SOUTHSIDE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT, LUCKY STREICH ** VICE PRES, BRYANT STARKE & JERRY TAYLOR ** TREASURER, WAYNE FETKO PROGRAM COORDINATORS DONNA ROGERS & NIKKI NORTON ** SECRETARY, AMY STREICH

January 2016

NEXT MEETING

WHEN: Thursday, Feb 25th, 6pm

WHERE: Emporia/Greensville Extension Office

105 Oak Street Emporia, VA 23847

******************************************** INTRO TO BEEKEEPING

Saturday, February 27th 9:00am - 5:00pm

at Greensville Ruritan Club, 370 Ruritan Drive, Emporia 23847

The "Intro to Beekeeping" class on Saturday, February 27th is quickly approaching! We have some great speakers taking time to travel from the Richmond and Tidewater areas to speak for us that day. We cannot stress enough how important it is to for our members to make a presence at this class. Let's make it worth their while! It would be nice to see a strong showing of Southside Beekeepers members to let these speakers know just how much their time is appreciated. No matter how long you have been keeping bees you can always learn something.

Andy Westrich with Andy’s Woodenware will be there with a trailer full of beekeeping supplies for purchase. If there is anything specific that you need just contact him (see attached list) and he will bring it that day. Save on shipping charges!! Lucky & Nikki have worked really hard putting this event together and making sure the event was advertised in the Tidewater News in Franklin as well as the Independent Messenger in Emporia. We have some attendees signed up for the class already but make sure you are promoting this class to your friends, family and neighbors or anyone who may be interested in beekeeping or just interested in bees. Share the following flyer on your Facebook page, print it out and put it up at your church or any other local business you may frequent such as a local store, nursery, etc. Being a member of Southside Beekeepers Association YOU DO NOT NEED TO REGISTER ONLINE. You would just need to pay $8 per person that day to cover your lunch. If you are planning on attending all we ask that you let us know by responding to this email so we can have a head count to order lunch. We may need some volunteers to direct people, sign people in, etc. BUT you don't have to volunteer to attend. Just come out and support the club and the event. Any non-member guests who may come with you would need to register online or mail a check. There will be a break during the day where we would like to provide drinks and snacks for our guests so we are looking for help with that. Let us know if you are interested in bringing a snack for the break.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

Saturday, February 27th Intro to Beekeeping

A partnership between Southside Beekeepers Association and the Agriculture and Natural Resources program of Virginia Cooperative Extension.

This Beekeepers class for beginners will provide a short course on Beekeeping Equipment, Protective Gear, Honey Bee Biology and Colonies, Hive Management, and Honey Bee Pests and Diseases.

Speakers: Keith Tignor

Virginia State Apiarist Lucky Streich, President

Southside Beekeepers Association, Emporia

Pam Fisher, President

Virginia State Beekeepers Association

Andy Westrich Owner and Operator

Hampton Apiaries and Andy's Woodenware

$30 per adult - $10 for each child under 16 Lunch included with pre-registration

Fee includes Beekeeping Basics Book and

additional beekeeping information (One set of reference materials per

household.) PLUS a FREE membership to the Southside Beekeepers Association from Feb 28 to June 30, 2016.

Pre-registration required

Limited Seating Deadline to register: February 21st

9:00am - 5:00pm

at Greensville Ruritan Club, 370 Ruritan Drive, Emporia 23847

Adults Register HERE

Child under 16 Register HERE

OR Mail payment to : Greensville Emporia Extension Office 105 Oak Street, Emporia, VA 23847

Make Checks Payable to: Southside

Beekeepers Association For more information contact (434) 348-4223

Equipment will be available for sale

If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please notify the Greensville/Emporia Extension Office at (434) 348-4223 during business hours of Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Interim Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.

Don’t forget to “LIKE” the Southside Beekeepers Association face book page to see what’s going on in the club and the bee world. Click here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southside-Beekeepers-Association/196062887190033

“Getting to Know You” A segment aimed at getting to know a little about your fellow beekeepers and SBA members.

MEET JERRY TAYLOR

A little about Jerry… Jerry is a forester for a major paper company with experience in land/timber management and procurement. Married to wife Darlene since 1982. No children, three dogs. Darlene and Jerry own a home based business, Dogwood Grove Greenhouses based in Broadnax, VA. They are small growers featuring greenhouse grown pesticide free tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. They sell direct to the consumer on the farm, at a local Farmers' Market and also have a limited number of wholesale customers including natural food stores and high end restaurants. They take great pride in attention to customer service and top quality products. Click on the link below to see an informative segment about their greenhouse business featuring Darlene and Jerry. http://www.greenhousemag.com/video/tomato-production-greenhouse-virginia What prompted you to get into beekeeping? We used to grow outdoor crops for markets. One day we noticed a lack of pollinators in our squash. How long have you been beekeeping? Since July 2009 How many hives do you have? Currently 7 (2 not established) What do you enjoy most about beekeeping? Hard to say – often frustrating. We enjoy monitoring strong hives and bee behavior. Would you be willing to help mentor other beekeepers? Yes Do you make/sell any beekeeping supplies or bee products and if so what? Honey at our home based business Dogwood Grove Greenhouses. Contact Information Address: 370 Meredith Mill Road, Broadnax, VA 23920 Phone: (804) 691-5683 Email: dogwoodgrovegh@yahoo.com Club Member Since: June 2012 Birthday: January 24th

*********************************************************************************** This is a new section to the newsletter featuring YOU! Each month we will feature one of our members in the newsletter. This will help everyone to get to know each other. So far we have only received a few entries. This is a form of networking…you never know when your occupation or special skill or products may come in handy to one of the other members. Please fill out a form available at the monthly meetings and give it to Amy at one of the meetings along with a photo (I may have a photo of you – just ask)

Nucs vs Packages Beginners frequently ask, "What's the difference starting with packages as opposed to nucleus colonies?" Since both have an equivalent number of bees and a queen - it's not apparent why an established Nuc is a better bargain than a package regardless of price.

