OCBA Master Beekeeper Geneva Green will share her knowledge of nectar and pollen plants important to honey bees and other pollinators. Geneva works as the Specialty Gardens Crew Chief at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has a background in landscape design and knows which plants feed our bees while beautifying our landscapes.
Honey Bee Swarm – Mecklenburg County
Spring is a time to anticipate swarms and to attempt to adjust hive space and environmental conditions to keep your bees healthy, productive and at home. This month OCBA member, David Fruchtenicht, will help us understand how swarms operate and will discuss approaches to preventing them. He will also share clues about collecting swarms in swarm traps.
David has been keeping bees for 60 years. He modestly claims that he has perfected most of his mistakes. He keeps about 50 hives and has sold honey and beeswax candles at the Durham Farmers Market for many years.
Philip Moore, research scientist and field team leader at Eurofins Agroscience Services, will present “Bee Wary! Internet Based Beekeeping Resources.” Come and learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of beekeeping resources on the web.
James Withrow, a doctoral candidate in David Tarpy’s lab at NCSU will be OCBA’s featured speaker in January. He was originally scheduled to speak at our September meeting which was canceled due to Hurricane Florence. His research into queen selection during emergency queen rearing was recently published in PLOS One, an open access, online, peer-reviewed journal. OCBA is fortunate to have access to cutting edge researchers willing to share their findings with local beekeepers.
In his presentation, “Sharing the throne. Establishing honey bee colonies with multiple queens,” James will discuss his current research focused on queen behavior and setting up colonies with multiple queens.
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.