June 13th Meeting Announcement


Dear Fellow Beekeepers:

Our June beekeeping meeting will be at the Oakboro, Music Hall, 213 Main Street, Oakboro, NC 28129, phone: 704-485-2244.

We will order dinner from the Los Jacubes menu at 6:00 pm followed by our meeting at 7:00 pm. Our speaker will be Nancy Ruppert, NC State Inspector. She will be speaking on Pests and Disease Management.

See you there

Advertisements

Upcoming Events


Fellow beekeepers, please keep the following dates in mind.  A lot of good conferences and meetings are coming up in the next couple of months.

June 13, 2019 Los Jacubes Mexican Restaurant  Oakboro, NC  28129  Dinner at 6 PM with meeting starting at 7 PM.  Guess speaker will be Nancy Ruppert, NCSBA Bee inspector, topic PESTS and DISEASE MANAGEMENT

July 15-19, 2019 EAS (EASTERN APICULTURAL SOCIETY)  Greenville, SC  Similar to out NCSAB but on a larger scale!  Google EAS , If you have never been, it is a fabulous meeting!

Mark Smith, Program Chairman with Cabarrus County Beekeepers has set up a meeting on July 23,2019 6-9 PM at Cabarrus Cooperative Extension  Stuart Anderson, inventor of the Flow Hive will be doing a presentation on the Flow Hive.

Stanly County, Union County, Rowan County and Cabarrus County beekeepers and any other interested people are invited to come and learn about this unique system of robbing your bees.

All bee clubs that have a club apiary can request a registration form to receive an educational flow hive.  The Association MUST have an active apiary that is accessible to new and existing members.

NCSBA State Bee Conference is on August 8-10,2019 in Hickory, NC.  Registration is open on the WEB.  Bee Buzz should be going out June 1 and there will be more information in it.  I have been assured that there will be no sandwiches or BBQ at the Friday night banquet.

Ellen McCarter

President Stanly County Beekeepers Association

October Meeting Announcement


THE STANLY COUNTY BEEKEEPERS WILL MEET AT THE STANLY AG CIVIC CENTER AT 7 PM WE WILL PROVIDE A LIGHT SUPPER STARTING AT 6 PM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND. MENU FRESH BBQ-SLAW-BEANS-YEAST ROLLS-TEA-WATER
WE HAVE SEVERAL ITEMS COMING UP IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS FOR OUTREACH AND EDUCATION. VOLUNTEERS WILL BE NEEDED TO HELP EDUCATE ABOUT HONEYBEES THEIR IMPORTANCE TO OUR ECOLOGY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FUN AND HELP THE CLUB PLEASE VOLUNTEER.
I WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK FROM OUR MEMBERS ON HOW THEIR BEES PREFORMED THIS YEAR SO FAR.
 SUCCESS (MADE NEW COLONY’S,HONEY PRODUCED, WAX, CROPS POLLINATED, QUEENS RAISED) AWARDS/RIBBONS WON
 PROBLEMS (SLOW BUILD UP, FOOD SHORTAGES, DISEASES WHAT KIND HOW DID YOU TREAT OR NOTYOUROUTCOME, LOST QUEENS-LOST BEES-LOST HIVES-WHY?
 AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A APOLOGY FOR THE LATE NOTICE OF THE MEETING

2018 Ag-Awareness Days Volunteers Needed


It’s time once again for our three day Agricultural Awareness Days event scheduled for November 6, 7 & 8. We will begin each day at 9 am and will conclude around 2 pm. The event was attended by almost 100% of Stanly County 3rd graders last year. During the event, students rotate through 12 hands-on agriculture stations where they learn about different aspects of agriculture and the environment.
We hope that you will join us by volunteering! This event would not be possible without our volunteers and we appreciate all of your help! We will provide lunch and snacks each day for all workers. If you have not already signed up, we hope that you will consider helping this year!
We are excited about the event and look forward to another successful educational experience for our third grade students with your help.
 
If you can help with this event, please contact Lisa Forrest by responding to this email or call the office @ 704.983.3987. Please let us know which days work best for you and if you have a station/duty preference!

