Hello & Happy New Year!

I know we have been thrown off for a while due to Covid, but we are working to get some ideas flowing and hopefully some solutions for some of our logistical issues.

At this time we have not determined another location for hosting our monthly meetings. I only received a handful of replies (Thank you to those that did!) from last September regarding these issues, so I await further feedback.

First on the Docket – Early Spring Hive Checks & Feeding!

As spring creeps in and brings us warmer days, take the time to check your hives!! It’s common for hives to make it through winter only to starve before plants bud out… So get in there on any day above 50 degrees, see what resources they may have, & if they are depleted, get some feed on them asap!

While sugar syrup 1:1 works well above 50 degree nights, sometimes fondant/dry sugar that’s made wet is better for nights cooler than 50. Regardless, ANY kind or amount of feed is going to be helpful to them coming out of winter. 

Next up – Packages!

ORDER ASAP!
Yet keep in mind – Swarm Season is around the corner and its always a great chance for some literal “FREE BEE’s”!!!

Below is info regarding some of the different suppliers members have used in the past, although we all have predominantly used Sapony Creek. That’s historically been the supplier we worked out group pick up with, which I expect to attempt again this year. 

I have heard from one person – Myia Thompson, who has volunteered to pick up additional orders for others. 

IF YOU NEED HELP Picking up your package/Nuc/order, YOU MUST inform not only Sapony Creek but also Myself (Dalton), and I will confirm with Myia/Driver about their pick up list.

Please remember… At pickup time, a donation toward the driver’s gas & time is always welcome! 
(If you have purchased through other suppliers yourself and can pick up orders for others, please let Dalton know as soon as possible to spread the word.)

NOTE! DIFFERENT SUPPLIERS HAVE THEIR OWN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS & PICKUP DATES!  Also, 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.

PACKAGE & NUC OFFERINGS:

Sapony Creek Apiaries, Dave Bradley, 6154 West Mount Drive, Rocky Mount, NC 27803  

Phone: 252-904-1446

Pickup dates are currently scheduled for Tuesday, March 30th & Tuesday, April 20th. 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 to let the Group Driver 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 $125.00
Marked Packages $130.00

Nucs:
Unmarked 5-Frame $188.00
Marked 5-Frame $193.00

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

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

Email: info@baileybeesupply.com

Phone: 919-241-4236

Offering Italian Packages & Nucs this season!

Package Pickup in Hillsborough- April 1/2 & April 22/ 23.
Nuc’s pickup set for early May.

https://shop.baileybeesupply.com/  

Packages:
$135.00 Packages with a Marked Queen

Nucs:
$190 Unmarked Nuc
$195 Marked Nuc

**Bailey’s also offers equipment for any last-minute needs, in addition to offering Queens through the season!

8 Veteran Farms, James Wierman, Maple, NC 

Email: 8veteransfarms@gmail.com 

Phone: 757-354-1421 

https://www.facebook.com/8veteransfarms  

Offering Packages & Nucs this season!

Packages:
$125 Marked Package 

Nucs:
$175 5-Frame Nuc

**If ordering online; Please include Full Name, Email, & Phone #!

NUC’s (NUCLEUS) HIVES ONLY:

Birdneck Bees – http://ncvabeenucs.com/  

Email – info@ncvabeenucs.com

Phone: Sharon Tanner (757)-718-3581 OR Ann Baker (757)-641-4433

Overwintered Nucs available for the price of $230 for 5 deep frame Nucs. Pickup will be April 16th/17th 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 know.


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

Denise & I will be helping put on a Zoom Event for the Dare County Library on April 14th, 2021. More details to come!

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

-Dalton Hyde
OBBG President