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Forsyth Beekeepers Club helps Little Mill Elementary obtain and maintain their very own hive!!

Here is an update from our President Nedal:

Scott Garchow’s Science Connections Enrichment class started working on a honeybee project back in 2019.  The first group of students to work on the project spent an entire semester getting permission to have bees at school.  The students had to get approval from the top to the bottom and every step in between.  By the time our club was contacted, the students had received the required approvals and a very tall screened chain link enclosure, monitored by camera, had been constructed behind their classroom.  Through the first part of 2020, the club provided consultation and mentoring to the students and donated four copies of First Lessons in Beekeeping.  After COVID hit, the project was paused, but the students got back to it last fall.  The club continued mentoring and consulting as the students continued to accumulate the knowledge and equipment needed before getting their bees.  Early in 2021, the students let us know they were ready for bees and the club offered to donate a nuc.  On April 26th, 2021, me, my youngest beekeeper, Sam, and Bill Dunn were there as the students received and installed their first colony.  Bill returned the following week for their first hive inspection.  All is going well according to the reports from the class.  “Kids are having a lot of fun”, according to Mr. Garchow.  Hopefully, this is just the start and soon our club will be assisting more Forsyth County Schools with getting their own hives going.  All thanks to determined students at Little Mill Middle School.  Thanks and congratulations to them!

May 27^th 6:30 pm Zoom Meeting

David McLeod, President of Potato Creek Beekeepers will discuss Varroa Management with us.

David is an Alabama native. He has been a beekeeper since he was 13 years old. He also runs Georgia Wildlife Services and concentrates on stinging insect removal.

Hive Management

June - July

The main activity honey-wise in Georgia at this time is sourwood in the mountain regions and cotton in the areas of Georgia south of Perry. In some years these flows are significant. Sourwood begins within the first two weeks of June and may last through July. Cotton runs about mid-July to mid-August.

Most beekeepers remove all spring honey before moving hives to the mountains or supering them up for sourwood. Pollination may draw some revenue, especially with cucurbit crops such as pumpkin.

Hot, dry summers can be stressful on bees. The beekeeper can help by providing water in entrance feeders. If robbing gets started in an apiary it is important to tape shut all gaps and cracks that permit foreign bees to harass a colony.

Fire ants may get aggressive in drought conditions, and the beekeeper can respond with mound treatments of Amdro™ or similar fire ant baits. In areas with small hive beetles now is a good time to treat soil surrounding hives with the nematodes, Steinernema riobrave and Heterorhabditis indica, available from organic gardening catalogs.

ttps://bees.caes.uga.edu/bees-beekeeping-pollination/getting-started-topics/getting-started-a-synopsis-of-bee-management-in-georgia.html#June

 

PS…..DON’T FORGET TO WATER YOUR BEES!!!

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.

February 2021

Happy Valentine's Day!

St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, and young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses and his feast day is celebrated on February 14.

Meetings:

Due to the continued increase in Covid19 cases, we can not have face to face meetings. I predict that this will go on for sometime.

FBC will continue to conduct Zoom and or Facebook live meetings every month.  Each Month you will receive an email with a link or instructions for the upcoming meeting.

FBC February Zoom Meeting

Mr. Dan Long, Master Beekeeper

will discus Beginning Beekeeping

Dan Long started keeping honey bees in 1996 in Pennsylvania. After a hiatus and a move to sunny Athens, Georgia, he has gotten back into the “game” with gusto. A Certified Master Beekeeper, he stays up to date with the latest information and techniques for tending his hives.

He also contributes regularly to the community by speaking on beekeeping topics and tending to several public hives; including the observation hive at Sandy Creek Nature Center.

Tallassee Highlands Apiary is licensed and inspected by the Department of Agriculture.

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!  

Links & Sign Ups

Club Minutes

Mentoring Page 

Library

Mentor Map

Shirts

Swarm Map

Club Resources

(Available to paid members)

The Club Library includes books, magazines, DVDs, journals, and teaching hives.  

Librarian:Lilly Turpinlillian1@mindspring.com

Extractors are available for borrowing to paid members.  Lilly hosts the extractor and equipment.  Please email Lilly Turpin lillian1@mindspring.com to reserve the extractor.$20 cash deposit, returned to borrower upon cleaned extractor returned within 4 days.

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

2021 Club Officers

President Nedal Shawkatnedalshawkat@gmail.com 

Vice President Ray Suppleraysupple@bellsouth.net 

Treasurer Teri Meyer FBCtreasurer1@yahoo.com

770-235-5985

Librarian Lilly Turpinlillian1@mindspring.com   

Secretary Kelley Campbellkelleygirl53@hotmail.com

February Hive Happenings:

This is a month that can make or break a hive.  The hive is building up (queen is starting to lay) and on pretty days, the workers are out foraging without much success.  They are bringing in minimum pollen and nectar.  

FEED YOUR BEES!  

You can take a quick peek in your hives this time of year on pretty days (above 55 degrees) I would not do a full inspection just yet.  As you break down the hive, the propolis is dislodged and will not seal back up tight. This is a lot of work and energy for the girls that are running low on resources. In addition to disrupting the seals, you risk chilling the brood as the colony count is low and clusters are small.

Finish putting together your equipment and painting your boxes and cleaning up your apiary area.

Remember “oops” paint is cheap and easy.  Do not paint the inside of your boxes or your frames.

Continue to read, join bee club meetings.

Mentors

On January 31, 2021, an email was sent to 34 Certified Beekeepers who are eligible to become mentors in our club. 26 of the emails were opened.  I have 11 confirmed mentors at this time.  Please let me know if you wish to be or to continue to be a mentor.

I also ask the mentors in our club to host a Zoom/Facebook Live meeting. The topic can be of your choice or choose from:

A Year in the Bee Yard

Life Cycle of the Honey Bee

Feeding

Bee Biology

Disease and Pest

Products of the Hive

I (Teri) have a Zoom account. Zoom also offers a free membership for meetings less than 40 minutes or less.