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• September Langstroth Hive Check Day

  • When
    Saturday, September 05, 2026
  •  
    7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    569 Hanley Rd. Central Point, OR 97502

  Meet at the club apiary early September 5th to learn about fall preparation on Langstroth hives. We will check the effectiveness of mite treatments and if needed, do a mite wash. 

  Please be aware, the Extension property uses a blue hose for irrigation purposes. If the water is on, DO NOT drive on it. People are welcome to park in the field at the former location of the apiary and walk across on the catwalk to the new location across the creek. 

  Enter at the research building parking lot and drive to the back of the property. Please be aware, the Extension building is not available, and the nearest portable restroom is a good walking distance away. Use the restroom before arriving. 

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• September Monthly Meeting

  • When
    Monday, September 14, 2026
  •  
    5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    412 E Main St, Rogue River, OR 97537

  SOBA monthly meetings are open to the public.  

  Due to a schedule conflict, the September meeting will take place at the Rogue River Library in the Community Meeting Room. The address is 412 E. Main St in Rogue River, OR. Due to these circumstances, the election of officers will take place at the October meeting. 

  The building is open at 5:00PM and some attendees bring a meal to eat onsite, or bring potluck to share. This is an informal time to socialize and engage with experienced beekeepers. 

  The main meeting begins at 6:00pm with a presentation by Jan Lohman of Project Apis M.  There have been several chapters in Jan’s life prior to becoming a commercial beekeeper; beginning with building and teaching pottery for a Blue Mountain College, then owning and operating a bookstore, Hermiston Book Company in Eastern Oregon for fifteen years. She began beekeeping in 1991 as partner to Vincent Vazza at Vazza Farms where they ran 2500 colonies, pollinating almonds in California, and cherries, pears, blueberries, melons, vegetable seed crops and buckwheat in the Pacific Northwest, until their retirement in 2017. They missed bees and their associations with beekeepers, so in 2019 began a sideliner outfit with a semi load of bees for five more years before getting out of pollination completely in 2023.

  Jan has been part of the Oregon State Beekeepers Association Board for over 25 years, as President for three years, Secretary for four years and currently as Grant and Foundation Chair. She also has been part of the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program since inception as an advisor, teaching a beekeeping class in Eastern Oregon and mentoring hobby beekeepers, and is still currently serving on the Oregon Master Beekeeper advisory committee, and on the executive board for Save the Bee.

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• Layen's Fall Hive Check and Winter Prep Day

  • When
    Saturday, October 10, 2026
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    569 Hanley Rd. Central Point, OR 997502

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       Hello beautiful bee people.  The time is finally here to open up the SOBA Layen's Hives and see how those bees have been doing since we last opened them in May.  We will also be putting them to bed for the winter, not to be opened again until after they swarm in the spring.

       ~We may or may not pull honey.  This will be determined by what we have going on inside the hive, as we need to leave enough for the bees to make it through winter cold and spring starvation.

       ~We will reduce the brood area and get the girls all snug as a bug in a rug. 

       ~We will also be doing a mite check for educational purposes, not with the intent to treat. 

       The club has two Layne's hives so we will compare how each has done this last year.  Our lavender hive was started in spring from a swarm we caught in the SOBA bee year in our Layen's swarm box trap.  The Orange hive lost its queen after it swarmed so was given a frame of eggs from the lavender hive and made a new queen from it. 

   ~We will show how quick and easy it is to manage this style of hive.  Great for the busy beekeeper who might work, have a family, or live a snow bird lifestyle with being away for months at a time. 

  ~Demonstrate how its design is highly compatible and adaptable to those who are struggling with physical limitations through age or disability. 

  ~Discuss its design style and the significance it has in regenerative and holistic beekeeping.

  ~See how it has fared in the heat and sunlight with possible comb collapse before we got the shade structures up.   

  ~And discuss how it aligns with treatment free beekeeping practices. 

  
  

       So if you are interested in Layen's Hives and would like to see if they might be for you, would like to learn how to put your Layne's hive to bed for the winter, or just love to geek out on all things bees come join us. 

  Hope to see you there.

      * We are always subject to the weather so date and time are subject to change*

  Attendees must bring protective gear, especially a veil for face protection  and wear close toed shoes. Please do not wear black clothing, heavy perfumes, or open toed shoes. 

  Please be sure to use the restroom before going to the apiary. We are meeting at the club apiary - not in the Extension auditorium or the Research building. Bring your own water and snacks.

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