Wilson County Beekeepers

Meeting Minutes – Monday, 30 September 2024

Wilson County Beekeepers met at the Ward Ag Center on Monday, September 30, 2024 with 60 members and guests in attendance.  President Carey Mitchell called the meeting to order.  The minutes of the September 9 meeting were approved with the checkbook balance standing at $

Old Business Discussed:

• Why are bees’ hair always sticky? Because they use a honey-comb!
• The new books have been delivered to the Mt. Juliet and Lebanon public libraries…thanks Diane Leu and Jenny Lamb.
• The TBA Conference is Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12 at MTSU.
• TBA Board Meeting is scheduled for Thursday October 10 starting at 7:00pm at MTSU.
• For those of you that are interested in attending the October 22-24 Short Course, please let Petra know so she can get a headcount. (This is for those that are using it as a refresher or mentors)

New Business Discussed:                                               

• Club elections are coming up in November, and all offices are available. If you wish to consider taking on a position, please let Petra know, so ballots can be prepared.
• An Inspector Class has been scheduled for March 17 & 18 starting at 6:00 pm and going until 10:00 nightly. There is a maximum seating of 25 and participant need at least 5 years’ experience and have taken the UT Master Bee Class.  But as long as participant has a good background in pests and diseases, they don’t need the UT class.
• A request was made for mentors. If you currently do not have a yellow name badge and are willing to help newbees, please let Petra know as she is preparing the list for the Short Course
• Petra requested that WCBA reimburse her for the new printer purchased, as she is responsible for all printing and they only expenses she has asked for in the past is reimbursement for paper and ink. Vote passed unanimously to reimburse for the cost of the printer and ink.
• David Thompson discussed the upcoming TBA Conference regarding speakers and vendors.

Leonard’s Monthly To Do’s:

• October is usually too late to treat for mites. Those products that fume off will not work as well in cooler weather
• While you are winterizing your hives, check for laying queens. If any hive is queenless, you should combine them with stronger queenright hives.
• If you feed, remember bees tend to quit taking sugar water after a good frost. You can feed with sugar patties.
• Clean up around your hives.
• Start thinking about next year.

What’s blooming at our house that the bees are working:

• Asters
• Boneset
• Catnip
• Crepe Myrtle
• Crownbeard
• Cup plant
• Golden rod
• Ironweed
• Mints
• Partridge pea
• Ragweed
• Sedum
• Smartweed
• Virginia Copperleaf
• Vitex
• Yellow Wingstem

Book Report:  Bryan Leu said the new book that was taken to the public libraries ‘Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners:  20 Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior Solved’ by Thomas D. Seeley is a good read.

Program:  Lou Taylor had a wonderful discussion about her trip to Scotland and Ireland and the apiaries she visited

Carey did a demonstration on how to combine hives to get ready for winter.  Handouts were available.  If you didn’t pick one up, you can find a copy of it on our webpage under ‘resources’.

Announcements:

• There is NO meeting in October, due to building scheduling. As you know, we do not pay to utilize the space for our monthly meetings (or using the closet), so if the Ag Center has an opportunity to rent the space, we may get bumped, but usually with plenty of notice.
• October 10—TBA Board Meeting at MTSU (7:00 pm)
• October 11-12—TBA Conference
• October 22-24—Short Course—Start time: 6:00 pm
• November 4—Elections and Sue Dickhaus—propolis

The evening’s door prizes were handed out by Carey with the help from Jennifer Ferguson

Door Prizes:

• Varroa Easy Check—Caryn Boles
• Multi-tool—Lou Ann Chapuis
• Thermometer—Clint Cannon
• Frame Grip—Donnie Gleaves
• Queen Marker—Duane Smith and David Yoest
• Miscellaneous Beetle Traps—Ed Schwark
• In-hive Feeder—Deanie Yoest and Scott Chapuis
• J-Hook Hive Feeder—Diane Leu
• Mouse Guard—Marianne Smith
• Beekeeping for Beginners book—Bryan Leu
• Queen Catcher—Karen Cuen
• Paint Marker—Jeff Henson

The meeting adjourned at 8:20 for refreshments & fellowship.

The Club’s current checkbook balance is $

Respectfully submitted:  Petra Mitchell, Secretary/Treasurer
Wilson County Beekeepers Association
October 1, 2024

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