The North Central Missouri Beekeepers met on July 10, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the Macon High School. 
Bob Brammer encouraged all to become members of the Missouri State Beekeepers Association (MSBA). They are asking for volunteers for the Missouri State Fair for working in the booth for MSBA. If interested please contact them.
Tammy George has set up a facebook page for our group North Central Beekeepers Association, if you would like to join and keep up with the news.
The club has bought a MISCO refracto meter for all to use which it checks the moisture of the honey. It was $371.00. Six members got their honey tested and results were 15% to 18.8%.  The normal should be  lower then 18.5% and 17% is ideal.  
The treasurer Dan West reported that the balance of the checking account is $1298.34.
Reminder of the 2017 Fall Conference in Springfield , Missouri on October 27 & 28th. It will be held at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. The cost will be $80.00 per person and $104.00 per night.
Bob then passed around the Missouri State Beekeepers Newletter.  
The Pulaski County Sheltered Workshop will put your honey in sticks if you would like for $.10 per stick.  If interested contact is Lacie Karr at phone: 573-765-2500 or website is www.pcsw.org, or email is pcsw2@outlook.com. 
Did a question and answer session:
Swarming:  May is worth a bail of hay, June is worth a silver spoon, and July is worth a fly.
Show and Tell: 
Janet brought in a partial drawn frame with six eggs per cell.
Bob’s advice was the hive queenless- virgin queen moved frame watched hatch of new hive.
Program was Gidgets and Gizmos:
Scott discussed about switching to all medium boxes, figuring out how to do nuc 
(Michael Palmer ) info.
Scott bought ½”“ plywood sheet and it makes  nuc boxes med or 6 deep boxes 
Frames {(open) foundationless. A proper box and feed for winter is just as good as a Big Box Big Cluster!
Cheap frame hold- 2 carriage bolts-and a piece of wood bend the bolts to hold on side of hive box.
Kenny- talked about a feeder.  He bought a 18 qt wash tub fill with straw and put 4 gallon of s4 gallon of syrup in it and the honeybees won’t drown because they have the straw to stand on.
Bob talked about his frame holder, swarm bucket sweeper-need suction on top of entrance, inner bucket with screen wire on 6 holes and 2 holes in outer bucket, then turn bucket adjust holes for suction strength.  Use to be able to buy the top called a Bucket Buddy.                                                                 Swarm bucket- 2 lines pull one to shut lid extendable pole to bottom of bucket. 
Making frames instrument-jig for using on table saw, also showed how he rigged up a utensil to cut the handle for the boxes with the circular saw.
Triangle bee escape if want plans can email.
Jig for angles for table saw. 
Made rack for comb honeycomb pot melt wax, to attach wax comb to frame with tool.
Jack- talked about his entrance board hive beetle problem took #8 screen wire on bottom with beetle trap under the entrance board so beetles would have to walk over it and drop in the trap.
Winter/summer entrance with hinge for winter to get small entrance.
Feeder lid- middle of top of hive cover lid put feeder and in winter put a winter cap on it.
Use metal locks instead of bricks for the wind on the hives.
He also discussed his marshmellow feeder and he does this the last 2 weeks of November.   
Also the attendees discussed hive beetle problems what to do.
Door prize drawing was done.
Next meeting will be held August 9th,  Program will be Catching Feral Bees.
Submitted by Joy Hoyt