Wilson County Beekeepers

If you have not paid your WCBA and TBA membership dues for 2013, it’s time. Download an application below (also available on the Resources page), complete it, attach your payment and mail it to the address provided.  If you want to save 45 cents, bring your completed application and payment to the next meeting.

WCBA / TBA Membership Application (pdf)

WCBA / TBA Membership Application (doc)

Thanks.

wcba

Read Full Post »

According to butterfly expert and Colorado State University professor Paul Opler, three kinds of butterflies in the United States are entirely dependent on mistletoes for their survival: the great purple hairstreak, the thicket haristreak, and the Johnson’s hairstreak. The great purple hairstreak, says Opler, is the only butterfly in the United States that feeds on American mistletoe, the Christmas mistletoe. This beautiful butterfly lays its eggs on the mistletoe, where the resulting caterpillars thrive one a mistletoe diet. The caterpillars of the other two butterflies feed on dwarf mistletoes. The Johnson’s hairstreak, restricted to just the Pacific states, is usually found in association with old-growth conifer forests, the same places spotted owls prefer. The caterpillars of these butterflies closely mimic the appearance of the mistletoe with their mottled green and olive shades. Like people, the butterflies of these species use mistletoe for courtship rituals. After courting and mating in the mistletoe high in the canopy, the adults leave their eggs behind in the mistletoe. The adults of all three species drink nectar from the mistletoe flowers. Mistletoe is also important nectar and pollen plant for honeybees and other native bees, says Erik Erikson, a bee researcher at the USDA Bee Research Lab. Mistletoe flowers, says Erikson, often provides the first pollen available in the spring for the hungry bees. “We look upon it as an important starter food source for the bees,” said Erikson. Wind and insects are important mistletoe pollinators. Although hundreds of kinds of insects carry mistletoe pollen, only a few dozen are important pollinators; these include a variety of flies, ants, and beetles. Yet other insects eat the shoots, fruits, and seeds of the mistletoe, including some that feed exclusively on the plant. Exclusive mistletoe-eaters include a twig beetle, several thrip species, and a plant bug whose coloration mimics dwarf mistletoe fruits. In addition, at least four mite species seem to be exclusively associated with dwarf mistletoe. [ … continue ]

Source:  http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/mistletoe/

Read Full Post »

QUEEN REARING WORKSHOP

Saturday, 19 January 2013

Ed Jones Auditorium
Ellington Agricultural Center
Nashville, Tennessee

The NASHVILLE AREA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION (NABA) is sponsoring a queen rearing workshop presented by Dan Purvis and John Seaborn. This workshop is designed for those that want to raise queens to sell or for their own use. The course is open to everyone with an interest. It will begin at 9:00 am, Saturday, January 19, 2013, and conclude at 3:00 pm. The subject matter will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Class #1 – Shaking bees and establishing mating nucs – 1 1/2 hours including Q&A presented by Dan Purvis;

• Class #2 – Grafting and cell handling – 1 1/2 hours including Q&A presented by Dan Purvis;

• Class #3 – Setting up the starter/finishers – 1 1/2 hours including Q&A presented by Dan Purvis;

• Class #4 – Questions and answers regarding shipping queen bees presented by Dan Purvis;

• Class #5 – Feeding and establishing drone and mating yards -1 hour and presented by John Seaborn.

Dan and Rosie Purvis raise Goldline Production Queens in Leoma, Tennessee. Their queens are proven survivors and are at least three (3) weeks old before they are shipped. Mr. and Mrs. Purvis raise at least two thousand five hundred (2,500) queens per year.

John and Ruth Seaborn at Wolf Creek Bees in Centerville, Tennessee, raise queens and package bees. John and Ruth also raise small cell survivor bees. They do not use chemicals in their production process.

The presenting individuals have decades of experience and would like to share their knowledge with those who are interested in advancing their beekeeping skills. We are all aware that the genetics of the honeybee begins with the queen and therefore should diversify our stock to improve our success in saving these little bugs. Hopefully, we will begin sharing queens that are mite resistant and good honey producers.

The fee to attend the workshop is Twenty Dollars ($20) and is payable to “NABA”.

Download the registration form here: 2013qwreg.pdf  or go to the NABA website, www.nashbee.org.

For a map to Ellington Ag Center, go to:

Please join us on this day! For additional information, please contact Joel R. White (615) 308-3776.

Sponsored by Nashville Area Beekeepers Association

Read Full Post »