Tag Archives: Spring

HAPPY SPRING EQUINOX!

Bee Package Pickup is TOMORROW 3/21/23 at 1:00 pm (**give or take) at the KDH Stackem High! 1225 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

Don Babin is picking up and dropping them off, as we only have a small number of people who ordered for tomorrow from Sapony.

**Don will notify me of a more accurate timeframe when hes picked them up and is heading back, which I will text with everyone if it changes from 1pm.

Thank You to Nick Kiousis & Don Babin!!

Ive held off scheduling a meeting for Wednesday this week as people may need help with Package installation & current Hive consolidation… We will absolutely be making them up!

And if you’ve been delayed… 

Start Feeding your 1:1 Sugar Syrup on your hives!!

Picking Up List:

Harvey Murray – 3 Marked Packages from Sapony 3/21

Chris Fischer – 1 Marked Package from Sapony 3/21

Charlotte Hester – 2 Marked Packahges from Sapony 3/21

**Please notify me immediately if I dont have you on the list!

NUC Pickup List:

Leslie – 2 Nucs from Nadeau Farms 

FOR SALE: 

Swarm Traps & DIY Equipment – Contact Robert Lotze in Duck 804-475-9365. Some traps in Stock, any other equipment about 2ish weeks out. 

Thomas Dotson 252-217-8628 is selling an overwintered Hive with a local queen in a 2 x 8 frame Medium Box Hive. 

State Meetings:

Summer 2023, Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock, NC • July 13-15

Spring 2024, New Bern Waterfront Convention Center, New Bern, NC • March 7-9

The Born and Bred queen rearing workshop is back in 2023! The workshop is a program offered by the NCSBA to instruct beekeepers on the complete process of queen rearing. Join us for a full day of queen rearing instruction, demonstration and hands-on practice. The specialized cell building and mating colonies required for queen rearing will be set-up on site. Grafting instruction will be hands-on with live honey bee larvae. The workshop will be held on Saturday, April 22 at the Pitt County Extension Center in Greenville, NC. Register soon because space for this popular workshop is limited!

Born and Bred Queen Rearing

Professorship FUNDRAISING:

NCSU Endowed Professorship

Let me know if theres any questions or if  you have Ordered anything from Sapony for the other dates… we currently have Heidi picking them up on April 15th & no one for the April 19th 2nd Package pick up.

LET ME KNOW if anyone has ordered packages from that date and is willing to pick up others. 

Happy Spring,

Dalton Hyde

919-260-3265

NO MEETING TONIGHT

NO MEETING TONIGHT

I was planning to hold one tonight but upon returning from a trip, I don’t have everything together. 
I apologize immensely for the last-minute notice.

We will reschedule this meeting for the following available dates at the library.

ORDER Packages/ Nucs if you still need them! 

Bee Supplier Pickup Dates:

Etienne Nadeau – Nadeau Farms Elizabeth City: Last Week of April (local nucs)

Hands on Beekeepers: Late April & May (local Nucs)

Sapony Creek in Rocky Mount: ***Heidi Leo is willing to pick up for this supplier FIRST NUC Pickup DATE – APRIL 15th….
3 lb Packages – First pickup date is Tuesday, March 21st & then April 19th.

If anyone is picking up packages on the other dates and is willing to pick up others, please let me know.

James Wierman at 8 Veterans Farms: 
Pickup is at 101 Sweetgum Ct Maple, NC 27956 Starting April 26th by appointment.

Bailey Bees in Hillsborough, NC:  Pickups on two weekends } 3/23-24 and 3/30-31.  

Birdneck Bees: No packages, ONLY Nucs. Pickup is in mid-April at Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake. Nucs are $240, overwintered in SC. They may be ready for pickup around 4/15. 


I only have a handful of Bee orders so if you’ve ordered, please NOTIFY ME!

Keep an eye out for emails regarding Bee Packages & Nuc Pick Up Info along with the info about an Intermediate BEES Academy being held by the Currituck County Extension Center on October 27 & 28th, 2023!


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 other orders from a supplier, please let me know by email or phone!

Any questions, let me know!

