Brown County Beekeepers Association

🌼🐝 A Special Invitation from Ken Sikora! 🐝🌼

BCBA Past President and longtime legacy member Ken Sikora is opening up his 5-acre pollinator gardens to fellow BCBA members this Saturday morning, August 8, from 9:00 AM–Noon.

And judging by these pictures…there is a LOT to see! 🌻🌸🐝

Ken has an incredible variety of blooming wildflowers and pollinator plants and is inviting members to walk the property, take pictures, identify plants, and see firsthand what’s providing forage for honey bees and our native pollinators this time of year.

📍 978 Lakeview, Howard
⏰ Saturday | 9:00 AM–Noon

Interested in going? Please comment below so we can give Ken an idea of who plans to stop by.

A big thank you to Ken for opening his property and sharing his years of knowledge with our members! 💛🐝

🐝💛 The Next Generation of Beekeepers Has Arrived! 💛🐝

One of the highlights of our Summer Picnic had to be seeing Chris and Krista DeWolfe’s future beekeepers stealing the show!

Big brother Bennett was the lucky winner of the youth beekeeping suit, generously donated by Ed Poillion, and we think it’s safe to say he’s ready for his very first hive inspection. 😍🐝

And with the recent arrival of baby Colton, the DeWolfe family has officially expanded their queen-rearing program into beekeeper rearing! 😂

Congratulations to Chris, Krista, Bennett, and Colton. We can’t wait to watch these young beekeepers grow up alongside the Brown County Beekeepers Association. The future of BCBA is looking pretty bright! 💛🐝🌻

🐝☀️ **Today's the Day BCBA Members!** ☀️🐝

The wait is over! Grab your family, bring your favorite dish, and join us tonight for one of the best evenings of the beekeeping season.

Whether you're a brand-new beekeeper or you've been keeping bees for decades, this is your chance to relax, enjoy great food, catch up with friends, swap bee stories, and make a few new ones.

📍 **Green Bay Botanical Garden Outdoor Patio** *(inside if it rains)*
🕠 **5:30–8:30 PM**

# # # Tonight's Highlights:

🌭 Great food and fellowship
🐝 Bee talk with fellow members
🎟️ Our biggest raffle of the year featuring dozens of fantastic prizes—including a Hansen Honey Farm ventilated beekeeping jacket!
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly fun for all ages

**Don't forget!**
🎁 We are still accepting **new or unused raffle donations**. They don't have to be beekeeping related—homemade crafts, gift baskets, home décor, kitchen items, gift cards, and other unique items are all appreciated and help support BCBA education and outreach.

If you haven't RSVP'd yet, there's still time! Text or call **Dick & Carol Sturm** at **920-475-7301** with:
✅ Your RSVP
✅ How many will be attending
✅ What dish or raffle item you'll be bringing

Let's celebrate another great season of beekeeping together. We can't wait to see everyone tonight! 🐝💛🌻

The 2026 **Tom Cashman Grant Team** is pleased to offer a limited number of **Lloyd Street VSH queen cells** for sale at the **BCBA Summer Picnic** on **Wednesday, July 15**.

**Details:**

🐝 **6–8 queen cells available**
💲 **$10 per cell**
📍 **Available beginning at 4:00 PM** at the Green Bay Botanical Garden
📱 **Reserve yours by texting Dick Sturm at 920-722-5141**

Please note that queen cells should be placed into a **queenless mating nuc as soon as possible** after pickup to maximize their chances of success.

Supplies are limited and will be available on a first-reserved basis. If you've been thinking about raising your own locally adapted VSH queens, this is a great opportunity! 🐝

🎟️🐝 **BCBA Summer Picnic Raffle is Shaping Up to Be Our Best Yet!** 🐝🎟️

If you needed one more reason to join us on **Wednesday, July 15**, here it is!

We've already received an incredible collection of raffle prizes, including:
🎁 A **Hansen Honey Farm Ventilated Beekeeping Jacket** (our Grand Prize!)
🧺 Beautiful gift baskets
🍯 Honey-themed gifts
🏡 Home décor
🛠️ Beekeeping tools and equipment
🎨 Handmade creations from talented BCBA members
..and we're still adding more!

**🎟️ Raffle Tickets**
• **$5 = 10 tickets**
• **$20 = Arm's Length of Tickets (approximately 50 tickets!)**

Browse the raffle table while you visit with friends, then place as many tickets as you'd like into the bucket for the prizes you want to win. One winner will be drawn for each item at the end of the evening!

# # # We'd Love Your Help!

We're still accepting **new or unused raffle donations**. They don't have to be beekeeping related! Homemade crafts, gift baskets, home décor, kitchen items, gift cards, hobby items, and other unique treasures are all welcome. Smaller items can be added to baskets, while larger items can stand alone as individual prizes.

# # # Please RSVP

Text or call **Dick & Carol Sturm** at **920-475-7301** with:
✅ Your RSVP
✅ How many will be attending
✅ What dish or raffle item you'll be bringing

📅 **Wednesday, July 15**
🕠 **5:30–8:30 PM**
📍 **Green Bay Botanical Garden Outdoor Patio** *(inside if it rains)*

Come hungry, bring the family, and enjoy an evening of great food, fellowship, bee talk, and plenty of chances to head home with an awesome prize.

We can't wait to see everyone there! 🐝🌻

🐝☀️ **Only One Week Until the BCBA Summer Picnic!** ☀️🐝

Our annual Summer Picnic is almost here, and it's shaping up to be another fantastic evening of great food, fellowship, door prizes, raffles, and plenty of bee talk!

Our members have already signed up to bring an incredible variety of appetizers, salads, baked beans, and desserts. **The club will provide the BBQ pork, hot dogs, buns, condiments, plates, napkins, cups, and silverware.**

🍽️ We could still use a few more items:

🥬 Coleslaw
🥒 Pickles
🍉 Fresh Fruit
🥕 Vegetable Tray

🙋 Volunteers Needed

We're also looking for **a few more helping hands** for:
✅ **Setup Crew** (before the picnic)
✅ **Cleanup Crew** (after the picnic)

If you can help, **comment below** or **text Wayne Steigelman at (920) 241-2226.** Even 15–20 minutes of your time makes a big difference!

📲 RSVP

Please **text or call Dick & Carol Sturm at (920) 475-7301** with:
✔️ Your RSVP
✔️ How many are attending
✔️ What dish or item you'll be bringing

📍 **Green Bay Botanical Garden – Outdoor Patio** *(inside if it rains)*
📅 **Wednesday, July 15**
🕠 **5:30–8:30 PM**

Bring your family, bring your appetite, and come enjoy one of BCBA's favorite traditions. We can't wait to spend a relaxing summer evening with our beekeeping family! 🐝🍔🍯🌻

🐝💙 A New Beekeeper Has Arrived… Well, Almost! 💙🐝

Please join the Brown County Beekeepers Association in congratulating our Secretary, Chris DeWolfe, his wife Krista, and big brother Bennett on the arrival of Baby Colton James! Congratulations to the entire DeWolfe family! 🎉👶

Chris has spent years raising outstanding queen genetics in the apiary… and now it looks like he’s working on raising the next generation of beekeepers too! 😂

With Bennett already serving as an excellent “assistant beekeeper,” we’d say the DeWolfe family is well on their way to producing future BCBA members—and maybe even a future club president or two. 🐝❤️

Congratulations, Chris and Krista! We wish your growing family a lifetime of happiness, health, and sweet memories together.

Welcome to the hive, Colton James! 🍯🐝💙