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Next Chapter Meeting
Monday, 9/1/08 - 7pm-9pm
 Regular Monthly Meeting
Groce Methodist Church, Asheville, NC
Click for Directions
This Month
in the
Bee Yard
-- August -- |
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August is a time for harvesting and extracting your sourwood honey, usually, this year August is a time to carefully check your bees and feed if needed. In most areas sourwood will not exist this year. |
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August is the month to assess the level of mite infestation with either the 24 hour mite drop from screen bottom board or the sugar roll test. Mite threshold depends on your hive strength. |
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For those of you that will be treating, carefull assessment of the type of treatment and appropriate temperatures for treatment. Some treatments will have to wait because August is too hot. |
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For those that do not treat, Early August is time to split for Varroa treatment so the split will have time to build up before winter. |
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Splits can be put in a nuc for backup in case your hive does not make it through the winter. |
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This August is probably going to be unusual in that feeding will be needed for most hives in this area, check your hives carefully. Starvation is possible with the dearth of nectar we have had this summer. |
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Requeening now is good if you can find a suitable queen. |
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Make plans for feeding in the fall and find sources of feed in case the fall flow does not come in. |
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Make plans for next spring by getting early orders for bees, equipment, and queens. |
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 Nectar Collector Day 2008
Nectar Collector Day at the Nature Center in Asheville was a success on
Saturday, June 28 with dedicated BCBC members representing us well. A nice
display of fruits, vegetables, honey, observation hive and poster made for
many questions from young families. Reference to our www.wncbees.org was in
hand-outs for people to research more. Thanks to Brian Paxton, who brought
real vegetables that honeybees pollinated to decorate the table, Darrell
Steenwyk, who brought his "survivor bee honey", Stefan Stackhouse for tours
through an empty ( of bees) hive, Connie and Ted Brown with honey and lotion
bars to educate the public with. It is one of those events that is tailored
to our "girls" as pollinators besides the butterflies. Let's plan ahead for
next year during this last week of June.
--- Janet Shisler
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