2015 11 Buzz News

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

November 2015

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 1, Issue 7

November & December

Officers President-Doug Brink Vice PresidentSecretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: General Meeting Minutes

2

Fall Flow Wild Flowers &

3

Nancy’s Lip Balm Recipe

3

Oxalic Acid: Effective & Easy on Bees, But . . .

4

Smoker Maintenance

8

Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake

6

Meeting Notice

6

Bee School

7

What’s Happening Inside The Hive?

The bees have changed to their wintertime mode. A large colony may have a small amount of brood in early November, but that will soon disappear. By now the queen has completely stopped laying eggs.

Five or ten days in November will be warm enough for the bees to fly, but they will find nothing blooming. As the weather gets cold, the bees form a tight cluster to keep warm. This ball of bees overlaps several frames of honey. The bees gradually consume their stored honey and generate heat. The colder it gets, the tighter the bees cluster. Week by week, the ball of bees gradually moves through the hive to find more honey. When the first snowfall covers the hives, consider that the honey bee is the only insect in Kentucky that keeps warm all winter.

In early winter, mice may move into a hive and make a nest. This can occur even if the hive is alive and well overwinter. The bees are tightly clustered and the mouse finds a spot in the corner away from the bees.

Beekeeper Chores The year is effectively over. There is now little to be done for the bees. They will not feed on syrup and it is too late to apply treatments for mites and diseases. If you haven’t removed your mite treatments and queen excluder, do so on the first warm day in November. Otherwise, there is no reason to open your hives. Attach an entrance reducer to the front of the hive. This serves two purposes: cold wind is kept out of the hive; and, mice are prevented from nesting in the hive.

Entrance reducers may be purchased from (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 (Continued from page 1)

General Meeting Minutes October 2015 beekeeping supply companies.

Or, you can simply nail a strip of wood to reduce the opening of the hive. Be sure your entrance reducer is thick enough to be mouse-proof.

Some have metal strips to deter mice.

Observations and Ideas Late November and December are the best times to plant trees. Black locust and tulip poplar seedlings can be planted where they will provide shade, windbreak, and nectar for the bees. These two trees are known for their rapid growth and copious nectar. As honey plants, trees are a longterm investment. They will not provide significant bloom for several years. This is a good time to do some reading.

Some fine books and videos are available from beekeeping supply companies. Books on beginning beekeeping, advanced topics such as queen rearing, and general interest are sold. Beeswax candles are fun and easy to make. They can be rolled from sheets of foundation in minutes. Beeswax foundation comes in dozens of colors, available from beekeeping supply companies. Info from http://www.nkybeekeepers.co m/uploads/beecalendar.pdf

There were 28 people in attendance, including Dr. Tom Webster, and first timers, Paul and Cheryl Parish.

Doug Brink showed the new t-shirt, Save the Bees, which are for sale. Hoodies and hats are available also.

Dave Donathan gave a report on the up coming bee school to be held in Springfield at ETCT. This is a tricounty project and Nelson County is responsible for lunch. Volunteers are needed. The date is 11/21 from 8 am until 4 pm.

The craft fair was very successful. Thank yous went out to the Dave and April Donathan, Larry Marks and all of the volunteers who manned the booth.

Susan Zhunga gave the Financial report for the Crafts Fair: $3,124 was made at the Craft Fair booth for the 2 days. We sold 280 jars of honey, 386 honey sticks, 8 save the bees shirts, 1 bee club shirt, and $73 worth of Dave’s handmade bags. Leaving $1568.32 Henry gave a report on the Christmas parade, which is on 12/3. We need volunteers to decorate and to ride the float.

Gene came up with a couple of need items for beekeeping; a paramoth drawer and a beetle vacuum.

Road pick-up is Oct. 24th, meet at extension office at 9:30 am to drive to our assigned site.

Dr. Webster gave a talk about hive pests.

Varroa mites, hive beetles, wax moths, American foul brood, chalk brood, viruses, nosema and tracheal mite.

Next month’s meeting will be Thanksgiving. Robbie will cook a turkey and members will bring side dishes.

Pat Swartz Secretary

Page 3 Bardstown Craft Festival I would like to formally thank David and April for all their hard work to plan, set up, operate and teardown the Nelson County Beekeepers booth at the Nelson County Arts and Craft Fair.

This was our first undertaking and we didn’t really know what to expect. Under their direction we were able to meet and share our passion for the love of beekeeping. I would also like to thank Larry Marks for helping us by selling his wonderful honey at cost so that we could make some money for the club. Between Honey and merchandise sold, we raised $989.21 for the club. This money permits us to be able to reach out to interested individuals all over Nelson and surrounding counties.

I would also like to thank all the people that came to help with the weekend in many ways. We should all be proud of what we undertook and how well it went.

Thanks you all so much Doug Brink President

Page 4 Teaching Children About Bees I would like to give a big thanks to Pat Swartz and Susan Zhunga for another job well done educating youngsters! It was a little short notice but we were asked to set up an information booth for a Farm Day at Nelson Co Early Learning Center in Bardstown. The theme was "Where does our food come from". During that day roughly 195 kids got to learn about honeybees and what they do. We also got to hear lots of bee related stories from the kids.

Gene Englert

Page 5 Springfield Campus to Host Beekeeping School for Beginners The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring.

Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install

your bees.

If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.

For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu.

You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts. Info from

http://elizabethtown.kctcs.e du/News.

DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US ON FACE BOOK!!

Doug Brink has NCB TShirts ($11) and Hooded Sweatshirts ($23) for sale.

Janet Brown is selling NCB Hats and Visors for $10.00. The club gets $2.00 from each sales.

Larry Marks is selling the Marks' Frames for $12.00 for a set of three frames. Comes with instructions.

Page 6 Financial Report for October 2015 Begining Balance 1/1/2015 $1170.17 Expenses as of 11/15/2015 ($1750.56) Income for this period

$2196.71

Bank Balance 11/15/2015 Petty Cash

$1616.32

$100.00

expenese Engr H/Tool $8.48 Folders $28.04 7/13 Hodges/

Fair lunch

Phne # sign

$40.00

$19.68

Balance $3.80 Details of this report can be viewed by members at any time.

Susan E. Zhunga Treasurer

M e e t i n g

November 19th @ 6:30 p.m.

THANKSGIVING DINNER – Prepared by Chef Robbie Smith featuring his Turkey Basting secret!!!

Bring sides and desserts to complete this Thanksgiving Feast.

PROGRAM – Coulter Farms – CSA operator Cindy Coulter – Beekeeping At The Farm.

Open Forum - Sharing tips and trick with each other.

Page 7

OFFICER ELECTIONS For the year 2016 As stated at the end of the meeting Thursday evening we will hold elections at this November meeting. We will be putting out nomination forms in this months newsletter. If you have a nomination please fill it out and bring to the meeting. If unable to attend mail to the Nelson County Extension Office Attn: Robbie Smith. At this point we must fill a Vice President and a Secretary.

Susan is good staying on as Treasurer. Pat is good with staying as Hospitality Chair. And with a Vice President’s help I am willing to stay on as President unless we have other nominations for this position. All positions are available for nomination.

Thanks, Doug

Position

Nominee

President

Vice President Treasurer Secretary Hospitality Chair Please turn in at sign in table or mail in to the Extension Office.

We will collect all the nominations and then have a quick ballot with all the names for each position. We will pass it out after dinner and nomination circled. We will collect them for counting and announce the winners after dinner.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service