Wilson County Beekeepers

Meeting Minutes – Monday, 5 February 2018

On Monday, February 6, 2018 Wilson County Beekeepers President, Carey Mitchell, welcomed 88 members and guests to the monthly meeting at the Ward Ag Center. The minutes from the January meeting were approved.

Old Business Discussed:

• Dues are due…pick up your membership book if you paid dues before today’s meeting, that includes those that attended the short course. If you have topic ideas for 2019, please let Petra know, as she is working on next year’s schedule).
• We received a ‘thank you’ letter from Michelle Colopy at Pollinator Stewardship Council for our $500 donation. (Petra has a copy if you want to read it)

New Business Discussed:

• February 24 (Saturday) is the Refresher Course. We will start at 9:00 am until about noon. This is an abbreviated Short Course, so if you have any questions about getting started in beekeeping please join us. Bring your smokers and we will show you how to light it and keep it lit.
• After the Refresher Course, TBA will have their Spring Board Meeting starting at 1:00 pm. WCBA is hosting the event, so if you feel inclined to bring cookies/brownies/snacks, Petra would appreciate it.
• Kelley’s is bringing down pre-paid orders to the meeting. Call them and place your order…tell them to deliver to the Lebanon TBA meeting. Save on shipping charges
• Swarm List is at the back table…please make additions/corrections/deletions as necessary. Remember you do need to be a current WCBA member in order to put your name on the list.
• A bit of an early notice. Wilson County Fair is August 17-25—the theme is “Magic Memories” and the commodity is milk. Consider donating something to the raffle basket. Also, think about doing a 10-15 minute program on any beekeeping topic. Schedules will be available starting at the May meeting.
• T-Shirts for 2018…order for in back…color choices**Heather Red with black lettering, Moss Green with white lettering, Antique Jade with white lettering, and Tan with black lettering…Cost is $10.00 per shirt…size doesn’t matter…we need 12 shirts per color in order to place the order.

• Jessica’s Corner: (She’s in Florida, but Kelsie is subbing in)
• The warmer it is the more intense of an investigation you can make. If temps near 60, you can open the hive for a brief period and assess the remaining honey stores and clear out the dead bodies that accumulate over the winter
• Condense honey stores into one area, and if they are out of honey but still alive, begin feeding. We recommend a 1:1 water: sugar ration in spring, as they will be using it for immediate energy and not storing it for winter. Don’t fill the jar all the way, as the solution could still freeze. Check on it whenever the temps are high enough to make sure the holes aren’t clogged.
• If your bees didn’t survive winter, I offer my condolences. It can be very hard to lose a hive, I know. Take comfort in the fact that the work of your deceased hive will gie your new hive a stronger start
• If your hive didn’t survive, now is the time to place a deposit down on new bees, to be sure you get an early start in the spring
• Kelsie suggested a number of gardening books in the library to give you an idea on what to plant for the spring.
• License plate orders are still low.
• Read…start with the club’s newsletter.

Kent Williams was our guest speaker who had an informative program on Spring Build up and answered all beekeeping questions. He did invite everyone to attend his Bee School on April 5-7 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm daily) at his farm about 3 hours from Lebanon. His address is 580 State Route 385N in Wingo, KY. His phone number is 270-970-1307 for WHEN you get lost. You won’t have phone reception, but you will be able to Text him.

Announcements:

• February 24 — 9:00 am — Refresher Course
• February 24 — 1:00 pm —  TBA Board Meeting

• March 5 — Clarence Collison — Laying Workers

As Jessica was not at the meeting, Kelsie helped hand out the evening’s door prizes to Margaret Cantrell, Tyson Davis, Clara Vantrease, Jared Brasel, Karla Clark, and Regina Baughn.

The meeting adjourned at 8:25 for refreshments and fellowship.

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Respectfully submitted: Petra Mitchell, Secretary/Treasurer
Wilson County Beekeepers Association
February 7, 2018

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