Daylight Savings can’t come soon enough!
NOW is the time to be preparing for the chaos that is the Spring Flow…

When:     Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 – starts at 7:00 pm

Where:     KDH Library – 400 Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills 27948

Time:      Arrive early anytime after 6:30 PM to chat each other up! 

DETAILS

Our next meeting will be held next Wednesday, February 12th, 2020, at the Kill Devil Hills Library meeting room.  Arrive at 6:30 pm to socialize prior, and the meeting begins at 7:00 pm. If you arrive after 7:00 when the Library has locked their front door, follow the sidewalk around the left of the building to the back door. (Please remember, the Library requests no food or drinks!).

Our guest speaker is Adolphus Leonard, Apiary Inspector with the NC Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services. He will be covering new developments/ research on Pests & Pest Control, as well as mitigating Winter Losses. BRING YOUR questions/concerns regarding your hives, should you have any… PHOTOS are a great way to show what you may be encountering!!

Adolphus Leonard is a former commercial beekeeper and queen breeder. He has been an apiary inspector for over 20 years for NC Dept. of Agriculture and has a keen interest in Bee Breeding and healthy bees. Being in his position, he has seen almost everything you can think of when it comes to beekeeping! 

Our new equipment supplier – James Wierman of 8 Veterans Farms, informed me recently that they WILL BE offering packages this year after all. They will have 3lb packages with marked queens for $125 available May 4th. He can be reached @ 757-354-1421 or email – 8veteransfarms@gmail.

IF YOU HAVE ORDERED BEES…. Please do not forget to inform me, should you be interested in seeing if your order can be picked up by a designated driver. I believe we have someone for Sapony Creek orders already. If you have ordered from another supplier & are willing to pick up anyone elses orders, please give me a heads up.

DUES REMINDER: If you forgot or just haven’t gotten around to it yet (like me)… Dues are DUE!  Membership with the NCSBA is $15 (which you can accomplish separately online on the NCSBA website if you so choose), and OBX Bee Guild is $15, making the total annual dues $30.  You can bring a check or cash to the meeting with you! If you are new to the beekeeping experience (learning, deciding about it, etc.) and not yet ready to commit, please feel to attend meetings until such time as you are ready or not!

After our speaker, we’ll hold a RAFFLE (for “dollar donations”)  – Any type of donated item welcomed, whether it’s bee, garden, outdoor related, etc. All proceeds benefit the OBBG.

Everyone is welcome, whether you’re already a member or just trying beekeeping on for size… Looking forward to seeing you there! 

Questions or comments? Feel free to email, text, or call me.

-Dalton Hyde

2020 OBBG President

Stay Ahead of the Season – Place Orders ASAP!

Below is info regarding some of the different suppliers’ members have used in the past, and if there is currently someone from the OBX planning to drive to each to pick up. 

Please remember… At pickup time, a donation toward the driver’s gas & time is always welcome! 

(If you have plans yourself and can pick up orders for others, please let Denise/ Dalton know as soon as possible so to spread the word.)

NOTE! DIFFERENT SUPPLIERS HAVE THEIR OWN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS & PICKUP DATES!  Please remember suppliers pre-order a limited number of packages, so if you plan to get bees, the sooner you order, the better, lest they run out.

PACKAGED BEES:

Sapony Creek Apiaries, Dave Bradley, 6154 West Mount Drive, Rocky Mount, NC 27803
 
Phone: 252-904-1446

Our pickup dates are currently scheduled for Sunday, March 29th and Saturday, May 2nd. Please note that these dates are subject to change based on weather conditions at the supplier level.

If you call Dave to place an order, be sure to let him know you are with the “Outer Banks/OBX Order,” then also contact Dalton/Denise to let know you are on the pickup list. 

(We will strive to identify a rendezvous spot where you can collect your packages that is convenient, it will be determined as time draws closer.).

Also, Dave has a store there with bee supplies at the ready: http://www.saponycreekapiaries.com/ 

Packages:
Unmarked Packages $118.00
Marked Packages $125.00

**Require a non-refundable $25.00 deposit per package**

Queens:
Unmarked Mated Queens: $30.00
Marked Mated Queens: $35.00

We will start taking orders/deposits until our dates sell out!
 
Bailey Bee Supply, 147 Boone Square Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Email: info@baileybeesupply.com
Phone: 919-241-4236

$135.00 Packages with a Marked Queen

Package Pickup in Hillsborough- April 2(Th) & 3(Fri), April 23(Th) & 24(Fri), May 3(Sun) & 4(Mon)

https://shop.baileybeesupply.com/cproduct/1/bee-package 

*Bailey’s offers a 10% off certificate to anyone enrolled in a Beekeeping School/Course!
**Bailey’s also offers equipment for any last-minute needs, in addition to offering Queens through the season!
 
