Please join us Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 7 pm at Penrose Church of God of Prophecy on Highway 64. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall in the basement of the church. This is our first meeting since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020.
Directions: From Brevard/Pisgah Forest, take Highway 64 toward Hendersonville. Go straight through the traffic light at the Vulcan Rock Quarry, go approximately 1 mile and the church is on the right side of the road.
April meeting cancelled
Our April 2020 meeting is canceled due to concerns about public gatherings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Stay well and take care of your bees!
Notes from the March meeting
Planting native wildflowers is a great way to help bees and other pollinators in our area. On March 3 we heard from County Extension Director and Agent Bart Renner and Master Gardener Richard Mills (shown above) about planting for pollinators.
Plant information: Mr. Renner presented a slideshow on the top native pollinator plants for our area for each season of the year. Find a handout with all the plants listed here. The Extension Service also has a great website to help you choose the right plants for various locations: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
Pollinators and prairies: Mr. Mills gave a presentation on creating a pollinator pasture, based on a project he worked on with the Audubon Society in Alabaster, Alabama. Many pollinator plants are adapted from the prairie lands that abounded all over the eastern United States hundreds of years ago, including North Carolina, he said. Information about growing a prairie from seed is here.
Door prizes: TCBA is now giving away door prizes at the monthly meeting. This month, two lucky attendees received a pre-seeded mat with enough bee-friendly flowers to cover about 8 square feet. Come to the April 7 meeting to see what next month’s prize will be!
April meeting site: We will meet at the county Board of Elections building at 150 S. Gaston St. on April 7, 7-8 p.m. Our usual meeting room is under renovations. UPDATE: The April meeting is canceled.
March Meeting: New Location
Join us Tuesday, March 3 at 7 pm at a new location: the County Commissioners Chambers (the old Library), located in the Transylvania County Administration Building at 101 S. Broad St. in downtown Brevard. You can park in the Tax Office parking lot across the street. (Google Map link to the location)
The Social Services Building where we usually meet is being remodeled for the next several months.
We’ll have two guest speakers and some door prizes at this month’s meeting!
Notes from the February meeting
County Extension Director and Agent Bart Renner was at our meeting February 4, bringing a film as well as an example of what happens when enormous hornets take over a hive (see photo above).
Films and DVDS: TCBA members watched a film, ‘Queen of the Sun,’ one of many DVDs that can be borrowed by NC State Beekeepers Association members. A bibliography of available AV resources can be found here. To borrow, fill out this online request form.
New Guide to Identifying Bees: North Carolina has more than 500 species of bees! Mr. Renner passed around copies of “The Bees of North Carolina: An Identification Guide.” This new book can be viewed online here.
Bee schools offered: The North Carolina State Apiculture Program is offering two trainings this spring: An online beginner beekeeping course March 4-25 (details here), and an Intermediate BEES Academy March 3-4 in New Bern, NC (more information here).
February Meeting: ‘Queen of the Sun’
Join us on February 4, 2020 at 7 pm for a special video presentation by the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association titled “Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?”
If you haven’t renewed your NCSBA membership (due in January!), we plan to have a computer at the meeting to assist you. Or you can renew online here.
‘Catch the Buzz’
At our November 2019 meeting, Erika Holland gave a presentation on a new initiative that she and a team are working on to help bees and educate people about them. Click here to read the ‘Catch the Buzz’ proposal.
2020 Membership Dues are Due
Now is the time to renew your TCBA membership for 2020. Please send your dues in before December 31. Checks should be made payable to TCBA with “Dues” in the memo line, and mailed to Transylvania County Beekeepers, PO Box 92, Brevard, NC 28712. Dues are $10 per individual and $15 per family. Dues for students age 14-17 are $5 when joining with an adult.
New Meeting Dates in 2020
Our next meeting will be January 7, 2020. (There will not be a meeting in December.) Please note the change in our monthly meeting schedule: Join us on the first Tuesday of the month. The time remains at 7:00 pm.
October 2019 Meeting: Bear Fencing
This month’s guest speaker is Hale Young, who will be talking about bear fencing. Join us at 7 pm Friday, October 25 in the Transylvania County Community Services Building, 106 E. Morgan St., Brevard, NC 28712.