Wilson County Beekeepers

Meeting Minutes – Monday, 5 March 2018

Carey Mitchell, President of Wilson County Beekeepers met at the Ward Ag Center on Monday, March 5, 2018 with 89 members and guest in attendance. The minutes from the February 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.
• The Swarm List is at the back table. Please make additions/corrections/deletions as necessary. Remember you need to be a WCBA member in order to have your name on the list.
• The T-Shirt order form was available. Color choices: Heather red with black lettering, Moss green with white lettering, Antique Jae with white lettering, and Tan with black lettering…cost is $10.00 per shirt…no matter the size. Need 12 shirts per color in order to place the order
• There were 21 that attended the Refresher Course on February 24. Lots of questions were answered
• Thanks to those that brought refreshments for the TBA Board Meeting.
• Recap:
  • Budget was approved, which means that WCBA will receive two grants…$300 for the Short Course Grant and $200 for the Education Grant (and these have been received, as we know the treasurer)
  • Regional VP’s reported high bee losses (with the exception of West TN). There will be a high demand for bees this year. Be sure to order NOW.
  • Mike Studer reported that the State will be updating their computer system for registration numbers. You will receive a NEW number, but your old number will be archived.
  • John Skinner has retired and UT is looking for a replacement. In the interim, Mike Wilson will be taking his place.
  • There was a request that TBA donate money to the State Park Project, which is hoping to have a hive at each of the State Parks (at a cost of $1,000 per Park). Final decision was to table this until the Fall meeting.
  • TBA will be involved in the Pick TN Conference for February 21-23, 2019 and will be looking for beekeeping speakers (This is a three-year obligation).
  • TBA Conference is scheduled for October 12 and 13 at Hyder-Burke Pavilion at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville
• Kent Williams’ Bee School — April 5-7 — 9 am to 5pm daily — 580 State Route 385N, Wingo, KY – phone: 270-970-1307

• Newbees…have you reached out to a mentor? YOU need to make contact…it’s not a mentor’s responsibility to check if you need help.
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New Business Discussed:

• The 2019 Programs have been set. If you want to see what is on the calendar for next year, see Petra
• The skep containers for the fair have been purchased and shipping charges were saved, as Kelley’s brought them down last week.
• We have paid the Honey Show sponsorship ($550.00, which covers all premiums available)
• Farm Day for Wilson County has been set for Wednesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 10. Jessica Dodds is once again Chair on the event, so sign in with her.
• The Fair budget this year included money to purchase a bear costume during the fair
• Allen & Jennifer Ferguson are hosting Farm Day at their place on Saturday, April 28. There will be animals and games for the children, but garden plants for sale. Fun for all, and everyone is invited. Allen has also offered up his bee yard for any newbee that wants to get into bees before getting their own. Please call him to make arrangements. (his number is in the book)
• Leonard and Sterling have sold out of nucs, but Joe Riddle and Ray Turner still have some available (again, numbers are in the book). Jim Murff still has nucs available.
• Candice Thompson announced that she received a call from Nick Beres and Animal Rescue Corp. out of Lebanon is in need of sheets, blankets and towels. If anyone can help, Candice would be glad to deliver to them.

Jessica’s monthly To Do’s

• If you are a new beekeeper, get in touch with a mentor
• Make sure you have everything you need to install your nucs or packages.
• Also, if this is your first year in beekeeping, you want to spend the next few weeks identifying a good place for your hives…good sunlight, southern or eastern exposure and remember wind protection.
• March is a good time to do your first mite treatment.
• If you’ve lost any hives, now is the time to tear them apart and determine what killed them.
• Remember your wild flowers and seedlings can be started now
• Jessica’s book of the month is Honey Plants of North America
• Consider volunteering to help with Farm Day…great opportunity, even if you are a newbee
• Read your club newsletter
• The honeybee license plate numbers are in the 570’s, so it looks like an extension will be filed. Remember, we need 1,000 to proceed, so if you haven’t ordered yours, please consider.

Dr. Clarence Collison was our speaker for the evening and had a most informative PowerPoint program on Laying Workers plus the Importance of Queen Pheromone.

Announcements:

• April 2 — Sterling Earhart on Making Queens

• May 7 — Jay Williams on Bee Removal

• May 19 — Field Day (May 25^th, Rain Day)

As Jessica had to leave early, Kelsie helped hand out the evening’s door prizes to Walt Syes, Mark Anderson, Timmi Balentine, Joe Carter, and Sarah Poss won the smoker.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 for refreshments and fellowship.

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Respectfully submitted: Petra Mitchell, Secretary/Treasurer
Wilson County Beekeepers Association
March 6, 2018

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