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BCBA Blount County Beekeepers Association January 2016
Queen rearing and pest control will be topics at January meeting The January meeting of the BCBA feature talks on queen rearing and pest management from experts at the University of Tennessee. Michael Wilson will talk on how to raise queens, and Philip Moore will discuss various forms of pest management. Both work at UT’s Institute of Agriculture and are associates of Dr. John Skinner. The meeting will be Monday, Jan. 11, at 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Blount County Library. Seasonal management tips will be presented by Jim Stovall. Both of our main speakers have been with us before, and we are happy to welcome them back. We will also discuss plans for the new format and date for the new beekeepers short course in February. If you are asked to help with this effort, please be prepared to say yes. As always, our meetings are free and open to the public. Invite a friend to come along with you. Even if the friend isn’t interested in becoming a beekeeper, we always have lively, friendly discussions about what we should be doing with our bees. If you aren’t doing this already, you should check out BlountBees.com on a regular basis. Better yet, you should go to the site and sign up for an email subscription (free, of course). You will get an email every time we post something new to the site.
Warm weather in December has the bees flying – and using up their food stocks “All this warm weather must be good for the bees.” That’s what someone said to me a day or so before Christmas. Well, not exactly, I said. Bees expect to be cold during the winter and they make allowance for it by gathering into a ball to protect the queen. The warmer-‐than-‐usual temperatures don’t really help the bees. Rather, it encourages them to fly out of the hive and look for food. And in doing that, they use up the food stocks that they have kept for cold weather. So, now that temperatures are returning to something close to normal, it is critical that you check the food in your hives to see if it is sufficient for the next two and a half months. If there is any doubt, you should use some fondant or some other type of cold-‐weather feeding system to make sure the bees have plenty to help them survive. Don’t wait for another warm day. Your bees will need your help to get through this tough season of the year. Jim Stovall
Ashbrook, Hardwick receive awards at annual BCBA Christmas party More than 50 Blount County beekeepers and their families and friends gathered last month at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for the annual BCBA Christmas dinner. We were well entertained by the bluegrass group Grateful Hearts, who sang and played a variety of pieces for us. The association also made two awards: José Ashbrook was named Beekeeper of the Year. Doug Hardwick was give the Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years of service to the association. 2016 Meetings and Location The BCBA board voted to continue its 2016 meetings at the Blount County Library. The board had discussed the possibility of changing the location of our meeting because of the size of the library room and our growing membership. No suitable alternative was found, however. The board also voted the return to our habit of not meeting in September. Officers for 2016 The BCBA membership voted at the November meeting for the following slate of officers to serve during 2016: President: Harlen Breeden Vice President: Bill Manuel Treasurer: Bernie McGraw Secretary: John McDade Alternate Officer: Jim Stovall Public Relations: Doug Hardwick Librarian: Duanne Orr 1 Year Director: Travis Benson 2 Year Director: Luke Newman 3 Year Director: Doug Carnathan
BCBA Newsletter, January 2016, page 2
BCBA officers Harlen Breeden, President 719-1828 Bill Manuel, Vice president 865-310-9403 Bernie McGraw, Treasurer 984-1005 John McDade, Secretary, 207-669-5569 Jim Stovall, Alt. officer/web 983-6815
Duane Orr, Librarian 995-0166
BCBA board shifts new beekeeper course to Saturday in Feb. After many years of offering a two-‐night short course for new beekeepers in February, the BCBA is changing the time, place and format of that course. In 2016, the short course will be Saturday, Feb. 20, at Maryville Church of Christ across the bypass from Foothills Mall. The main reason for the change is that we have more people come to that course than the room at the library can hold. During this year's course, we had nearly 150 people, and many people had to stand. We will begin making the arrangements and putting together the program soon, and we will be calling on the members to help out with this important endeavor. Board meeting The next BCBA board of directors meeting will be on Monday, Jan. 18, at Fairview Methodist Church. Members, not just members of the board, may attend these meeting if they are interested. If you have an idea or issue you would like the board to discuss, let one of the officers or board members know.
Medications no longer available
The BCBA board has voted to discontinue offering medications to its members. The main reason for this is that his service was not used by many of the members and that we no longer needed to do this. Some medications may still be available, and if you are interested contact José Ashbrook at 865-‐258-‐8636.
Bee inspectors It’s the state law to have your beehives registered, so don’t neglect this important duty. If you want them inspected, below is a list of association bee inspectors. There is no cost for this service. If you are planning to move the hives, they must be inspected. Current inspectors: Stacey Adair, 983-‐6223 Harlen Breeden, 719-‐1828 Stephanie Tarwater, 805-‐1994 Dennis Barry, 414-‐2116 Dale Hinkle, 423-‐261-‐5234 Charlie Parton, 984-‐3059 José Ashbrook, 258-‐8636 Ricky Bailey, 865-‐250-‐8123
BCBA Newsletter, January 2016, page 3
BCBA Newsletter, January 2016, page 4
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Blount County Beekeepers Association c/o John McDade 7777 Cedar Creek Rd Townsend, TN 37882
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January means that it is time for all good Blount County Beekeepers to come to the aid of their association and pay their dues. Dues are $20 per year for individuals or families. Much of the dues money is spent on rental of the meeting room at the library and on various expenses incurred during the year. We also pay the expenses of
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speakers who travel distances to present to the organization. You can pay your dues by giving Bernie McGraw a check at the January meeting or mailing it to him at Bernie McGraw 1220 Havenwood Drive Maryville, TN 37804
January means it’s time to pay your dues