Southside Beekeepers Association April 2017

2016-17 OFFICERS: President: Harvey Joyner Vice President: Jerry Taylor & Bucky Moore Treasurer: Donna Rogers

Secretary: Sue Moore Program Coordinator: Karen Joyner Newsletter Editor: Tammy Malkin

The President’s Corner

SPRING SEASON

Spring has sprung, and, perhaps, you have

done your hive box reversals, accomplished

a “splitter,” and averted a swarm. Okay, maybe

you’ve done all the right things, but “they”

swarmed anyway! You’re not alone; it happens to

the best of beekeepers. Don’t take it personally!

If you need help with capturing a swarm,

remember to call our Swarm Team.

You will want to continue feeding your

bees until the nectar flow kicks in. The bees will

let you know that they no longer need sugar

syrup by refusing it, at which time you remove

the

feeders and discontinue feeding.

By the time you read this, you should

have received our Amended Constitution &

Bylaws which will be voted for approval at our

April 26th SBA meeting. Please know that your

officers worked hard to craft this proposal, and

we hope that you will take it seriously and lend

your support to our club. Also, keep in mind that

we will be moving the nominations and elections

to the Fall (Election in October). The new term

of office will begin in January; however, we

would still like for you to pay your dues ($20) in

May.

Looking ahead, Lucky and Amy Streich

have agreed to host our May meeting, which is

an Open Hive Demonstration, grill-out and

potluck picnic. Mark your calendars and plan to

participate on Saturday, May 20, with an

alternate (rain date) date of May 27. Please

note the specific time and the sign-ups with a

follow-up email.

Looking even further ahead, please note

that we plan to have a table at the Farmers’

Market in Emporia on Monday July 24th, 6-8 pm

(rain date - July 25). Our Extractaganza is

tentatively set for Saturday, August 26 (more

details to follow). The Annual Peanut Festival is

the last weekend of September, and we will need

to begin plans for our participation in it.

In the meanwhile, when it comes to

questions and challenges with beekeeping, please

know that we are all on a high learning curve. Do

not hesitate to call me or any of the other

experienced beekeepers in our club for advice.

Also, remember that there is no substitute for

showing up and participating in our regular

monthly meetings. There is always something

new to be learned or shared. I hope to see your

soon!

From the bee yard,

Harvey

harvey.joyner@gmail.com

804-894-2900

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NEXT MEETING

WHEN:

Thursday, April 27th, 6pm

WHERE:

Emporia/Greensville Extension Office

105 Oak Street

Emporia, VA 23847

Meeting guest speaker: Andy Westrich

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APRIL AND THE BEES:

Now the bees are in full swing. There will still be a few cold snaps, especially in early April, but by the last two weeks, the weather is good for bees to rapidly expand and to even start bringing in more and more nectar and pollen. The heaviest nectar flows begin in the third week of April and will normally last for about two months. The queen is laying well now. The hive is expanding rapidly.

APRIL AND THE BEEKEEPING: April begins the busiest season for the beekeeper. Inspect all hives and take appropriate actions based upon the condition of the individual hive. Keep feeding your weaker hives until the heavy nectar flow is in progress; feeding helps the bees build up. No supers should be on your weaker hives yet, so their intake of sugar is not going into your honey product. You are just feeding to help the hive off to a great start. Keep the pollen patties on top, too.

Some parts of April can be cold and wet which means that your bees may have limited opportunities to fly out for food. So, you must continue to inspect the hive to be sure they have enough food stores. Also, inspect your hive for any abnormalities. You want to see a solid brood laying pattern from your queen. If not, consider replacing her now!

A majority of packages will be installed during the month of April. Make sure that you are familiar with the requirements for starting packages and provide sufficient care to ensure their success.

Once your bees are no longer taking the sugar feeding, discontinue, put supers on, as the bees are now collecting nectar from a growing number of sources; maple trees, locust trees and other early spring flowering plants and trees.

This is a great time to equalize your hives. You may have to combine weak hives with strong ones. Even though they know better, every year some beekeepers seem to become too compassionate toward a struggling hive, and try to nurse them back to health. Although some success may be experienced, it is usually not worth it. It is costly to spend too much time on a struggling hive. It takes money and time to requeen the hive and to continue to work it. It would be far better to combine it to another hive if it is disease and pest free, and the newly combined single hive has a much better chance of thriving. Take the chance that the new hive may be strong enough to split during the summer. After all, a weak hive is an invitation for pests and disease. Strong hives chase away pests and disease. So, your weak hive could spread disease to all your other hives. Don't take the chance. Keep your hives strong.

MAY AND THE BEES: Bees are in full operation now that it is May. You can stop feeding weak hives now because they are bringing in lots of nectar and pollen. The hive is expanding rapidly. The brood chambers are filling up fast and the bees will be working hard filling supers. If insufficient space has been provided, the brood chambers are becoming crowded and congested, and probably preparing to swarm.

MAY AND THE BEEKEEPER: RED ALERT!! BEES SWARM IN MAY

You will have to implement a swarm management

strategy. Keep in mind that bees swarm as a way

of multiplying. It is not a sign of being a poor

beekeeper. However, there are some important

steps to implement to try to prevent

swarming. Keep in mind that you must provide

room for your hive to expand. And, you should

put on honey supers no later than early April. Put

on as many supers of drawn comb as you'd like.

Some experts think it is good practice to have a

minimum of two drawn honey supers on all hives

during the nectar season. Three or four supers

are even better. Don't wait to add your supers

or you may miss particular nectar flows. Get all

supers on by April 1st!

Andy Westrich of Hampton Apiary, and the Colonial Beekeepers Association President is also our LOCAL DADANT Beekeeping Supply REPRESENTATIVE!!!

Andy has agreed be the Guest Speaker for our April 27th SBA meeting! He will talk about beekeeping equipment and wooden ware. If you don't have a Dadant catalog, you can look it up online too.

He has agreed to take orders from the club and will bring any orders sent to him by Sunday 23 April with him to the meeting on the 27th. A copy of his current price list is attached. Members can pay him when they pick up their orders at the meeting. If you place an order and cannot make it to the meeting on the 27th, please make arrangements to have someone else pay for and pick up your order for you. (otherwise you will have to drive to Hampton to pick it up) Cash or check will be fine. You can place your order by emailing him BEFORE 23 APRIL! Andy personally makes the trip to pick up your order and you can avoid shipping and handling charges!!! Andy's email is andy@hamptonapiary.com.

I have attached Andy price list as both the excel spreadsheet that Andy provided and converted it to a word document for those of you who do not do excel. They are the same. You only need one.

Don't miss the order deadline of 23 April!!!

Sue Moore

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RECIPE CORNER

4 cups corn flakes 6 Tablespoons butter 1⁄3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven- 350 F 2. Melt butter, sugar and honey together

in a pan over low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Put cornflakes in a large bowl. 4. Pour the warm honey mixture over the

cornflakes and mix well BUT gently. 5. Spoon mixture into muffin cups. 6. Place in oven for 10 minutes. 7. Cool and store in air tight container.