Bee Class 2020
December 12th Christmas Meeting Announcement
Dear Fellow Beekeepers:
December 12th SCBA meeting location: Agri-Civic Center, 26032 Newt Rd. Albemarle, NC 28001.
6:00 pm – Dinner is being catered by Joe Smith. serving beef brisket @$13 per person. Christmas exchange for those who want to participate. Bring a $10 gift for exchange.
RSVP to Joe Smith 704 961 8417
It is our end of the year Christmas Celebration Please bring your Christmas Spirit and join us..
7:00 pm – Our SCBA December business meeting discussions will include announcement of Scholarship Program, 2020 Bee School, and Beekeeper of the Year Ballots.
Hope to see everyone Thursday night.
Upcoming Events
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
|
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 (919) 857-4151 1090 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699 |
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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
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
Dr. David TarpyProfessor and Extension Specialist (Apiculture)Entomology & Plant Pathology – NC State University
UPDATED ON SEP 11, 2018
Register now for Sept. 8 Pollinator Field Day
Hello Fellow Beeks:
Team McCarter (Mark and Ellen) sent this to me to post. Thanks Team!!!
I’ve attended Debbie’s conferences before and look forward to learning from her again and again.
Debbie is truly knowledgeable on all things pollinator including garden plants as well as the pollinators themselves. If you can possibly attend the events below, you will learn something new that will help you become a better beekeeper.
Debbie’s web pages are packed with helpful information and she updates them frequently. Check it out!!!
Pat Allen, Webmaster
From
Debbie Roos <dlroos@ncsu.edu
The Piedmont Research Station will host a “Bee Pollinator Friendly” Field Day on Saturday September 8 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in Salisbury, NC.
Attendees will rotate through several stations to learn about habitat for farms, roadsides or constructed pollinator meadows; native plants that make for good pollinator habitat; native bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects; honey bees and beekeeping; pesticide application techniques to protect pollinators; and how to use available technology to map honey bee and specialty crop locations. The Field Day will start promptly at 1 p.m.
Target Audience: Farmers, Beekeepers, Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisors and Staff, Extension Agents, Urban Planners, Landscapers and Landscape Architects, Master Gardeners, Nurserymen/Greenhouse Growers
Educational Stations:
Native Pollinators:
Hannah Levenson (NCSU Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology), Jonathan Giacomini (NCSU Department of Applied Ecology), Sara Giacomini (NCSU Department of Applied Ecology), and Elsa Youngsteadt (NCSU Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology)
Farm Habitat:
Hunter Barrier (NCDA&CS) and John Isenhour (NC Wildlife Resources Commission)
Native Plants for Pollinator Habitat:
Debbie Roos (NC Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center)
FieldWatch/Pesticide Options:
Jason Williams (NCDA&CS)
Application Equipment:
Steve Gatton (NCDA&CS)
Participants will also be able to visit educational displays from several different organizations.
The Pollinator Field Day is sponsored by the following organizations:
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
North Carolina State University
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
NC State Extension North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance
Rowan County Beekeepers
The event is free and offers three hours of pesticide credits for attendees (for N=Demo and Research, O= Ag pest plant, D=dealer, X=private).
To register, go to http://go.ncsu.edu/pollinator-field-day
Field Day Location:
Piedmont Research Station 8350 Sherrills Ford Road
Salisbury, NC 28147-7579
For more information, contact:
Kelly Snider
NCDA&CS Research Stations
704-433-3053
Debbie Hamrick
N.C. Farm Bureau
919-302-9538
Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8244
debbie_roos@ncsu.edu