It has to do with time and what's happening in the bees' season... Spring is when colonies build - as temperatures grow warmer and pollen and nectar become plentiful, their inclination is to make a new colony. Packages, nucs and swarms all arrive about the same time in the southern Appalachians (early to mid-April, unless a nuc is over-wintered, in which case they'll be available earlier.) Each contains about 10,000 bees and a mated queen. If installed in new equipment, comb must be drawn for the queen to lay. Extruding wax requires tremendous energy and warm temperatures. If the beekeeper does not provide additional feed the build-up will be slow.

A package is like Ellis Island - a bunch of immigrants from different lands (hives) are thrown together, given a queen who's not their mother - and told to build a City. They will do it - but it's not the best way to start. A caged queen will take several days after she's released to resume laying. Her eggs won't hatch for 21 days and it will be two more weeks before newly born bees mature into foragers. Added together it will be six weeks before any new bees bring forage. By then nearly ALL the original bees in the package will be dead! (The average lifespan of a worker is only six weeks!)

A package is made of bees shaken down a funnel. They aren't sorted by age - but even if all were a day old when shaken - they'll be week-old when picked up - and it will be six weeks before the first replacement bees are ready to forage. The flowers of spring will largely be missed while the package isn't strong enough to take advantage. The honey flow will pass them by as the package loses strength every day until at least the fourth week after installation. And if the new colony doesn't like the queen they've been given, they will reject or

supersede her - adding another three week delay and seriously jeopardizing the survival of the colony.

By contrast the Nuc has many advantages: their queen is already accepted and laying eggs. She is a proven force. She continues to lay even as the nuc is transported and frames full of brood are transferred into the beekeeper's equipment. Within existing comb are stores and brood of all ages. A balance exists between older bees and an increasing number of replacements. The colony utilizes these abundant resources and builds into a fully established colony.

Comparing a package and nuc around May 30 (six weeks after installation), the package has been continuously fed by the beekeeper and now has mostly drawn ten deep frames of comb. The first daughters are beginning to forage and the population once again approaches where it started. Unfortunately, the spring flow is nearly over. If the beekeeper continues to feed, the second deep should be drawn by another 3-4 weeks. The nucleus colony did not have to be fed. It expanded immediately and filled the five frames of foundation in less than two weeks. By the end of May the second deep is mostly drawn and the colony has reached full strength. They are in position to gather a surplus in summer and go into winter strong and healthy.

Looking at it in economic terms, the package costs "$", plus five frames with foundation that'll add $15 to the cost. If the colony doesn't accept the queen, a new one will cost $25 plus shipping and another two weeks will be lost. Hopefully the colony will get its comb drawn (feed cost$, takes time, and is messy). In a good season it may gather summer surplus and be ready for winter by early fall.

The Nuc builds much faster, and may actually gather a surplus that spring. Each shallow super contains 2.5 gallons of honey. That's 30 one pound jars of honey at minimally $10 a jar. Or the colony could be split at the end of May (using the box the nuc came in) and allowed to raise their own daughter - giving the buyer a new two-deep colony and a 5 frame nuc valued at ... $180!

RECIPE CORNER

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake From the National Honey Board

Ingredients Non-stick cooking spray 1 cup - quinoa, (uncooked) 1 tablespoon - cinnamon 2 cups - mixed frozen berries 1 cup - coarsely chopped nuts 2 - eggs 2 cups - milk 1/2 cup - honey

Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. In a small bowl, stir together uncooked quinoa with cinnamon, making sure it is coated completely. Pour quinoa over bottom of prepared dish. Scatter the berries and nuts on top of quinoa, making sure to spread evenly. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk and honey and whisk together. Pour egg mixture on top of quinoa and fruit. Bake 1 hour or until the breakfast bake only has a small amount of liquid remaining. Top with fresh berries and drizzle generously with honey.

Nutritional Information Calories per Serving: 198, Protein: 7g, Carbs: 29g, Fat: 6g, Fiber: 2.9g, Sodium: 68g

FEBRUARY AND THE BEES:

Sunlight is becoming slightly longer and the longer, warmer days trigger the queen to start laying significantly more eggs. Their cluster has worked its way upward into the top brood chamber. On the colder days, they are behaving similarly as in January.

FEBRUARY AND THE BEEKEEPER:

On a warm day, 50 degrees or more, you can open the top briefly and look in on the hive. Do not remove any frames, as this will chill the brood. Upon inspection you can assess if the colony still has enough stored honey for food. If not, you may want to consider emergency feeding options. Emergency feeding is just that...an emergency. So do whatever it takes to get some sugar in the hive. Dry sugar will work but only if the bees have warm enough days to fly out for water. There may not be many days warm enough in early February for dry sugar feedings or hard candy feedings. Sometimes sponges soaked in heavy sugar water and jammed between the frames near the cluster will suffice until the weather warms. Do anything you can think of...after all it is better than letting the hive starve to death. Of course, if you have frames of honey available, that's the best way to feed them, but most of us have sold all our honey by now. You might also consider placing a pollen patty on top of the upper hive body. This will really work well if the end of winter is extremely mild and there are many warm days. Pollen patties stimulate the laying of more eggs. However, if the weather turns cold again, then the bees may not be able to keep this early brood warm and fed. So it is a gamble this early.