Tuesday, November 29, 2011

REMINDER FOR CLUB MEMBERS

Remember...
There is no December meeting
of the Buncombe County Beekeepers.
Join us again for BCBC in January.
December is the officers board meeting,
details to be announced.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hi-tech beehive


Kind of cool (I think ;-) that beekeeping is so chic. Am I correct in thinking this would be illegal because of the lack of removable, examinable frames? Check out the article at: http://www.psfk.com/2011/11/phillips-taps-into-a-trendy-new-hobby-beekeeping.html

Come Hear Natural Beekeeping Author!




Presentation By and Conversations With Ross Conrad

What: CCD and the Current State of Beekeeping: Ross covers the latest
on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the current state of beekeeping,
and how we can help the bees during this time of stress.
When: Monday, November 14, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Doors open 6:30)
Where: Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center,
Fletcher, NC (just south of Asheville, I-26 Airport exit)
Suggested donation: $10

Ross Conrad learned his craft from world-renowned beekeeper and apitherapist, Charles Mraz, and Charlie's son Bill. Conrad is a former president of the
Vermont Beekeepers Association, a regular contributor to Bee Culture - The
Magazine of American Beekeeping, and author of Natural Beekeeping: Organic
Approaches To Modern Apiculture. Ross has given bee-related presentations
and led organic beekeeping workshops and classes throughout North
America for many years. His small, human-scale beekeeping business, Dancing
Bee Gardens, sells honey and candles among other bee-related products,
directly to friends, neighbors, and the local community.

Directions: Interstate 26 to Exit #40 (the Asheville Regional Airport exit).
Turn toward the airport/Brevard onto NC Hwy 280. Just past the end of the
airport runway, the highway curves to the right. Turn right at the first road after
the runway onto Old Fanning Bridge Road. Go approx. 1 1/2 mile to the
MHCR&EC building on the right at the top of the hill.
For more information: Debra Roberts, (828) 712-0880

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Event Reminders & Corrections

See our blog post below for details on the Buncombe County Beekeepers Chapter annual potluck and Bee Bowl. Bring a dish to share November 7th!

The Center for Honeybee Research hosts Ross Conrad, author of Natural Beekeeping. Conrad will discuss "CCD and Current State of Beekeeping" on November 14th at 7pm. Details below on our blog and at: www.centerforhoneybeeresearch.org

And a note of correction! Mary Ellen Brown's full name was inadvertently omitted from the blog listing BCBC members who won at the WNC State Fair. Congratulations Mary Ellen on your 3rd place finish in Wax Novelties!

Linking Local Beekeepers with Honeybee Researchers

In October, the Center for Honey Bee Research hosted the conference, “What Turns Bees On?” in conjunction with international honeybee researchers. Lecturers included: Cristofer Bang, PhD, Arizona State University; Adam Dolezal, Arizona State University; Tom Seeley, PhD, Cornell University; David Tarpy, PhD, NCSU; Stan Schneider, PhD, UNCC; Olav Ruepell, PhD, UNCG; Humberto Boncristiani, PhD, UNCG; Juliana Rangel, PhD, NCSU.

Dr. Tom Seeley was the keynote speaker and presented his findings regarding the processes swarms use to choose a new site. Through his research, Seeley has been able to determine that scout bees promote future potential colony sites through waggle dances. The scout bees then garner consensus for a final destination through a quorum via waggle dances. Once the scouts have a quorum, they rally the swarm to relocate to its new home.

In his latest book, Honey Bee Democracy, Seeley provides detailed explanations of the swarm’s behavior and discusses implications for human organizations. His book is available locally at Malaprops.

The other presenters rounded out the conference with reports from their research on: the affect of urban environments on pollinator diversity; the lives of social insects; and how colonies decide when to swarm and who leaves with the swarm. Dr David Tarpy provided the final presentation on his latest research regarding colony survival related to queen bee phenotypes.

During the daylong conference, the Center for Honeybee Research also announced the winners of the Black Jar Honey Contest. Contest winners were: Janet Peterson won 3rd place, Virginia Webb 2nd, and Carl Caudle was named the grand winner.

Congratulations to the Center for Honey Bee Research for their excellent conference. Their linking of researchers to beekeepers has given local beekeepers opportunities for continuing education never available before. To become involved in the Center for Honeybee Research visit their website at: www.centerforhoneybeeresearch.org