Transylvania County Beekeepers Association

Hope everyone is doing ok and are close to being back to normalcy. It has been a difficult time for most with all the storms! FEMA is utilizing our normal meeting location for the next four weeks. Due to everything that has happened in the last month and lack of a meeting facility, we have decided to cancel the November meeting. Hope to see all of you at the next meeting on December 3rd! 

Anyone whose bees were impacted by the storm, loss of colonies, equipment, etc. may go to this link and fill out the form: 

https://forms.gle/bsLQ8uaoiJfjYRnm6

This information is very important. There are resources being made available through the state association NCSBA. The information will help the state determine the resources needed in each county. The cutoff date to file a claim is January 30, 2025. The hive loss payment is $230.00 for the 2024 program year.

Here is some more information that will help if you have been affected by this storm:

Click to access usda-programs-resources-support-beekeepers.pdf

Click to access fsa_elaphoneybeefact_sheet_22.01.pdf

Please check out this link about the new predator to the honey bee, the Yellow-Legged Hornet. The Yellow-Legged Hornet is in addition to the Asian Giant/Murder Hornet that we all know so well, but also may be confusing the Asian Giant to the European Hornet. https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2024/scientists-combat-honeybee-threat-yellow-legged-hornet-spread-us

To Keep your hornets straight. The European “will not” normally kill a honey bee. The Asian Giant “will”. Now there is the Yellow-Legged Hornet that may be even more devastating to our sweet honey bees.

The European has tear drop stripes on its thorax. A head and thorax that are similar in color.

The Asian Giant/Killer on the other hand has straight stripes across its thorax. Its head is lighter in color than their thorax.

This is a good U-Tube video to tell the difference between the European and Asian Giant Hornets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz6PDJOZK9s&feature=youtu.be

We had eleven members in attendance. Randy Austin shared his new technique for keeping his smoker going. He uses a toilet paper roll filled with cardboard from Amazon cardboard and three smoker pellets. Amazon doesn’t use any artificial chemicals in their cardboard. See the photo below. Most members stated pine needles are their source for smokers. However, sometimes it is hard to find dry pine needles and keep them smoking. 

There was a question about losing queens at the end of the year. Some reasons may be due to her age and/or repeated exposure to mite treatment medication. A weakened hive due to mites. The queen gets injured or killed during hive inspection. If the queen needs to be replaced, most of the time it will be during the last honey flow, which is the Sourwood flow for our area. 

If you have a hive with a lot of drones in mid October, it’s in trouble and probably won’t make it through the winter. It is best to combine the hive with another one. 

It is the time of year for robbing. You probably want to add your entrance reducers.

It was discussed that sometime in the future the club could get together to share in equipment and purchase mite treatment in bulk for those who only have a few hives and don’t need a lot of medication. 

There are some bee stores around that will rent equipment.

Hope you can make it to our next bee club meeting on October 1st.

We had our last meeting on 8/6/24 at the Community Services Building (106 East Morgan St. Brevard, NC) at 7 pm. Fourteen people were in attendance. We are at the end of the sourwood honey flow. It is time to start thinking about treating and feeding your bees. They need a good store for winter. A lot of bee keepers come up to the mountains for the sourwood flow bringing with them more mites and viruses. You need to recheck and possibly retreat again in the fall for mites. Make sure when you treat your bees to remove the entrance reducer and open it up.

It was discussed that the association has $1,480 that is being held in the County’s Cooperative Extension Master Gardner’s fund which was awarded to the association in a grant. The money is to be used for education purposes. Please be thinking how you would like to see the money be used.

Rosemary and Mary won the mated queen contest. The meeting adjourned a little after 8 pm.

Hope to see you at the next meeting. It will be the first Tuesday of the month, September 3rd, same place, 7 pm.

The Transylvania County Beekeepers Association had to update our email address. Please note the new email address is: tcbeekeepersassoc@gmail.com. If you would like to be added to the group email list, please send and email request with your first and last name. Thank you.

At the end of the next Transylvania County Beekeepers Association meeting (August 6, 2024) there will be a drawing for 2 mated queens. To be entered for the drawing, you may purchase your ticket chances to win at the Bee Cool Bee Supply Store (728 Capps Rd. Pisgah Forest, NC 28768), or at the Transylvania Farmers’ Market (200 East Main St. Brevard, NC 28712) on Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm. Tickets are $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00. You do not have to be present to win, but we hope you can make the meeting to either learn all about bee keeping, or share your knowledge to assist others.

The TCBA meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room of the Community Services Building, 106 E Morgan St, Brevard, NC 28712.

Everyone is welcome! There’s no fee to attend. Experienced beekeepers as well as those just starting their beekeeping journey are encouraged to attend.

All meetings will begin with brief updates from the association’s leadership, followed by a special presentation on a specific beekeeping topic. There will be time for general Q&A at the end of each meeting.

Our December 2022 meeting will be at the Brevard Fire Department, 95 W Main St, Brevard, NC 28712 at 7 pm Tuesday, December 6. Please come – we will be electing new officers for 2023!

Ricky Manning of LickLog Branch Apiaries will join us to talk about spring splits for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 pm. Join us at the Penrose Church of God of Prophecy fellowship hall.

As we’re getting more beekeepers attending our meetings this spring, we need a bit more space… so please join us April 5 at 7 pm at Penrose Church of God of Prophecy on US 64 (4646 Hendersonville Hwy, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768). Whether you’re new to beekeeping or a seasoned apiarist, you are welcome to come and talk bees with us!