-Dalton Hyde
919-260-3265

MEETING Tomorrow – Wednesday 2/8/2023

We are holding a meeting tomorrow on our regular schedule… We will cover what was meant to be covered in the last meeting as we experienced a few technical difficulties. 
 
Apologies to anyone who tried coming out last time… I accidentally forgot to pick up the library key and then that huge storm rolled through.

I live about 45 min away so if anyone is willing to pick up the key from KDH library the day prior to the meeting for me, it would be much appreciated!
————————————————————————–

We will have a meeting TOMORROW to discuss bee suppliers, orders, installation, swarm catching & hive splits…

DATE: Wednesday, February 8th, 2023

WHERE: Kill Devil Hills Library, 400 Mustian St, KDH 27948.

WHEN: 7:00 PM – Arrive at 6:30 p.m. to socialize/help set up chairs, meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Library locks the front door at 5:00, so follow the sidewalk around the left of the building to the back door.

2023 Bee Suppliers

In need of Bees this year?!

We will have a meeting THIS WEEK to discuss bee suppliers, orders, package & Nuc installation, swarm catching & hive splits…

DATE: Wednesday, January 25th, 2023

WHERE: Kill Devil Hills Library, 400 Mustian St, KDH 27948.

WHEN: 7:00 PM – Arrive at 6:30 p.m. to socialize/help set up chairs, meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Library locks the front door at 5:00, so follow the sidewalk around the left of the building to the back door.

Bee Suppliers for 2023…

Everyone’s dates are dependent on the weather and all had pricing info and how to order on their sites, so check them out.

Hands on Beekeepers: 
Only Nucs! All info is on the website. Deep and medium nucs, locally raised in SE Virginia, and choose between a VHS F1 queen OR Carniolan/Italian open-mated queen. 
Range from $225-235 each. 

https://hands-on-beekeepers.square.site/  

http://handsonbeekeepers.com / (757)-408-5201

Sapony Creek in Rocky Mount: 
3 lb Packages – First pickup date is Tuesday March 21st & then April 19th.
$130 Unmarked Queen
$135 Marked Queen 

5Frame Nucs – Pickup sometime Mid-April
$188 Unmarked Queen
$193 Marked Queen. 

http://saponycreekapiaries.com / (252)-904-1446.

James Wierman at 8 Veterans Farms: 
Pickup is at 101 Sweetgum Ct Maple, NC 27956 – Starting April 26th by appointment.  

$135 for 3 lb. packages and he will have Nucs as they are ready in the spring $185 for 5-frames.

https://my-site-106938-104782.square.site/s/shop / (757)-354-1412

Bailey Bees in Hillsborough, NC:  
Pickups on two weekends } 3/23-24 and also 3/30-31.  

3lb Packages are $140.
Nucs are $200. They will call with the Pickup date.  

https://shop.baileybeesupply.com/ / (919)-241-4236

Birdneck Bees:
No packages, ONLY Nucs. 
Pickup is mid-April at Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake. 

Nucs are $240, overwintered in SC. May be ready for pickup around 4/15. 

https://ncvabeenucs.com/?product=5-frame-bee-nuc / (757)-641-4433


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 buy 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 other orders from a supplier, please let me know by email or phone.

Any questions, let me know!

-Dalton Hyde
919-260-3265

Great speaker lined up for 5/11 – MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW!

DATE: Next Wednesday, May 11th, 2022

WHERE: 400 Mustian St KDH 27948, Kill Devil Hills Library

WHEN: 7:00 PM – 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 side of the building to the back door. (Please remember, the Library requests no food or drinks!).

The guest speaker for our next meeting, to be held Wednesday, 5/11/22, will be our Regional Apiary Inspector for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Adolphus Leonard.  

Topic: Pest Management…

The mission of the N.C. DOA & CS Apiary Program is to promote and protect the state’s beekeeping industry, and Adolphus is here to help us bee successful!  He brings decades of beekeeping knowledge with him, as he has been involved with keeping bees most of his life.

