April 2021

Happy Birthday ~ Moses Quinby, April 16, 1810

Moses Quinby is known as the "father of commercial beekeeping in the United States," Among his innovations in beekeeping, he is credited with the invention of the modern bee smoker with bellows. He is also the author of the book "Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained" (1853). At his peak, he kept over 1200 hives of bees.

Moses Quinby was born April 16, 1810, in Westchester Co.,N. Y. While a boy he went to Greene Co., and in 1853 from thence to St. Johnsville, Montgomery Co., N. Y., where he remained till the time of his death, May 27, 1875.

From the year 1853, excepting the interest he took in his fruits and his trout-pond, his attention was wholly given to bees, and he was owner or half-owner of from 600 to 1200 colonies, raising large crops of honey. On the advent of the movable frame and Italian bees, they were at once adopted by him, and in 1862 he reduced the number of his colonies, and turned his attention more particularly to rearing and selling his Italian bees and queens.

April 22 Zoom Meeting:

Mr. Bill Dunn              

Bill is one of FBC founding members.  He is on the Board of Directors for our Club.  Bill is the key to our bee schools as he is the back bone of the program.  He works behind the scenes to secure a location for Day 1 and Speakers.  He graciously allows the club to use his hives for Day 2 of our bee school.  Bill provides the club with our observation hive bees during the Cumming Fair.  In addition to all he does for FBC, he speaks to several clubs through out the year.

Bill will be discussing hive inspections and management this month with us.

Dues for 2021:

We are in the process of transitioning over to a web-based membership app called Wild Apricot.  You will be able to pay your dues through this website. 

We will send several emails using Wild Apricot. Please be patient as we build the website.

You may also use the cash app Zelle. Most banks have the app attached to your online banking. The email address to use is

FBCtreasurer1@yahoo.com

Family Membership- $20 dues, cash / check payable to FBC

We welcome visitors.  After two visits, we kindly ask that you pay membership dues to help us with the costs of our meeting location, speaker fees, materials, equipment, and other costs associated with running one of the best beekeeping clubs around. Membership form is available on our Wild Apricot website. Please see Teri or Kelley to pay dues.  Dues renew in January.  Annual dues are $20 for the full year ($10 July-Dec).

Mentoring

Mentors will be assigned based on your high school district. When you fill out your membership form on our Wild Apricot Website, please fill in what district you reside in.

We will also host mentor zoom meetings on a variety of topics.  These will be announced on our Facebook page.

The private mentoring page (club membership form and paid dues required) ensures advice is sound, from experienced local keepers, and can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1037121333000214/  Once we have in-person meetings again, monthly mentor dinners will resume.

Volunteer Opportunities and Thank Yous!

Our group is entirely run by volunteers.  We appreciate each and every phone call, e-mail, and words of advice.  Without you, there’s no way we would have the support group that we all enjoy.  While we await the opening up of venues, day camps, schools, etc. we haven’t had many requests for speakers...but please stay tuned!  

Club members who have a bee related product or service to offer  may list their items or service here.
Blue Ridge Honey Compa ny Raw & Natural Honey Bees & Beekeeping Supplies Bob Binnie 706-782-6722	Eve’s Garden Healing Salve for Bee Stings and More, 2 ounces Please message  Kathy Oliver  (she’s offered to donate $1 per sale to the club!)	Flippin’ Bee Company Queens, nucs, packages, and woodenware James Shepherd 678-509-4164
B & A Bees Honey and Hive products 770-366-3622	Hardware & Woodenware Hoyt Rogers 770-479-1731	Honey & Hive Products Bill Dunn 770-630-2742

April Hive Management

 April - May

The busiest time of the year. Swarm prevention and colony buildup are the goals.

Continue equalizing colonies and cutting queen cells. Sell or trade frames of brood if necessary, to knock back extra strong colonies. Another use of surplus brood is the production of splits, or new colonies. Take 3-5 frames of bees, honey, and brood (minus the queen), place them in a new hive body, give them a new caged queen, and move the new colony to a new apiary site. Package bees are also now available for making colony increase.

With the availability of mail-order queens, the beekeeper can now replace failing queens. Find and remove the old queen from the colony, insert the new caged queen between two center brood frames, but do not remove the cork from the cage opening. Return after 2-3 days and observe the behavior of the bees on the outside of the cage. Do not release the queen if workers are biting the wires of the cage But if the hive bees are trying to feed the caged queen (reaching through the wires with their tongues), then this is a good sign that they are ready to accept her At that point you can remove the cork. Check a week later to make sure the new queen is accepted. You will know this if there is an abundance of newly-laid eggs and young brood in the cells.

By mid-April most of Georgia is in prime honey production. Hive manipulations should cease and the beekeeper should be supering up for the various flows which are clover, tupelo, blackberry and other brambles, tulip poplar, and gallberry.