2016 03 Buzz News

March 2016

Nelson County Beekeepers nelsconcountybeekeepers@gmail.com

What’s The Buzz

Volume 2, Issue 3

March

MARCH AND THE BEES: If the hive was low on honey going into winter, then March is the month they may starve out. They have probably moved all the way up in the hive and their overall population is very low due to normal die-outs throughout the winter. The bees are going to be flying more in March, and they will find pollen even in northern states. The queen will start laying much more in March. The entire hive Officers will begin to return to an almost normal operation now that winter is almost over. There will be cold President-Doug Brink Vice President-David Donathan snaps, but the bees will do fine as they begin to expand.

Secretary-Pat Swartz Treasurer-Susan Zhunga Hospitality-Debbie Ritchie

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture Inside this issue: Spring is Here!!!!

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Sale Items

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Meeting Minutes

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Pollen & Nectar Chart

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Upcoming Events

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Meeting Notice

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State Apiarist’s Report

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MARCH AND THE BEEKEEPER: Continue emergency feeding if needed, and place entrance or top feeders on the hive and feed 1:1 sugar water, one part sugar and one part water. Continue with the pollen patty feedings.

Inspect your hive! March will provide you with a few days when the temperature will rise to 50 degrees or higher. At this temperature you can look in the hive and pull out a few frames. Keep in mind that since there is not a heavy nectar flow, and since it is cooler, the bees might be a bit more aggressive. I am stung more during these cold inspections than the rest of the year. So wear protective gear.

March is a great month to start feeding the pollen patties. If you don't make your own patties, we sell the pre-made pollen patties which can be placed right in the hive. Pollen patties truly do jump start the hive. I highly recommend that you place a pollen patties in your hives in March.

The bottom board will probably be filled with dead, (Continued on page 2)

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winter bees. They did their job, so play "Taps", salute them, and toss them in the yard for the mice and birds to enjoy.

Serve your mice an eviction notice.

You'll be able to assess how many of your colonies have died out over the winter. Clean out these boxes and freeze the comb if you can. This will prevent the spread of Wax Moths..

Info from: http://basicbeekeeping.blogsp ot.com/2007/12/beekeeperscalendar-of-importantevents.html

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 sale.

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

Hive Beetle Vacuums made to order, see Gene Englert for pricing.

SPRING IS HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Now is the time to do your housework. Build and paint new boxes. Clean and rehab old boxes. Replace damaged and dark wax.

We also have to think about the upcoming flow of honey, bottling and labeling.

There are regulations that need to be followed if you are going to sell and/or market your bee products.

The Department for Public Health, Food Safety Branch also publishes a helpful pamphlet entitled “A Guide to the Labeling of Food Products in Kentucky,” which can be obtained by contacting the Food Safety Branch’s office.

However, requirements for honey labels are simple because honey is a singleingredient product, and because most honey containers are not of unusual shape or size. Here is an outline of the regulations.

Identity of the product- HONEY Quantity of contents- For honey this is most commonly stated in weight – ounces and grams, not pounds and not volume. You may state pounds if over 16 ounces. o A onepound honey jar label should state “Net Wt... 16 ounces (454 grams)” or “Net Wt... 1 lb. (454 g).” o A two-pound jar

should say “Net Wt. 32 ounces (908 grams)” or “Net Wt. 2 lbs. (908 g).” o A one-pint jar should say “Net Wt. 22 ounces (624 grams)” or “Net Wt. 1.38 lbs. (624 g).” o A one-quart jar should say “Net Wt. 44 ounces (1.2 kg)” or “Net Wt. 2.75 lbs. (1.2 kg).” Name of manufacturer, packer, or distributor- This is your name or your company’s name if you use a company name (example: “Cumberland River Honey Farm”). However, from a marketing standpoint, it is also good business to always put your name on the label. If you’re selling a local product, people may know your name, but not your company’s name.

Address of manufacturer, packer, or distributor. You must put your address here, including street address, city, state, and ZIP code.

