Tyree Kiser – June Club Speaker

You won’t want to miss our June 5, 2012 Haywood County Beekeepers Club meeting. Tyree Kiser, experienced beekeeper and current club director, will be speaking on the following relevant topics:

1. Using a double screen for swarm prevention, dividing hives, and making nucs
2. Having an apiary away from your house for a particular reason, i.e. making sourwood honey; how to set it up and how to manage those hives.
3. Extracting your honey, different ways to package, sell or give away to friends

Swarms, Swarms, and more Swarms!

Kathy Taylor inspects hives

• Keep a nuc box or spare hive in your car at all times.
• Keep some sugar water in a spray bottle ready for feeding your swarm.
• Try to keep some drawn cone if at all possible.
• Keep a supply bucket.

I have been fortunate with swarms until today. I was called about a swarm from one of my hives in another location other than 195.  Upon arrival I discovered the swarm was not clustered but lining the trunk of the tree starting midway to the top.  I have only been a beekeeper for five years, and I believe this year I have seen the most unusual types of swarms.

When I first started beekeeping all my swarms were beautiful clusters. The first one was lining the trunk of an apple tree, the second was on a limb barely strong enough to hold leaves and the next was in the middle of a multi-flower rose bush.

Nothing is easy but don’t put yourself in danger.  Remember we need bees to populate the hollow trees!

Hope to see you Tuesday at our monthly meeting.  You can learn a lot from others.

As always, I enjoy talking with you and hearing your stories.

BEE GOOD

KT

Reducing Colony Losses Webinar and Survey

Dennis vanEngelsdorp

You are inivited to a free Webinar sponsored by Brushy Mountain Bee Farm which will take place on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 7:00pm-8:00pm.

Dennis vanEngelsdorp (Project Director for Bee Informed Partnership) will discuss the importance of the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) project and how it is working to reduce colony losses.

BIP will be conducting a national survey for beekeepers beginning April 2 and ending April 20, 2012. It is an attempt to link different management practices with different levels of winter mortality. This webinar is going to explain the process and the results that will come from the survey. This is a great opportunity for beekeepers to find out techniques and methods to prevent deaths within colonies.

For the effort to be successful, it requires beekeeper involvement. Be part of the solution. Learn why it is vital for all beekeepers to be involved and the benefits you will receive.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Space is limited!  Sign up for the Webinar today. You will receive a confirmation email from Shane Gebauer of Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.  On the evening of March 27th, you will need to refer to the confirmation email in order to join in on the webinar.

Annual Hive Inspection in April

Jack Hanel, a 50 year veteran beekeeper and North Carolina Apiary Inspector for 25 years, will be conducting his annual hive inspections on April 2, 3, & 4.

A resident of Ashville, NC, his region of responsibility is the mountains of Western NC. Jack and his colleagues work tirelessly with beekeepers throughout the state to keep a healthy and thriving bee population, as well as to educate beekeepers in proper management techniques.

Anyone in Haywood County who maintains honeybee hives is eligible. Call (828) 452-2741 to schedule your inspection today.

Early Blooming Plants Attract Honeybees

Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale

Spring is just around the corner. As beekeepers we want to incorporate into our landscape a variety of plants that bees love. From now until March 23, 2012 the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Association is having its annual plant sale. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to purchase plants that are an excellent pollination source for our bees, while at the same time contribute to horticultural grants in Haywood County. Please tell your friends.

In 2011, the Haywood County Beekeepers Club proudly received a $1,200 grant by the Master Gardener Volunteer Association. This grant made it possible for the club to purchase much needed honey extraction equipment which will be shared by all members.

Here is a partial list of available plants:

• Blueberries (mixed varieties for pollination)
• Black Raspberry
• Red Raspberry
• Jersey Knights Asparagus
• American Hazelnut
• Shadbush Serviceberry
• Black Elderberry
• Strawberries (several varieties)
• White Mulberry (new this year)
• American PawPaw (new this year)

Plants will be available for pickup from 1 to 6 p.m., April 14, 2012 at the Cooperative Extension Center.

Here is an Order Form you can fill out via your computer, print and mail to the Cooperative Extension Office with payment. IMPORTANT: Be sure to program your printer to only print pages 1-2. You can save a copy of your completed order form to your computer or print an extra copy for your records.

If you wish to order strawberries, the prices will pop up on the order form when you put your cursor in the “Number” column.

If you have any questions, call Erin Freeman at (828) 456-3575

Sale Ends March 23, 2012

Don’t Delay! Order Today! Do it for the bees!

PLANT SALE PROFITS ARE USED FOR HORTICULTURAL GRANTS IN HAYWOOD COUNTY