While his talk at this meeting will center around pest management, he will be available to answer any questions as well.   
_________________________________________________________

Need Nucs Still??
Stacy Marriner has Medium Nucs & Queens available w free delivery!
Phone: 252-202-7701
Email: 2chill4real@gmail.com

Place your order NOW or BY May 9th and he will bring your order with him to our meeting.

Discounted prices are offered for all of May…
5 frame Medium Nuc = $140
Queens = $30
Please contact him with any questions.
_________________________________________________________

Want to access the wisdom of the top Natural Beekeeping experts but can’t get away??

Check this amazing event out – A Natural Beekeeping Webinar!

https://www.hayscountybeekeepers.com/world-bee-day-2022

Friday May 20th, 2022 from 8am – 8:30pm

You can buy access beforehand for $65, which then increases to $75 on/after 5/20/22, OR buy individual speakers for $20 each!

Bee There!
-Dalton Hyde
OBBG President

Thank You… for an AMAZING turnout at our first meeting in 2 years – it was great to see all of the familiar faces & many new ones!

Below is a quick recap of the info we covered:

KDH LIBRARY MEETING ROOM IS AGAIN OPEN!!
Mark your calendars on… second Wednesdays of every month!

Beginning on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, regular meetings of the OBX Beekeepers Guild will be once again be held.

Arrive at 6:30 to socialize, meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. The front door of the Library will be locked because they now close at 5:00 p.m. on Wed., so follow the sidewalk around the left side of the building to the back door where the meeting room is located. Speaker & topic suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

If you would like to participate in the raffle, bring a little cash for ticket donation and/or any items to be raffled (do not have to be bee-related – regifting welcome! :). The raffle is usually held at the end of most meetings.

NUCS (being picked up):

Bailey Bee Supply, Hillsborough, NC, end of April, $200:

Guild members Steve & Jeanne Brooks will be picking up their nuc from Bailey Bee sometime near the end of April, no definite date as yet.

Check their website for info if you’d like to order and let Bailey Bee know you’ll be picked up by the Brooks’, then contact Jeanne at 252-202-1442 to let her know.

Nadeau Farms, Elizabeth City, is now sold-out for their April order, BUT will have more nucs available in May!

These are local nucs with local queens produced by Etienne. $185 for 5-frame deeps, $170 for 5 frame mediums.

Call Etienne at 252-619-7308 to get on his list for May!

MEMBERSHIP DUES:

We will forego our Guild dues this year once again, but please do consider joining the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association (https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/membership/join-or-renew-now).

The Coastal Garden Festival is being held once again this spring on May 14th. 2022!

In the past we have held a booth where members volunteer to help set up, engage/educate/interact, breakdown/clean up… it’s always a great time! This has really become quite the event.

My concerns are the lack of fundraising materials that we usually have to sell to help benefit the OBBG and being unable to obtain them in time due to the disrupted supply chain. That being said, if anyone is up for volunteering and feels it’s worth our time attending this year, please let me know… I will do my best to join anyone else doing so. 

Thanks,
Dalton Hyde
OBBG President
919-260-3265

Reminder!

This coming Wednesday, March 16, we’ll hold an Outer Banks BeeKeepers’ Guild meeting at the Outer Banks Brewing Station, 600 S Croatan Hwy Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

PACKAGE BEES FROM SAPONY CREEK, 3/22 PICKUP:

Have you ordered a package(s) or queen(s) [or plan to] from Sapony Creek/Dave Bradley in Rocky Mount, NC, for March 22 pickup?

OBX Beekeeper Dorothy Morris will be picking up her packages that day and has offered to pick up for others!

If you would like her to pick up your order, here are your instructions:

  1. Call Sapony Creek (252)-904-1446, and let them know you will be on the 3/22 OBX order to be picked up by Dorothy Morris.
  2. Call Dorothy Morris at (252)-599-2507 to give her your name & number and let her know what you have ordered so that she can add you to her list.

On pickup day, when she is driving on her way back from Rocky Mount, she will let Denise know her ETA, and Denise will broadcast text the ETA to everyone on the pickup list.  

