New Bigger and Better Honey Show this Year

Information will be included in your Program book and also posted in the Registration Area when you arrive, along with the exact location of the drop-off area and of the Show itself.

ATTENTION! ALL HONEY SHOW PARTICIPANTS
If you use a Gamber Classic jar when entering the liquid honey categories and win 1st place you’ll receive a $100 Gamber Container gift certificate, if you win 2nd place you’ll receive a $50 Gamber Container gift certificate. This is a change from past years when Gamber offered a Savings Bond in each of these categories.

Drop Off Show Entries:
Tuesday 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday 10:30 a.m.–noon and 1:30-3:00 p.m.

Pick Up Entries
Friday After 3:15 p.m.

Show Rules, click here.  You can print them out.

• Extracted Honey, Creamed Honey
• Beeswax, pieces, candles, novelties
• Mead & Honey Beer
• Arts and Crafts
• Photography
• Gadget Show
• Honey Cookery
• Comb Honey, Cut Comb, Chunk, Frame of Honey

Need help? Click here for articles on preparing for the show.

Not Just Another Honey Show For EAS 2013

by Brian Marcy

Mike Palmer returns from the success of EAS Vermont to assist me, Doylestown, PA beekeeper, Brian Marcy, in the planning of another round of extraordinary show competitions for EAS 2013 at West Chester University in West Chester, PA. It’s a Honey Show. It’s a Beeswax Show. It’s a Mead Show. It’s an Arts & Crafts, Gadgets, Cookery and Photography Show. Be creative. Be precise. Be careful and check your creations twice - then thrice! First-timer? Why not.Every-timer? Welcome back! Read the rules and watch the web; there’ll be more to learn about the EAS competitions ahead.

Having grown up in Minnesota, I visit the ‘Great Get Together’, Minnesota’s State Fair, every summer with family.Each year I marvel at the oceans of state fair goers who, like me, pack themselves shoulder-to-shoulder into exhibit halls to see the annual flush of award ribbons for the year’s yield of crops, cakes, quilts, cows, and the myriad other crafted and living projects on display, including honey. I often catch myself wishing I was the judge of any one of the food competitions and wondering how entrants find the time and talent to create their wonderful entries.Living in Pennsylvania, I am most fortunate to repeat those experiences every January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest indoor agricultural event in the United States. Like a summer fair, the PA Farm Show exhibits the entries of the sweetest commodity of all – honey, along with all other honey bee products & creations. As a relatively new beekeeper, and even newer EAS attendee, I was excited to learn of Mike’s passion for the EAS Honey Show in Vermont and to see elements of a show that could rival some of the best shows in the country.

Let’s make a great honey show even better! For your part, prepare an entry – or several! Visit the EAS website often to find the show rules, to check details and updates about the EAS show competitions and to seek guidance on how to prepare your entries. Be sure that you read the show rules – ALL the rules! The show rules are the same as last year, but this year, deductions will not be made for glassware imperfections, in applicable categories, that are beyond the control of the entrant.

Judges will of course have category expertise for the entries that they evaluate, but this year we’re planning to provide entrants with more space to display their entries and more room for visitors to view and enjoy them. In addition to ribbon awards to acknowledge excellent entries, best in class entrants will win a beautiful engraved silver plate for their respective categories. The Best of Show entrant will be awarded a magnificent engraved silver bowl. For the epitome of bragging rights, be the EAS Sweepstakes winner, an award given to the entrant with the most wins, any wins, in all categories. Maybe you?!

Microscope Explorations

Come Explore with us.

WHAT IS IT?*  Please join us at the microscope "wet lab" during EAS 2013…

Your chance to see pollen, pathogens and parasites in real time - these are no mere images!  Learn to identity pollen, whether collected from your bees' knees or found in your honey.  Does this help identify what type of nectar sources your bees visited and therefore what type of honey is in the hive?  Diagnose common bacterial and viral infections peculiar to the honey bee.  Review the life cycle of their parasites to form the basis of your husbandry decisions.

This sticky board at 30X, was removed in December, after feeding syrup longer than commonly advised.  Consider the evidence: fresh, clean wax scales and mold filaments.  These may indicate young workers - and even brood - well into November, along with humid conditions, possibly created by the board impeding air flow and the water content of the syrup.  Don Coats, a member of the EAS 2013 Planning Committee, is developing this workshop and invites you to think about microscopic explorations in beekeeping.  Please reply to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your ideas and questions to explore at the microscope "wet lab"  in West Chester, PA.  August 5-9, 2013.

Microscopes kindly provided by Microscope.com

Short Course

In addition to the regular short course classes, two special elective classes have been added.

TopBar Hives (Monday):

The beeyard part of Top Bar Hives instruction is limited to 25 people. Please reserve your spot at registration.  Once the first session is full, we will offer afternoon sessions run by other beekeepers.

Train the Trainer (Tuesday):

The goal of this program is to provide training in how to conduct an efficient bee school.  This will help improve content delivery, maximize student learning, and promote beekeeping. The intent of this workshop is to learn how to teach effectively, leaving it up to each individual instructor what to teach. In short, this workshop is not about what to teach, but how to teach it.