Back Forty Bees, Don Cole – https://www.backfortybees.com/#/ 

Email: honey@backfortybees.com 
Phone: 757-903-7816 OR 757-745-9081

Offers a discounted rate for a “Group Purchase”, in which you’ll need a code from him to order online. I’m unsure how the logistics of that process works out, unless we have a group of people that can confirm they plan on purchasing collectively… 25 Packages come out to $121.00 each. 

https://www.backfortybees.com/package-bees.html#/ 

Pick up is March 22nd and will be held in two locations: Williamsburg, NC or (Southern) Suffolk, VA

*Williamsburg Pickup will be holding a Package Installation Demonstration for any new Beekeepers.

NUC’s (NUCLEUS) HIVES:

Birdneck Bees – https://ncvabeenucs.com/ 

Email – info@ncvabeenucs.com
Phone: Sharon Tanner (757)-718-3581 OR Ann Baker (757)-641-4433

Price of $199.00 for 5 deep frame Nucs. Pickup will be early/mid-April (no set date as yet) at Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake (near the state line).  If you place an order with them and would offer to pick up for others, please let Dalton/Denise know.

Bailey Bee Supply, 147 Boone Square Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Email: info@baileybeesupply.com
Phone: 919-241-4236

$190 Unmarked Queen Nuc
$195 Marked Queen Nuc

MAY NOT be offering Nucs, although I have received conflicting information…Please call them for more info/details regarding their Nuc offerings.


Lastly, the following links are regarding bee suppliers from our state or nearby chapters…

This link is VERY useful from the NC Dept. of Ag regarding all things apiary in our state: http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/Plant/apiary/index.htm 
On that page you will also find a “List of Dealers Authorized to Sell Bees in NC,” and you are welcome to contact any of those suppliers to order and pick up your own bees. Out-of-state suppliers are shown at the bottom of that list.

The Beekeepers Guild of Southeastern Virginia lists several suppliers of nucs on their website:
https://beekeepersguild.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89&Itemid=131 

Any Questions/Concerns, please feel free to reach out to either of us… Dalton Hyde (President) 919-260-3265 or Denise Deacon (Past President) 252-722-3118.

-Dalton Hyde
OBBG President

When:     Thursday, January 9th, 2020 – starts at 7:00 pm
Where:     KDH Library – 400 Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills 27948
Time:      Arrive early anytime after 6:30 PM to chat each other up! 

Our first meeting of the new decade will be held this Thursday, January 9th, 2020, at the Kill Devil Hills Library meeting room. The library was booked for our usual Wednesday.
Arrive at 6:30 pm to socialize prior, and the meeting begins at 7:00 pm.  If you arrive after 7:00 when the Library has locked their front door, follow the sidewalk around the left of the building to the back door. (Please remember, the Library requests no food or drinks!).

We will be discussing business right off the bat – starting with information regarding bee package/nuc/queen suppliers, pricing, delivery dates, etc.  If you have utilized a different supplier/method in the past that you had a good experience with, feel free to bring that information with you as well!

I will also have information regarding a new equipment supplier – James Wierman of 8 Veterans Farms, located in Chesapeake, VA! Feel free to contact them for any Equipment needs, he can be reached @ 757-354-1421 or email – 8veteransfarms@gmail. They will also be included in the suppliers offering Queens/Nucs this spring.

REMINDER:  January is dues month… Membership with the NCSBA is $15 (which you can accomplish separately online on the NCSBA website if you so choose), and OBX Bee Guild is $15, making the total annual dues $30.  You can bring a check or cash to the meeting with you!  If you are new to the beekeeping experience (learning, deciding about it, etc.) and not yet ready to commit, please feel to attend meetings until such time as you are ready or not!

RAFFLE items are always welcome!  It does not have to be bee-related (regift holiday items!), or bring dollar “donation” for a ticket!

Questions or comments? Feel free to email, text, or call me.

I hope everyone feels up to leaving their hives to catch up!

-Dalton Hyde
2020 OBBG President

Please watch your email in the next few days for an “Evite” invitation with all the details – and then RSVP as soon as possible so we can get a head count. All are welcome to join the fun, whether you have “officially” joined the Guild or not yet… Hope to see you there!

JOIN US for our SWEEET Annual Honey Extraction Social!!  

