Orange County Beekeepers Association

Varroa mite (phoretic stage)

Randall Austin, will present “Some Honey Bee Pests and Treatments.” This is a timely discussion of varroa mite and small hive beetle management. We are entering critical months for these problems. All beekeepers need to be vigilant with testing and effective treatment to assure the health and viability of their colonies throughout the summer and as the colonies move into the fall build-up stage. Strong, healthy colonies full of bees are essential to successfully overwintering your hives.

Next Saturday, June 16th, at 1:00 o’clock, Randall will demonstrate the practical hands-on skills of varroa monitoring and treatment at his apiary. Plan to attend the Varroa Assessment Field Day. Contact Randall via email to get directions to his apiary. All OCBA members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

A representative of Bee Downtown will share information about their mission – building healthy, sustainable, honey bee communities in urban environments. Bee Downtown has a strong history of promoting beekeeping in urban business districts. They will discuss the challenges associated with beekeeping in cities and their success in doing so.

The Urban Beekeeper

Come and learn to dance with your bees!

This month’s educational topic is “Honey Bee Communication.” It will be presented by Chris Apple, past OCBA President and current OCBA Community Outreach Director. Chris will discuss the key honey bee pheromones that facilitate intra-hive communication. These pheromones allow the colony to function as a superorganism. She will also explain the navigational mysteries of the Nobel Prize winning waggle dance. These are important topics for all beekeepers who want to know what’s going on in the hive. 

The cleaning behavior of hygienic bees help reduce the varroa load in our hives. This month Nancy Ruppert, NC State Bee Inspector for the Sandhills Region, will help us understand “The Value of Having/Raising Hygienic Queens in Your Apiary.” She will provide an overview of hygienic bee stocks and teach us how to identify hygienic behavior in our hives. She will also discuss the basics of raising hygienic queens.

OCBA is an active, vibrant organization. The breadth and depth of OCBA’s involvement in the community is a testament to our club’s commitment to beekeeping education and awareness. At our November meeting members will discover what OCBA has been doing to promote beekeeping education and to support honey bees in Orange County during 2017. Multiple club members will summarize the community activities that they have led or been involved in throughout the year. Members can learn about what our club is doing and find opportunities to become more personally involved in OCBA activities during 2018.