REMINDERS:
DONT FORGET about those hives you currently have!
If you haven’t already, get out and check those hives the next warm day to ensure they have the honey/nectar/stores to survive spring.
IF NOT – make some 1:1 Sugar Syrup & FEED those bees!
Renew your membership with the NC State Beekeepers Association yet?!
Neither did I, so I went over to https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/membership/join-or-renew-now and got it done.
The Outer Banks Beekeepers Guild will not be asking for membership fees in 2022. COVID restrictions on our local public buildings are still preventing monthly gatherings. Alternative sites are being sought. Please suggest any ideas you may have.
NCSBA 2022 Conference
https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/calendar/state-meetings/2022-spring-meeting
Others are going! If seeking a group, post on our FB page or reply to this email.
In need of Bees this year?!
Apologies this wasn’t compiled and sent out sooner, but here’s who we checked in with…
Everyone’s dates were dependent on weather and all had pricing info and how to order on their sites:
Hands on Beekeepers – Only Nucs! Maybe late April or early May, all info is on the website. Deep and medium nucs, locally raised in SE Virginia. VHS F1 queens are $20 more in a package if you want, or you get a Carniolan/Italian open-mated queen otherwise. (awesome)
http://handsonbeekeepers.com, (757)-408-5201
Sapony Creek in Rocky Mount – Package pickup 3/22 ($135) and nucs ($193) in mid-April.
http://saponycreekapiaries.com, (252)-904-1446.
James Wierman at 8 Veterans Farms: April 24 pickup at Currituck Extension Office from 11 am – 1 pm. $125 for 3 lb. packages and he will have nucs as they are ready in the spring $175 for 5-frames.
(757)-354-1412.
Bailey Bees in Hillsborough, NC: Pickups on two weekends } 3/24-25 and also 3/31-4/1. $135 with a marked queen.
http://baileybeesupply.com (919)-241-4236
Birdneck Bees: Pickup is mid-April at Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake. Nucs only, $242, raised in SC. May be ready around 4/15. (757)-718-3581
GROUP PICKUP:
IF you are interested, PLEASE reply to this email or text Dalton with where you purchased from and I will add you to the list on my phone, if enough people purchase from one place, we’ll see if someone from that group is willing to pick up for others. If not, you’ll want to work out pick-up with the supplier!
If anyone is willing to pick up others orders from a supplier, please let me know by email or phone!
I hope everyone & their hives are doing well!
-Dalton Hyde
OBBG President
Tag Archives: Covid
Jan/Feb New Year Catch Up! – Meetings, Hive Checks, & Packages!
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
Covid Recap
Long Time No See/Talk…
First & Foremost – I hope everyone is doing well amid this most unforgettable year & that your hives have benefited from any extra time you may have found yourself with. I know some people have suffered losses directly/indirectly due to Covid & my sincere condolences go out to you. While not Covid related, I personally lost both of my Grandfathers this summer, a hard loss to navigate as a family on its own, only compounded by the current issues.
Second – I apologize for the long delay in emails/meetings, this has been a difficult year for myself as my personal/work life has been all-consuming. As we near the end of the year, we really need to look at a way to spread out some of the responsibilities as a group, as it’s a lot for any one person to manage but could easily be shared between a few.
As I’m sure most of you know our meeting location – the KDH Library – has been closed since the spring… If anyone has any suggestions for another location or an open outdoor space that we could try our meetings at, let me know!
The idea of Zoom Meetings has been raised, which is possible to conduct but I know there are many in our group that aren’t tech-savvy… that being said, if anyone is interested in that or is willing to figure it out, please let me know! I think now more than ever it is important to get any wrinkles of our social lives ironed out as we are social beings, and rely on them more than we realize during trying times.
I am open to any ideas or advice on how to best meet our group’s needs… but I need to hear from yall about what those might bee!
Third – How is everyone doing?
Please feel free to reply and fill me in on yourself & any good/bad news you may have to share, how your Hives are doing & any issues you found yourself facing this season… I’ve heard it was a plague of wax moth this year (lost a couple myself) & some Hive Beetle issues.
Side Note:
Is everyone receiving the NCSBA emails with the updated elections & suggestions they send out? You would receive these if you are a paid NCSBA Member…. I will consider sending out emails with those messages if I hear of interest from enough people.
I look forward to getting our group back up and running while ensuring the safety of us all, as well as hearing feedback from each of yall.
-Dalton Hyde
2020 OBBG President