Instead of the KDH library, our next regular meeting will be this Wednesday – August 14th, 2019, beginning at 6:00 pm, for an oooze of a good time – honey extraction social @ Denise Deacon’s house in Kitty Hawk!

When:     Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 – starting at 6:00 pm
Where:     1101 Colleton Ave., Kitty Hawk (detailed directions below)
Time:      Extraction… anytime after 6:00 p.m until?

Snacks & Drinks… anytime after 6:00 p.m until?

DETAILS

EXTRACTION:   As in years past, we’ll have the A/C cranking in the garage for added comfort.  Myself & other OBBG Officers can help head up the operation to get you set up with a hot knife in one hand & cappings scratcher in the other!  We’ll have an extractor and uncapping equipment set up and available for anyone who would like to extract…bring one frame or many!  We’ll also have an area to show & perform “crush & strain” instruction/methods for those who prefer to harvest that way.

HONEY STORAGE & TRANSPORT: Be sure to bring your own receptacle with a tight lid in which to carry your honey home. We’ll have zip locks so that you can keep your own cappings if you’d like, and large bags to transport your supers with wet frames back home. Come early if you can to get it done, any time after 6:00! We’ll keep ‘em spinning until everyone’s finished… if you plan to bring more than a few frames (a whole super or two) please let me know so that we can plan accordingly.

SNACKS & DRINKS:  The Guild will provide snacks… fruit & veggie tray and cheese & crackers. A selection of beers & wines and softs & water will be on hand. Please feel free to bring a snack to share if you’d like and your own beverage of choice if you’re particular!

SOCIAL: EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO HONEY TO EXTRACT AT THE MOMENT, (or have selfish bees -like me!) come on out to meet & visit with others, talk bees, and watch the fun!  Feel free to come by at any time during the evening for however long you can stay.

DIRECTIONS: Address is 1101 Colleton Ave. in Kitty Hawk. At the Chevy dealer near the Wright Memorial Bridge, turn south onto Barlow Lane. Follow Barlow back into the neighborhood, it takes a sharp curve left and immediate sharp right – don’t turn off onto Pine Hill. Continue a short way on Barlow until the pavement turns into a packed gravel road… keep going just a little further and you’ll find it! Dark brown craftsman-style house with white trim, beehives in front yard behind bamboo fence… surfboard street sign names the corner of Barlow & Colleton. Park along the sides in the grass wherever you can (we don’t have much of ANY traffic down this street), or in the driveway. (If you go much further past the house, the gravel turns to sand so be wary unless you have 4WD!)

Questions or comments? Feel free to email, text, or call me.

Hope to see everyone there!

-Dalton Hyde
2019 OBBG President

As July is typically a very busy summer month for all, we usually don’t hold a meeting. This year of 2019 is no exception… but we plan to reconvene in August for our annual Group Social/Extraction event! Information and Date to follow in a future email & post.

In the meantime, here are a couple of good videos to watch from Dr. Jamie Ellis, Associate Professor of Entomology at the University of Florida. One details a very destructive pest we frequently deal with in the summer & early fall months – small hive beetle. The other video involves Honey Bee Biology, which is good basic knowledge when trying to keep bees!

Have an enjoyable July – we’ll get together for socializing & extracting in August!

Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, June 12th, 2019, at the Kill Devil Hills Library. Arrive anytime after 6:30 pm to set up and socialize – we’ll begin at 7:00 pm.  (If you arrive after the Library locks their front door at 7, follow the sidewalk around the left of the building to the back door. The Library requests no food or drinks be brought inside.)

Our guest speaker is Will Hicks, Apiary Inspector with the NC Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services.  He is traveling to visit us from the Raleigh area, bringing his 20 years of inspector experience with him!  Apiary inspectors have seen it all, visiting both commercial and backyard beekeepers… as evidenced by this info from their website:

“The mission of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Apiary Program is to promote and protect the state’s beekeeping industry. The Apiary Program provides disease and disorder inspections and fumigation services in an effort to control diseases and pests of the beekeeping industry. Additionally, the Apiary Program provides educational workshops to educate the state’s beekeepers on the biology and treatment of mite and disease pests of honey bees and africanized bees.”

Will suggested that a Question & Answer session can yield fabulous learning experiences for all, regardless of your years of beekeeping. So…. bring ANY and ALL questions for him!

After our speaker, we’ll hold a raffle (for “dollar donations”)  – Any type of donated item welcomed, whether it’s bee, garden, outdoor related, etc. All proceeds benefit the Guild.

Everyone welcome, whether you’re already a member or just trying beekeeping on for size… Looking forward to seeing you there! Questions or Comments? Call Prez. Dalton Hyde at (919) 260-3265.