Wilson County Beekeepers

Meeting Minutes – Monday, 4 March 2019

Wilson County Beekeepers met Monday, March 4, 2019 at the Ward Ag Center with 80 members and guests in attendance.  President Carey Mitchell called the meeting to order.   Seven new members joined the WCBA family at this meeting and the current number of paid members is 191.  Minutes of the February meeting were approved as posted in the past newsletter and the reported checkbook balance is $___________.  This includes the $300.00 Short Course and $100.00 Education Grant from TBA.  Also included in this balance is the Fair Sponsorship for the Honey Show.

Old Business Discussed:

• The Pick TN Conference was February 21-23. Jessica Dodds recapped that this was the first year that TBA was involved and well represented.  The beekeepers provided valuable information to the attendees from the different agricultural groups that attended.
• The Honey Convention is scheduled for March 22 & 23 in Knoxville. We drew last month for a one-day complimentary pass, and Michael Bell will be representing WCBA.
• A reminder, if you are planning on getting bees this Spring, you better place your order soon.  Make sure you have your apiary sited and your equipment assembled.  If you haven’t already done so, get together with your mentor.
• The Refresher Course was Saturday, February 23 with 17 in attendance, even with the poor weather. We did find a break to do the smoker lighting and those that stayed found it informative.
• The Swarm List is at the back table…never too early to sign up. Remember, your WCBA membership needs to be paid for the year.
• New inspectors, see Petra to pick up your inspector sheets that need to be filled out and returned after each inspection. If you don’t turn these in, you will not get paid.

New Business Discussed:

• The TBA Board Meeting was February 16. Delegates Brianna Kruse, Dale McCleskey, and Philip Chapman represented WCBA.  Philip recapped the meeting.  He did mention that everyone should register their bees on the BeeCheck website which is a DriftWatch Specialty Crop Site Registry to notify beekeepers about pesticide sprays near their apiary.
• Farm Day dates have been set…May 8 & 9^th…Jessica will chair the event again this year.
• Field Day has been scheduled for May 18 with a rain day of May 25. One location in Lebanon (Jim Murff) and one in Mt. Juliet (Sterling Earhart).  Petra has driving directions.

Jessica’s Corner:

• Volunteers were asked to help with Farm Day—this is a two-day event where all 2^nd graders in Wilson County come to the Fairgrounds to learn about agriculture.
• HoneyBee TN is so close to getting their pre-ordered license plates that need to be obtained before they can move forward in the procurement process. Jessica encouraged everyone to place an order…even if you have to order for a friend or neighbor.  Bon Aqua Springs Woodenware said they will give anyone who pre-orders a license plate from now until the 1,000 needed $10.00 off their supply order from them.

Jessica’s Monthly To Do’s:

• Some beekeepers chose not to intervene with their bees at this time of year. However, if you subscribe to a less strict beekeeping philosophy, you might choose to begin feeding a 1:1 ratio of water:sugar and monitoring the bees more closely this time of year.
• If you have multiple hives and some did not survive the winter, relocate the honey from the deceased hives into the live hives. This practice is called load-balancing.
• If your hive has not survived, perform a post-mortem. Carefully look over the hive and try to discern why they died. If there is no longer any honey in the hive, they likely died from starvation. If the cluster perished near the edge of the walls, they could have died of exposure. If you see evidence that mice infiltrated the hive that could be the cause. The cause is not always clear, but looking through the hive offers insight. We have videos in the Members area that deal with these issues.
• Clean out the hive to prepare for new bees, but leave your mouse guards in place as the mice may still be looking for shelter and food. Cleaning means removing the dead bodies, which can be easily accomplished by carefully removing the vent system on the bottom and letting the bodies fall to the ground.

What’s Blooming:  (At least before the cold weather came in)

• Elms
• Flowering Quince
• Dandelion
• Henbit
• Maple
• False Nettle
• Mahonia
• Hazelnut
• Pussy Willow
• Plums
• Cherries

Plus

The evening’s speaker was Clarence Collison, a well-known beekeeper and an Emeritus Professor of Entomology and Emeritus Head of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Mississippi State University, having retired from the position in 2010. His presentation was on Honeybee Nutrition.

Announcements:

• March 21-23—Honeybee Convention in Knoxville
• April 1—Charlie Parton—Nucs
• Also at the April 1 meeting will be Dave & Jessica Sells…the new owners of Bon Aqua Springs Woodenware.

Carey and Jessica handed out door prizes at the end of the meeting to: Becky Owens—a BetterBee gift certificate, Philip Chapman—Honeybee TN t-shirt, Peggy Scholes—hive tool, Don Henderson—honey candy, and Tim Schofield—smoker

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

The Club’s current checkbook balance is $___________________.

Wilson County Beekeepers Association
March 5, 2019

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