http://wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/about/minutes-201305/

You can also access the minutes from previous meetings by scrolling to the bottom of the About Us page of this web site.

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wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/photos/farm-days-2013/

Danielle Drueck, Karen Dawson, Shirley Howell & Peggy Scholes

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Nectar & Pollen Plants for Bees by Jim Garrison (pdf)

Thank you Jim Garrison for visiting with us and for the informative presentation.

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Apparently, $10 is something to sneeze over…

http://wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/photos/wcba-meeting-6-may-2013/

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Download the USDA Report:  USDA_Report_Honey_Bee_Health

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By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Honey bees, which play a key role in pollinating a wide variety of food crops, are in sharp decline in the United States, due to parasites, disease and pesticides, said a federal report released on Thursday.

Genetics and poor nutrition are also hurting the species, which help farmers produce crops worth some $20 billion to $30 billion a year.

Honey bee colonies have been dying and the number of colonies has more than halved since 1947, said the report by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department.

The decline raises doubt about whether honey bees can fulfill their crucial role in pollinating crops that play a role in about one-third of all food and beverages sold in the United States, the report said.

“Overall losses continue to be high and pose a serious threat to meeting the pollination service demands for several commercial crops,” the report said.

Pollination demands have increased so much in recent years that California’s almond crop alone requires 60 percent of all managed colonies devoted to pollination — rather than honey or beeswax production.

The United States is not alone in facing this concern: The European Union moved on Monday to protect its own falling bee population by banning three of the world’s most widely used pesticides for two years.

The Varroa mite, a parasite first found in the United States in 1987, is the single biggest cause of colony loss in the United States and other countries, the report said.

Another main concern is the effect of pesticides on bee colonies. More research is needed to find out how much pesticide exposure bees get and their effects, the U.S. report said. [ ... continue reading ]

Source:  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=honey-bee-numbers-drop

Note: After you enter the fairgrounds through the main gate, travel east until you reach the exhibit buildings, turn left and we are in the West Building on your right. Look for all the cars.

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Lascassas Swarm – 15 April 2013

Swarm season is here.  Again, wouldn’t it be interesting and informative to know when the swarming starts, peaks, and ends here in Middle Tennessee?  This is the second year we’re doing this so with your help, we’ll have a good start on data collection. Over time this information will be used to better plan our spring increase splits.  With adequate input, this is something we can easily track throughout the year, from year to year.  And with the WCBA website ( wilsoncountybeekeepers.org ) we will have these records available year round to study every year.

Please send your swarm reports to: cedarbees@gmail.com whenever you see your colonies swarm, or when you receive a call for swarm removal.  Be sure to include the actual swarm date if observed, or approximate date if known, along with any other relevant information (time of day, weather conditions, race of bee if known, etc.).

I look forward to receiving your email, to gathering and sharing the data, and to watching the trend over time.

To see this year’s record, refer to the Swarms page un the Resources tab above, or go here:

wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/resources/swarm-reports-2013/

To see the 2012 data, go here:

wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/resources/swarm-reports-2012/

Thanks,

Greg Tomerlin
cedarbees@gmail.com

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• http://wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/about/minutes-201304/

You can also access the minutes from previous meetings by scrolling to the bottom of the About Us page of this web site.

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wcba

http://wilsoncountybeekeepers.org/photos/wcba-meeting-with-kent-williams-master-beekeeper/

Note: After you enter the fairgrounds through the main gate, travel east until you reach the exhibit buildings, turn left and we are in the West Building on your right. Look for all the cars.

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