Wilson County Beekeepers

Meeting Minutes  – Monday, 2 July 2018

Carey Mitchell, Wilson County Beekeepers President called the Monday, July 2 meeting to order at the Ward Ag Center with a total of 44 members and guest in attendance.  The minutes from the June picnic meeting were approved with the checkbook balance report at $xxx which pays for all picnic supplies and the new shirts and hats, plus the two scholarship awards

Old Business Discussed:

• A big thank you! to everyone that donated to Wounded Warrior Project at the picnic…we sent a total of $503.00
• Congratulations to Allen and Jennifer Ferguson and George and Becky Owen, for receiving the WT Nolen New Beekeeper Scholarship award this year.
• T-shirts are in. If you pre-ordered, please pick them up and pay for them.  If you didn’t get a chance to order, there are some extras available.  Hopefully in your size and color
• Fair Schedule was available. Also the skeps for donations can be picked up.  They are a dozen to a bag.  Take what you think you will fill and bring the rest back.  If there are any left after the fair, they will be sold at cost
• Still accepting items for the Fair raffle basket
• Again a reminder to newbees…have you reached out to a mentor? YOU need to make contact…it is not a mentor’s responsibility to check if you need help.

New Business Discussed:

• Make sure you check your bees…be sure they have plenty of food on them to get through the dearth, especially if you have taken off honey
• We have the books for our annual donations to the public libraries…volunteers were asked and Karen Dawson agreed to take the books to the Lebanon Library and Briana Kruse is taking books to the Mt. Juliet Library. Petra already delivered the copies to Watertown.
• Thank you to Jimmy Cunningham and Mark & Diane Linder for clearing off their book shelves and donating books to the WCBA library
• Kelcie Meador, our current librarian, announced that this was her last day, as she will be traveling in July and heading to school after the fair. We are in search of a new librarian.   (After the meeting, Jennifer Ferguson was in discussion with Kelcie and agreed to take the position, as no one volunteered during the meeting).

Jessica’s monthly To Do’s (in Jessica’s absence, Carey provided the following)

• Check water source for bees
• Check food supplies, make sure hives are queen-right and check for pest infestations…then take steps to rectify the situation, if needed
• If taking off SURPLUS honey, be sure to leave enough for the colony
• Move brood and honey to less populous nucs and swarm colonies to get them through the coming dearth
• And in the words of our past president…Read, Read, Read!

Jessica sent word that she did file for an extension on the license plates and did receive it.  She said that sales are coming in pretty steadily so she is hoping within a couple of months to submit the order to the State for them to start with their field testing.

Carey had the program for the evening discussing the rules and preparation for the Wilson County Fair.

One-pound jars are available for fair competition only at a cost of $1.00 each

Announcements:

• July 30 — Howard Kerr for Maryville will be discussing Summer and Fall Build-up
• NO MEETING IN AUGUST because of the Fair

Susan Schulert, one of our members, purchased an observation hive some time back and has never used it.  She has donated it to the club to be given to someone who is wanting to utilize it.  Interested members were asked to put their nametag in the box and Billy Hagar drew the winner…Margaret Cantrell… Congratulations Margaret!!!

Carey, which the help of David Thompson,  handed out door prizes at the end of the meeting to Lana Siemens, Clara Vantrease, Margaret Cantrell, Abigail Siemens, Leonard Walker, Michael Siemens, Ernie Calabria, Mark Anderson, Karen Dawson, and Beth Saddler.

The meeting adjourned at 7:40 for refreshments and fellowship.

Respectfully submitted:  Petra Mitchell, Secretary/Treasurer
Wilson County Beekeepers Association
July 3, 2018