However, if your name (or company name if that is what is on the label) is listed in the local telephone directory, the street address may be omitted. But again, from a marketing standpoint it’s a good idea to give your address and phone number. If someone eats some of your honey at one of your customers’

Page 3 homes (and likes it!), it is in your best interest to make it obvious that that is YOUR honey, and to make it easy for them to contact you to purchase some. You may also submit food labels to the Food Safety Branch of the Kentucky Department of Public Health for approval. To do this, merely mail one of each label that you use (one of each size) to: Kentucky Department of Public Health - Food Safety Branch, 275 East Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40621. There is no fee involved in this approval. Info from: http:// www.kyagr.com/statevet/ documents/the-kentuckybeekeeper-september.pdf.

Meeting February 18th, 2016 There were 52 people in attendance.

Doug welcomed new members and guests, and passed out new member packets to 5 new people.

There were a few short announcements before the presentation.

Henry Wilkerson and Katie Martin talked about the meet and greet in Frankfort. Katie also talked about the possibility of planting bee forage locally both on public land and private land.

Susan read the treasurers report.

Henry also asked if people would be interested in donating bees wax to be made into candles and sold at the art fair.

This month was the chili cook off where once again Darrell Hester took first place. His brother Floyd took Second.

The presentation was a webinar by Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine.

Financial Statement Start Expense Income Balance

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

$2799.21 25.00 140.00 $2914.21

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Page 6 UPCOMING EVENTS 

Spring Road clean-up will be coming up before you know it. This has always been a great fund raiser for the club. We try to do a 2 mile section of road.

It's usually a Saturday in April.

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Saturday, April 2nd, I have been asked by Bardstown Mills to set up an informational booth about beekeeping at their Farm & Garden Fair.

If interested in volunteering, please see me (Susan) at the next meeting. The Fair is from 8am to 4pm, but we are not required to stay the whole day.

Upcoming event that folks

should attend: “Heartland Apicultural Society returns to the Bluegrass State”.

July 14 – 16, meeting will come to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Details will be given as we receive them or just go to http:// www.heartlandbees.org.

REMINDER from Gene…for those members who ordered Package Bees, the date for pick up has been moved forward a week due to weather, the new tentative date is April 15 - 16th.

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March 17th @ 6:30 p. m.

ANNUAL CHILI COOK – WINNER Reigning Champ for THE THRID YEAR IN A ROW IS Darrel Hester. Way to go Darrel. Watch your back, your brother is catching up.

PROGRAM – Kevin Hale of Hales Honey Farm.

Subject – How to Keep Bees To Increase Honey Production. “Making 100# of Honey per Hive”.

Page 7 State Apiarist’s Report: Swarms may begin this month. Swarms are great ways to get started into beekeeping, increase your colony count, or bolster a weak hive. (Note: Either keep the swarm queen or kill the weak queen in a weak hive before you add a swarm to it). Please remember that no matter how much you may enjoy the free bees, it is not worth getting hurt. I do not like to go over three steps up a stepladder to retrieve a swarm. A hospital bill can cost easily more than a nuc, package or fully-established colony. Also, do not trespass on private property to attain a swarm. *** I need to remind beginners that it’s “buyer beware” when buying nucs or equipment. I recommend beginners start with nucs because you buy overlapping generations, you are buying the “mother queen” with her daughters, and if there are any weather abnormalities, the nuc will deal with the stress more easily than packages. You want to purchase fairly new equipment (wax should not be pitch-black, for example).

Five-frame nucs generally need to have some room to

expand, so it can seem more for packages to succeed like four-frame nucs with an their first year. extra frame of drawn -Tammy Horn-Potter foundation. This is normal.

You do not want your nuc to swarm. Make sure you take your veil when you pick up your nuc and see that the nuc has eggs.

Packages are cheaper and are a quick way to boost a struggling colony.

But if the honey bees do not accept the Pay your dues for your queen that is placed in 2016 membership if the package, and/or if you have not done it the weather does not allow the honey bees to yet. fly for nutrition, the package may struggle. I do not recommend packages for beginner beekeepers. A lot of factors have to go right

East African farmers will make fences around their crops by lining up beehives. This technique prevents elephants from stomping on their crops.

Elephants are extremely afraid of bees.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Nelson County 317 S Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

University of Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service

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