Dorothy will bring the orders to her home located at 608 W. Kitty Hawk Road Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 for everyone to pick up there. When you come to pick them up, any donations toward her gas expenses are welcome!

The Sapony Creek package pickup is currently scheduled for March 22, 2022.  As usual, the pickup date will be dependent on Sapony Creek.  In years past there have been weather delays that extended the pickup date, so plan accordingly!

REVIEW/ PRACTICE Package or Nuc installation NOW before your expected orders arrive…. figuring it out the day of costs you time & sometimes bees!


Thanks,
Dalton Hyde
OBBG President 
919-260-3265

It’s been too long…

Please join us for a meeting of the Outer Banks BeeKeepers’ Guild on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, starting at 5:30 pm. To be held in the upstairs dining area of the Outer Banks Brewing Station. Those who would like to order drinks and/or dinner can do so (run your own tab), and we’ll eat and talk bees!

(The KDH Library is still working toward opening its doors for meetings. Hopefully, soon we can have regular meetings there… we’re on their list.)

In the meantime, we have reserved the OBX Brew Station upstairs in order to regroup and reacquaint.  NO DUES are being collected as yet, so everyone who is considering being a beekeeper or a member please feel free to join us!

TOPICS:
We’ll ask everyone to reintroduce themselves and describe how your bee journey has been going this winter.
We’ll talk packages and nucs, who’s planning to get what.
We’ll have the honey from our last contest available to taste, for those who couldn’t attend, and we’ll present those contest winners with their awards!

Again – Next Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at the Outer Banks Brewing Station.  Socialize beginning at 5:30 p.m. – but come whenever you can.

Hope to see some of yall!

Please Read Carefully…   


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

Meeting Reminder for this Wednesday March 11th

The (Early) Arrival of Spring & Our Swarm Season!!


March Meeting = THIS WEDNESDAY 3/11/20 @ Library

Have YOU ever caught a Swarm?! Do you KNOW anyone who has?! How about WHAT causes a hive to Swarm?! 
Would you like to not only learn the types/ behavior of “Swarms” but also what’s needed to catch one, along with the best tips/advice/methods in doing so??

Well, that’s what we hope to decipher at our upcoming meeting!

When:     Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 
Where:     KDH Library – 400 Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills 27948
Time:      Starts @ 7:00 pm – Arrive anytime after 6:30 to chat each other up! 

DETAILS

Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, March 11th, 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!).

I will bring in the Swarm Trap made a couple of years ago at the workshop we held, that I’ve been lucky enough to employ in catching a swarm successfully (still have), as an example. We will aim to detail the many kinds of traps used, recommended wood/paint, best bait tactics, & suggested placement/retrieval methods.

Anyone who has one they’ve successfully used, are encouraged to bring theirs in as well, along with the stories (or Tales) of how you managed to catch a swarm – a sort of Show & Tell! 

Swarm Season officially starts with Spring, yet swarms are cast anywhere from March through July; Sometimes there are even cases of swarms during Fall. 

A swarm in May is worth a load of hay.
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon.
A swarm in July ain’t worth a fly. [or …Let it fly.]

For those of you interested in possibly making your own – I have been working on finding a woodshop to utilize in order to host a “Swarm Trap Workshop”. The goal is to have the OBBG purchase the wood/materials, have it all pre-cut/drilled, with those in attendance applying glue/screws to construct it. Anyone unable to make it could simply buy any of the extra traps. The cost should be approx $25.
 

I’ve been following the National Phenology Network, which y’all may find helpful/interesting, so check out the following links…

Spring Overview
https://www.usanpn.org/news/spring

Spring Leaf Index
https://www.usanpn.org/files/npn/maps/six-leaf-index-anomaly.png 

Spring Bloom Index
https://www.usanpn.org/files/npn/maps/six-bloom-index-anomaly.png 


REMINDER: 
Please see the previous email regarding the Volunteer Opportunities in need of YOU! Volunteering directly benefits our OBBG, our Community, & Ourselves!

Catch me with any Questions, Comments, or Concerns via email @ outerbanksbeekeepers@gmail.com

See y’all soon.

-Dalton Hyde
2020 OBBG President