Next Meeting is next Wednesday, Sept. 12!

Time:  6:30 pm to socialize, Meeting begins at 7 pm.

Place:  Kill Devil Hills Library, 600 Mustian St.  (If you arrive after the Library has locked the front door, follow the sidewalk around the left to the back door.)

Speaker(s):  Guild Member Heidi Leo has some stories to tell!  A MAJOR mishap recently almost ended the life of one of her hives… Hear how she resolved the issue and what other lessons she has learned so far this year, the second of her beekeeping journey.  If time permits, Denise will also share some of the great info she gathered from the speakers at the Eastern Apiculture Society conference last month in Hampton, VA.

Bring a raffle item if you’d like, or some donation dollars for tickets… Hope to see you there (weather permitting… Keep Away, Florence)!!!

Questions or comments – feel free to contact Denise Deacon, 252.722.3118

Attention all OBX Bee Guild Members… Your Talents Are Needed!!

First… MANY THANKS!!! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Susan Rollason for volunteering her time in the position of Vice President of the Outer Banks BeeKeepers’ Guild. She served the position very well, but due to her new job constraints, she has relinquished her duties as VP.

ALSO… There is a change coming on my horizon which will require additional time and attention from me (building a new house!); therefore, I plan to step aside from the position of President of the OBX Bee Guild at the end of 2018. I have been honored to have held it since the Guild’s inception in 2014, and am thankful to have had the opportunity! I will still be a Guild member, keeping bees in Kitty Hawk, mentoring whomever needs, but need at least a year off to accomplish the home-building project.

THEREFORE… We Need YOU!!

I am asking you each to consider holding the position of either President or Vice President of the Outer Banks BeeKeepers’ Guild!  As you may know, we are a very relaxed organization and still evolving into what our members want in a bee group. You can have a hand in helping shape the future of our Guild!  Please review our current OBBG Bylaws (linked below) which dictate holding annual election at our November meeting, and give detailed descriptions of the officer positions.

OBBG Constitution & Bylaws

Guild Officers Drew Owens (Treasurer), Julie Moye (Program Director), and Dalton Hyde (Secretary) have been consulted and all plan to remain in their positions if re-elected in November.  Consider putting your name in the running for President or Vice-President for 2019!!!

PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOMINATED TO EITHER POSITION.  THANK YOU!  Denise Deacon, 252.722.3118

IT’S TIME FOR OUR FUN ANNUAL EXTRACTION SOCIAL!!  Instead of the KDH library, our next regular meeting of the Outer Banks BeeKeepers’ Guild on the second Wednesday, August 8, beginning at 6:00 pm, and will be a social/group extraction event at Denise Deacon’s house in Kitty Hawk!

When:      Wednesday, August 8, 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.  Our own Treasurer, Drew Owens, will be heading up the operation to get you set up with hot knife in one hand and cappings scratcher in the other!  We plan to have two extractors 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.

Be sure to bring your own receptacle with a tight lid in which to carry your honey home. We’ll have ziplocks 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 (like, 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, (and may not have any this year at all, 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 shows 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 call me!
Denise Deacon, 252-722-3118

The Eastern Apiculture Society’s annual conference will be held August 13 – 17 in Hampton Roads, Virginia, this year – close enough to drive!!  Short course offerings on Monday & Tuesday, with the main conference held Wed., Thurs. and Friday.  Their lineup of presenters and speakers is just incredible… well worth the Conference fee.  Consider becoming an EAS member and attending all or part of this fantastic event… Hope to see you there!

