Southside Beekeepers Association August 2016

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1 Southside Beekeepers Association August OFFICERS: President: Harvey Joyner Vice President: Jerry Taylor & Bucky Moore Treasurer: Dale Weatherly Secretary: Sue Moore Program Coordinators: Nikki Norton & Karen Joyner Newsletter Editor: Tammy Malkin The President s Corner The rest of this month is about to get crazy for me, and, by the time you read this, I will probably be already fogged-up from pain medication. Surgery on my left ankle from July 2015 saddled me with repeat post-surgical infections, despite efforts to eradicate them with antibiotics. I am hopeful that this year s surgery will complete the unfinished business of last year. We ll see, but I still anticipate challenges with my August schedule. Thankfully, Karen will be able to cover for us with our bee hives. Of course, our bees have had their challenges, as well. As per Secretary Sue Moore s communication, we are still trying to determine the feasibility of doing an extractaganza on August 27 (tentative date, at this point!). It is probably not worth the time, effort, and money to do it, if we have less than 3 supers (so, frames). Though some have had the good fortune of a good yield this season, most have not had any harvestable honey because of the poor nectar flow. And, most of us have had to feed sugar syrup, just to keep the bees going. So, it is very important that you respond to Sue s query no later than August 20! As for the Peanut Festival, I have discovered that we have the unused float from last year s rained-out parade. We simply need a tractor and trailer to complete the unfinished business, and I believe that we are looking for some peanuts from a generous farmer to add to the float. At our recent meeting, we decided that we would person an info-booth for Southside Beekeepers Association on Saturday, September 24. Again, we are looking for volunteers to help with that detail. If you have honey to sell, please let us know if you are willing to contribute honey to SBA for our booth. After the sale of SBA honey, you are welcome to sell your honey. We only ask that you give 10% of your proceeds back to the club. Other details, like honey straws and coloring pages for the kids are also being considered. Amidst all the business of starting a new season with a new cabinet of officers, please know that everybody is trying to do their best to see that we continue to have a strong beekeepers club. Please keep in mind that our club does not rise or fall based on the solo performance of any one of us, but we will thrive based upon the respectful, collaborative efforts of all of us. This is what absolutely fascinates me about honeybees, each of them working for the common good of the colony. There are the nectar and pollen gatherers, the water gatherers, the scouts, the guards, the worker bees with various other jobs like cleaning and cooling the hive, the drones who eat honey and have sex (what a life!), and the queen, who gets pregnant and spends the rest of her vital days laying eggs. As beekeepers, remember that you also play an important part in this communal effort. The health of our hives depend on inspecting, aborting invasive pests, providing water and food to the colony whenever necessary. We cannot be lackadaisical about this work, but must be persistent in our efforts, asking for help whenever necessary. We must be willing to accept failures along the way. The goal is not perfection, but excellence, and, at the end of the day, to rest knowing that we have done our best, and, when we haven t, to seek to do better. Imagine what seven billion humans could accomplish if we all loved and respected each other! Thank you for your positive support of Southside Beekeepers Association. May we press ahead in a spirit of helping to make our world a better place for ourselves and for the bees. Bee well! Harvey

