Hello Friends,
It’s been a few weeks, but it is nice to be back at Skidompha! Thank you-thank you very much to Chloe, Meghan, and Becky for doing a superlative job with Note duties while I was away.
Some great news-bees are back in Skidompha! A grateful thanks to the Knox Lincoln County Beekeepers for making this possible. You may remember that our bee population dwindled over the winter until we no longer had a sustainable colony. Cue the Knox Lincoln County Beekeepers who temporarily removed our hive, cleaned it up, supplied new comb and frames, re-hived a new bee colony, and reinstalled it upstairs.
Sadly, losing a colony over the winter is fairly common. The State of Maine reported statewide hive loss was 30.8% (summer: 6.2%, winter: 24.6%) between April 2024 and April 2025. Loss can occur from any number of issues, including queen failure, Varroa Mites (parasites) and viruses, robbing, environmental factors, or starvation. And sometimes hives just fail for no discernable reason. We’ve been fortunate to have our hive for 5 years and during that time it has been a source of tremendous joy and fascination.
We understand our bees mean a lot to our patrons, and they are precious to us as well. It felt oddly empty in Skidompha not having a working colony and I appreciate the KLCB’s help so much for making us whole again! So please stop by and visit our new bees. It is a dynamic time for the colony. They are festooning and building beautiful new comb, bringing in pollen and nectar, dancing like the whole hive is watching, and the queen is busy laying to build the colony.
I also want to bring attention to our Annual Summer Read Program’s official kickoff party happening this Saturday, June 6th, from 10am to 2pm. Remember, Summer Read is open to all ages with different programs and prizes for children, teens, and adults. We have some intergenerational programming scheduled as well. So come pick up your summer reading Bingo sheet, take a ride on the smoothie bike and get free books, prizes, ice pops, temporary tattoos, and more!
Briefly, a few benefits to readers in participating in Summer Read include:
- Generating interest in the library and books, and supporting reading as a lifelong habit.
- Activities and programs can draw in reluctant readers and break down reading reluctance.
- Reading over the summer prevents the “Summer Slide” and helps children keep their skills up while on break from school.
- It’s a lot of fun and we would love to see you!
Be well,
Matthew
Matthew Graff
Executive Director
Skidompha Public Library