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BCBA May 8th meeting will feature guest speaker Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda SC Apiculture Specialist. Many of you will remember her from the 2016 TBA fall conference and BCBA in 2015. She will be speaking on Photography and Bees and Monitoring for Varroa and treatment options. Jennifer is a very energetic and gifted speaker, you will not want to miss this meeting.
Originally from California Jennifer has been studying honey bees for over 15yrs. She received her PhD at the University of California at Davis, was a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University and has studied honey bee foraging behavior, reproductive Physiology, behavioral resistance to mites and genomic imprinting. Since joining Clemson University as SC’s Apiculture Specialist in 2014, she has been working on research projects related to honey bee genetics and pesticide exposure in ornamental landscapes. Jennifer has also been organizing and speaking at scientific and stakeholder meetings, guest lecturing, participating in field days and holding training programs and outreach events.
There will be a field day for new beekeepers at Charlie Parton’s farm, beginning at 10:00 am, Saturday, April 29th. The address is 1768 East Brown School Road in Maryville. There will be a sign at the driveway (Beekeepers Field Day) directing you to the barn. Please bring your protective clothing; veil, gloves and long sleeves.
Guided by an experienced beekeeper you will learn:
a. the proper way to open a hive and remove frames
b. to identify eggs, larvae, capped brood, pollen and honey
c. to identify the queen, workers and drones
After a light lunch, anyone who wishes will be able to tour the Honey House
Rain date Saturday May 6th
Charlie Parton 865-776-1875
Chuck Davis President BCBA 566-3690
At the March meeting of the Blount County Beekeepers, the grant committee awarded 6 hives with bees to some of our newest beekeepers. 3 hives were donated through the Tennessee Beekeepers Association, and 3 additional hives were donated by the Blount County Beekeepers Association. In addition to the hive components and a package of bees, the recipients will also be paired with a mentor for 1 year. Congratulations to the winners!
Pictured from left to right: Mentor Howard Kerr and Karen Taylor, Charlie Parton and Debra Adsit, Harlen Breeden and Twila Murphy, Luke Newman with Jessica Diaz and Rebekah Luhrs, and Chuck Davis with James Westbrook.
If you would be interested in serving as a mentor to a new beekeeper, please contact Luke Newman. Mentors are a precious commodity and we have had very few of our members volunteer to assist. You do not have to be a Master Beekeeper to mentor! All you need to have done is keep bees for a few years and been a member of our association. Our new beekeepers just need someone they can call with questions, and occasionally visit their apiary to check on their progress. We would love to have more mentors for our newbees!!!
BCBA would like to extend a great big Thank You to member Jose` Ashbrook for speaking yesterday at the new Beekeepers class. We had 26 interested new beekeepers attend and they came prepared with great questions for our instructor!
Our next two classes for new beekeepers will be the wooden ware class March 18th at the Masonic Lodge in Alcoa, and then April 29th there will be a field day hosted by Charlie Parton. More information for the field day will be posted soon.
BCBA will be hosting a wooden ware workshop on Saturday, March 18th beginning at 9 am at the Masonic lodge in Alcoa. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in putting their hives together with the help of some seasoned beekeepers. You will be shown the correct way to put together the hive bodies and frames, and will go over how to maintain your equipment. There is no charge for the class. It should end around lunch time.
For more information or questions:
Chuck Davis- 566-3690
Harlen Breeden- 719-1828
New Beekeepers Class
March 11, 2017
Maryville Church of Christ, Sherwood Dr
9am- 3pm
Bring Lunch and drink
Additional classes to help get you started in beekeeping. BCBA member Jose` Ashbrook will present topics including:
- the identification of the different classes of bees
- all of the hive components (Boxes to foundation)
- tools used in beekeeping
- how to install packages or nucleus colonies of bees
- feeding of new installations of bees
- personal protective gear
- smoker use and lighting
- how to inspect your hive and work in it safely without harming the queen.
This class is designed to be interactive, and questions and comments are welcomed.
A notebook will be provided to those who register for the class. There is no charge, and registration must be done by March 5th. You are welcome to come after the registration deadline, however you will not be provided with class notes. Please email Stacey Adair blountbees@charter.net or call 983-6223, or Jose` Ashbrook jose66@me.com to register.
We look forward to seeing you!
Congratulations to the Officers and Directors of BCBA for their very successful new beekeepers short course on Saturday. It was very well attended with about 110 people in the morning session, many of whom were potential new beekeepers. A special thanks to the vendors who also came and displayed their wares.
If you are a potential new beekeeper and missed the short course, BCBA will have another class on March 11th at the Church of Christ. Sign up is requested and there will be more information posted on it soon. If you need bees, please refer to our Items for Sale page. Also remember to download a copy of the grant application if you would like to have a free hive and bees. 6 grants will be awarded at the March meeting, and the deadline to apply is March 9th.
Just a reminder that the Short Course will be held this Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm with a break for lunch around noon. Our Vice President Mark Evans has asked that BCBA members meet at 8 am to help set up for the course. It will be a great day packed with information for getting started in bee keeping, and with vendors there where you can purchase beekeeping supplies. Please see our Items for Sale page if you wish to purchase bees.
Location: Maryville Church of Christ
611 Sherwood Drive
This year Blount County Beekeepers Association (BCBA) will award six beekeeping grants. Three grants will be awarded in conjunction with the Tennessee Beekeepers Association (TBA), and three Charlie Stewart Grants will be awarded by BCBA.
Blount County Beekeepers Association established the Charlie Stewart Scholarship program in memory of one of its longstanding and honored members. The scholarship is funded by an annual auction of beekeeping equipment, baked goods and other beekeeping paraphernalia in the spring. Proceeds from the auction also help support the TBA grants.
Please follow the link to read the requirements for the grants, an application, and instructions on how to apply. Deadline for application is March 9th.
Contact Luke Newman for more information. 865-206-0775
Jaime Newland, 2016 TBA Grant Recipient
Our regular meeting of BCBA on February 13th will feature speaker Howard Kerr. He will be speaking on Bee Biology and Physiology. As many of you know, Howard is a wonderful speaker and is a wealth of knowledge regarding honey bees. You won’t want to miss this informative meeting! Guests are welcome.