2 54 th Annual Virginia Peanut Festival TENTATIVE There will be no August monthly meeting! TIME: PLACE: 5th Annual Extractaganza 11am Emporia/Greensville Extension Office 105 Oak Street Emporia, VA *** Please respond to Sue Moore s Extractaganza , sbmoore07@hotmail.com, before August 20. *************************************** SBA MEMBERSHIPS ARE SBA Memberships expired on June 30th. If you have not done so this year, don t forget to pay your dues at this month s meeting. Dues are $20 per household, per year. Cash or checks are accepted. Checks can be made payable to Southside Beekeepers Association and given to Dale Weatherly, Treasurer of the Assoc. If you have already paid your dues, you are good until June *** Please Sue Moore, sbmoore07@hotmail.com, if you are interested in volunteering to work the booth. Volunteers are needed on Saturday, September 24, from 8AM until 5PM. *** Plans for the 54th Annual Virginia Peanut Festival are well underway. We will have all of your favorites including arts and crafts, educational exhibits, a parade, live musical entertainment throughout the weekend, tractor displays, golf tournament, and that festival food we all look forward to every year. The Car Show will remain at its location near Whitman Properties and Main Street Baptist Church. From the old to the new, there is something there for everyone. Cars, trucks, motorcycles; we have it all! Cole Amusements will once again provide top notch carnival attractions. Be sure to check back for our unlimited ride specials. Activities will begin on Thursday, the 22nd with the annual Kick-Off Kook-Off Food Tasting Competition at the Emporia Farmers Market. The Festival will conclude on Sunday, September 25th. We will see you in the park Virginia Peanut Festival Committee Emporia-Greensville Chamber of Commerce

3 Honey Bee Festival 2016 Date and Time: Date(s) - Saturday, August 20th, :00 AM - 4:00 PM Join the Beekeepers Guild of Southeast Virginia and Norfolk Botanical Garden again this year for a fun filled day with bee products, activities, vendors and great information. Learn how to raise bees and purchase bee plants to create a bee friendly yard. Taste honey samples, look inside a bee hive and participate in great activities for the entire family! Kids that come dressed as a bee get a free honey stick! Bee Costume Parade at 11a.m. Special activities also in the Children s Garden This event is included with regular Garden admission. Merchandise Vendors: Virginia Beekeepers Guild Blue Heron Pottery Studio 107 Jewelry Paulette Benson Little Street Pottery Cindy Lackore Glass Jewelry Ellie Beads There is more Buy Fresh/Buy Local, Norfolk Master Gardeners will have Ask a Master Gardener Art Installation: High resolution photographs of bees by Deana B. Marion *** Multi Celli will perform music, and Food Vendors will also be present. AUGUST AND THE BEES: The bees are behaving much as they did in July, although the nectar dearth is more prominent in August. The bees are making a strong effort to store up for winter, searching for final nectar sources, which are few. Golden Rod and Aster plants may provide some nectar flow. AUGUST AND THE BEEKEEPER: This is the start of the beekeeper's year! What you do in August will strongly influence how well your bees do next year, and how well they overwinter. Here's your work list for August: 1) Consider requeening. You don't have to, if your queen has done well. But it is advisable to requeen in August, no later than September. If you can afford to requeen your hive each year, it would be best to do so. A new queen means a much younger queen who has stronger pheromones to curtail swarming, and who will be more apt to lay eggs more efficiently in the spring. 2) Continue to monitor Varroa mite infestation. Promptly take appropriate action to reduce the mite load early in the fall. 3) Take off all your supers. There is no need for them now, and you will want to tighten up the hive by removing excess supers. Check to see if the colony is honey bound. Raise problem combs and other full combs of honey to the upper brood chamber. Never raise eggs or young larvae above the excluder as the bees may rear a queen. If you have multiple hives, you must be careful not to let a strong hive rob a weak hive. Be careful not to open up the hive for extended periods as other hives may attempt to rob the hive while it is opened.

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6 RECIPE CORNER Savory Honey Scones Ingredients 1-1/4 tsp. finely chopped rosemary, divided 1-1/3 C. flour 1-1/3 C. semolina 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp sea salt 5-1/2 oz. chilled soft goat cheese, cut into bits 1/4 C. HONEY 1/3 C. + 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, divided 1 egg In bowl, thoroughly mix 1 teaspoon rosemary with remaining 5 dry ingredients. Cut goat cheese into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse corn meal; reserve. Whisk together HONEY, 1/3 cup cream and egg. Stir into reserved dry mixture until a soft dough forms; gather dough into a ball. Turn out onto a wellfloured board; pat into a round about 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange separately on a waxed paper or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 2 Tablespoons cream; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon rosemary. Bake at 425 F until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Source: 2016 American Honey Queen Brochure, from the National Honey Board,