Taking Care of Honey Bees During Storms


Hello Fellow Beeks:
This email arrived in my inbox this morning. It contains critical information on how to protect your hives during storms.

Good Luck Everyone,
Pat

williams, jason h
Sep 12, 2018, 11:48 AM (19 hours ago)
Beekeepers,

I wanted to reach out to all of the beekeepers that have registered with the Driftwatch (Beecheck Program), to remind you to prepare your hives for the approaching hurricane.  I have linked two articles below that will aid in this.  The first is written by Dr. David Tarpy, and is titled Protective Measures of Beehives During Hurricanes.  The second is from Dr. Michael Waldvogel and is titled “Bee” Kind If You Spray for Mosquitos.  Both of these articles are good resources for both beekeepers and mosquito applicators.

In the event that Hurricane Florence causes massive rainfall and flooding, a State of Emergency could be declared by the Commisioner of Agriculture.  If this occurs, the State would authorize exemptions from certain restrictions of aerial applications of pesticides to control the mosquito population.  If plans are made for wide-area mosquito applications, I will send out further updates on this matter.

https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/2017/09/protective-measures-of-beehives-during-hurricanes-2/

https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/2018/09/bee-kind-if-you-spray-for-mosquitoes/

Thanks and Happy Beekeeping

Jason Williams

Pesticide Operations Specialist

NCDA&CS – SPCAP

jason.williams@ncagr.gov

(919) 857-4151

1090 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699

Protective Measures of Beehives During Hurricanes


Have you seen this? Thanks Ron&Nancy I am forwarding it to everyone.

Protective Measures of Beehives During Hurricanes

— Written By David Tarpy

bee hivesWith track of hurricane Florence poised to make a significant impact on North Carolina, there are some important considerations for beekeepers who may be affected by the heavy rain and winds. Please further disseminate to your local network of beekeepers.

First, make sure hive equipment is secured to resist strong winds. A simple brick on the top lid is likely to be insufficient to keep the lid from flying off in winds above 50 mph. A lidless hive can cause problems for the bees by introducing moisture and letting heat escape. Strapping the lid down with ratchet straps or securing with duct tape might be in order, particularly for outlying yards. The same is true for hive boxes, particularly if they are relatively new (i.e., the bees have not yet propolized them together sufficiently). Also consider removing unnecessary boxes (e.g., top-hive feeders) to minimize the wind profile.
Second, be sure to have the hives on sturdy stands or level ground. Entire beehives can be blown over by strong winds, particularly when they are fairly tall with many honey supers or are otherwise top heavy. If the hives are on tall or insecure stands, you can move them onto (dry) level ground temporarily to lessen the chances that they topple. Importantly, if you’re using solid bottom boards, be sure to have your hives tilting forward so that rain water does not pool and collect on the floor of the hive.

Third, beware of falling trees and tree limbs. These can be particularly problematic for beehives since they can completely crush all equipment and kill the entire colony. It is also hard to prevent with some sort of barrier or cover because of the sheer weight of many trees, so if you apiary is in a wooded location you may need to move the hives temporarily.

Fourth, make sure the hives are not in low-lying areas or those prone to flooding. River banks can be useful apiary locations because of their proximity to fresh water, but in flooding conditions entire apiaries can be tragically swept away. Be sure to move any beehives in flood plains until the waters have subsided. Beehives on the ground but in recessed areas can cause water to flood the entrances and may even suffocate the bees if not given an upper entrance.

Finally, following heavy rains like hurricanes, various local and state agencies have traditionally sprayed regions with stagnant water to control mosquito outbreaks. While important for public health, such insecticides can be extremely problematic for honey bees. If you are registered through the NCDA&CS through the volunteer program DriftWatch, you will be contacted directly if your beehives are in an area schedule to be sprayed. If you are not registered, however, the state has no means to notify you and your bees may be at risk to insecticide exposure. Please consult the Agricultural Chemical manual for information and advice about how to mitigate exposure to pesticides.

Hope your bees stay safe and dry!

WRITTEN BY

Photo of David Tarpy, N.C. Cooperative ExtensionDr. David TarpyProfessor and Extension Specialist (Apiculture)Entomology & Plant Pathology – NC State University

UPDATED ON SEP 11, 2018