the mailing list. Please fill out a Membership Form and return with your dues.  Please make checks payable to Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association.  Bee Orders will be due by March 28, 2008 meeting.

Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association
c/o Doug Hawthorne
7517
Ryan Road
Harvard, IL 60033

 

Status of the C.C. Miller Collection at University of Wisconsin, Madison

C.C. Miller (born Charles C. Miller although he was always referred to as C.C.) became an important figure in beekeeping in this country.  Of meager roots he became a physician but his nature and his health did not permit him to become successful in his actual practice.  He eventually settled in Marengo, IL and is reported to have became a beekeeper as a result of a swarm of bees that took residence on the porch of his home in 1861.  He became a rather prominent figure in beekeeping by way of his writings and has been described as the largest comb honey producer in this country at that time.

Miller began his personal account of the honey business in 1886 with “A Year Among the Bees,” in which he announced he had "made the production of honey his exclusive business" for eight years.  This was expanded into “Forty Years Among the Bees” (1903, 2nd ed. 1906), and then into his classic, “Fifty Years Among the Bees” (1911), culminating with “A Thousand Answers to Beekeeping Questions” (1917).  Miller also edited the “American Bee Journal” and produced a popular monthly advice column answering reader's questions.  In honor of his fifty years of writing about apiculture, and his gift of his personal beekeeping library, the University of Wisconsin named its apicultural library the Dr. C.C. Miller Library.

Jill Rosenshield, currently Curator of the C.C. Miller collection at UW Madison, reports that they have nearly completed cataloging the books in the Charles C. Miller Memorial Apicultural Library. You can go to http://www.library.wisc.edu and type in the author: “Charles C. Miller Memorial Apicultural Library” to see the 2361 + titles.  Eventually the collection will be digitized by Google, although a rather large number of titles will not be able to be digitized because they are too fragile or because they are bound together (i.e. several distinct titles in one volume).  Further updates on the progress of this project will be reported here.

NIBA Officers and Volunteer Positions

President: Kevin Keyfauver - Keyfauver(at)gmail.com
Vice President: Melissa Hurless - melissa_hurless(at)yahoo.com
Treasurer: Doug Hawthorne – foodman52(at)aol.com
Secretary: Rand Graham - randgraham(at)sbcglobal.net
NewBee Coordinator: Larry Krengel – lkrengel(at)mc.net
SweetStuff Editor: Josef Magyar – sweetstuff(at)epros.com
Directors: tbd per President
Historian: Father Time  (Hey!  How about you?  You know, we could use someone.)

Librarian(s): Bob (and Diana) Stockwell - dlsxtwo(at)hotmail.com
Senior Web Lackee: Erik Whalen-Pedersen – NIBA(at)mchsi.com
NIBA Summer Meeting Coordinator
Janice Franco -  JKFranco(at)aol.com
McHenry County Fair Coordinator – Lynn Rosemann 

Essential Information for All Beekeepers in Illinois

Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act
Illinois Administrative Code - Bees and Beekeeping
Illinois Apiary Registration Form (Required Annually for ALL Beekeepers!)
Illinois Apiary Inspectors
Illinois Apiary Inspection Regions

NIBA Member Information – Fair Info, Newsletters and Events
Illinois State Beekeepers Association
Illinois State Beekeepers Association Discussion Forum
Bee-L - Discussion of Beekeeping Issues & Bee Biology
BeeSource
- Discussion Forum
Beekeeping Resources (Bee Supplies, Publications, DIY Plans)
Midwest Beekeeper - Free Newsletter Download

A Rogues Gallery of Common Stinging Insects

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Bees

Our "Don't Try This at Home" Page

Email NIBA - Whether you're interested in Beekeeping in Northern Illinois or are you are a member in need of some additional information, you can contact us by sending an e-mail to: NIBA(at)mchsi.com

Last updated 03 APR 2009, Copyright NIBA (2005-2009)