Schedule information: http://easternapiculture.org/images/stories/EAS_2018/EAS2018promotion20170806.pdf

Lineup:   http://easternapiculture.org/conferences/eas-2018/2018-speakers-preview.html

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

In the meantime, I found this video to be EXTREMELY helpful, and highly recommend that if you only watch ONE video about bees this whole year, this should be the one!  Randy Oliver’s website, “ScientificBeekeeping.com,” holds a wealth of educational evidence-based material, and this talk he gave about “Tips on Working Bees” is not to be missed.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

If you haven’t already… consider attending the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association Summer Conference to be held July 19, 20 and 21 in Flat Rock, NC.  It promises to be an excellent event with programs and presentations from:

• Tom Seeley- Cornell University- Author of Honeybee Ecology (1985), The Wisdom of the Hive(1996), and Honeybee Democracy (2010). Dr. Seeley’s research focus is the social behavior of the honey bee.
• Frederique Keller- President of the American Apitherapy Society- leading acupuncturist, medical herbalist will present programs on apitherapy which utilize bee venom therapy, honey, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly.
• David Tarpy- NCSU- Outstanding professor and researcher, NCSU Cooperative Extension State Apiculturist. Dr. Tarpy will present on his current research at NCSU and beekeeping issues in NC.
• Phil Craft- Bee Culture magazine, author of “Ask Phil”
• Experienced beekeepers will present expanded beekeeper workshops featuring practical beekeeping information and Born and Bred queen rearing programs.
• North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Apiary inspectors will present beekeeping programs in apiaries located in the open green spaces of Blue Ridge Community College.

For more general info and registration: https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/education/statewide-conferences/2018-ncsba-summer-conference

Also this from Paul Newbold with the Master Beekeeper Program:

“Master Beekeeper Review and Ask the Experts:  Before the conference begins in July we will offer a Master Beekeeper Review session for those testing for Certified, Journeyman, or Master Beekeeper.

Raffle Items (and “dollar donations for tickets”) welcome – anything bee or garden related or items that you’d like to regift!  All proceeds to the Guild.  Hope to see you there!!!

Questions or comments?  Contact me at 252.722.3118 – Denise Deacon

Our next get-together will be Wednesday, May 9, at the Kill Devil Hills Library.  Arrive anytime after 6:30 pm to 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 Etienne Nadeau, who will bring his wealth of queen information to us.  Etienne is a commercial beekeeper/pollinator in the Eliz. City area, helps coordinate the NC State Beekeepers Assoc. “Born & Bred” queen-rearing program, and also rears queens himself.  (He is also our local rep. for Brushy Mountain Bee Supplies, so if you need to order equipment that he can bring down with him, contact him ahead of time at 252.619.7308.)

He will give a presentation about Local Queens, and the importance (and how to’s) of keeping a spare or two queen in your bee yard for emergency or general purposes… he will also be open to ANY AND ALL questions about rearing queens!!  Bring it on!!  In our recent survey, several members requested that we address the topic of “queen rearing,” so here’s a chance for you to gain more knowledge/info from a pro!  🙂

Raffle Items (and “dollar donations for tickets”) welcome – anything bee or garden related or items that you’d like to regift!  All proceeds to the Guild.  Hope to see you there!!!

Questions or comments?  Contact me at 252.722.3118 – Denise Deacon

If you want a chance at free bees, get your swarm traps in place!  You never know if/where the “wild” bees are in your neighborhood, so be prepared if you want in on the action 🙂  Check out this beauty…

Guild member Cyndy Holda in Manns Harbor had her first swarm today (from her own hive), which was quickly hived with help from Michelle Clower, Eric Soderholm and Ladd Bayliss.   Well done!

Believe it or not, at SOME point in 2018 we may see temperatures that are warm enough for mosquitoes to breed – meaning… It may get above 70 degrees for at least two days in a row!! Yes… it is true!  Has to be.  Right?

Anyway, if you keep bees in Dare County (or if you are a homeowner that just doesn’t want to be sprayed), you can get on their “No Spray” list, whereby they will turn off the mosquito chemical spray within a certain number of yards on either side of your address.  (You will hear the sprayer motor continue to run, though, but if you are on their list and the driver is on top of it, the spray should not be emitting.)  If you have been on the list in years past, it is not a bad idea to reiterate your desire yearly!

For any questions or to get (stay) on the list, Contact Mac Gray, Vector Control Supervisor, at
macg@darenc.com
252.475.5885

https://www.darenc.com/departments/public-works/mosquito-control