We have merged our blog and our website. 
From now on look for our news at www.wncbees.org.

BCBC Field Day, June 8

(Remember there is no June meeting at Groce UMC)

Join us for our field day on Saturday, June 8th

10:30 am to 2:00 pm

at the Swannanoa 4H Center

170 Woodland Drive, Swannanoa

Bring your own picnic lunch and your bee suit.

Join us as Edd Buchanan guides us through installing a package, making a split and catching a swarm.

Janet Peterson will be leading the Certified Beekeeper Practical Tests for those who have signed up with her.

There will also be no meeting at the church in July.  

Monthly meetings will resume at Groce UMC on August 5.

May BCBC meeting

Join us for our May BCBC meeting.  We will have a two part program.

Phyllis Stiles will share highlights of Bee City USA's recently released "Recommended Native Pollinator Friendly Plant List for Greater Asheville".Then Dr. David Cypcar from Allergy Partners of WNC will talk to us about allergies and allergic reactions in bee keeping.

For more on Bee City USA, check it out at www.beecityusa.org/resources  Asheville is the first of what the Bee City USA Steering Committee hopes will be many Bee City USA designees.  The program encourages city leaders to celebrate and raise awareness of the contribution bees and other pollinators make to our world, asserting that if we reduce pesticide use and plant a diversity of native plants rich in nectar and pollen, we will help both native and honey bees, as well as thousands of other pollinator species.

7:00 pm on Monday, May 6th at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.  Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring, conversations about your bees, and an opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

April 1 BCBC meeting

Join us for our April BCBC meeting

7:00 pm on Monday, April 1st at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.

Our international beekeeper, Lady Spirit Moon, will share with us about her travel to Senegal, Africa to help beekeepers develop sustainable business in beekeeping.

We will take some time to welcome our new members who just finished beginning bee school, and will break out in regional/neighborhood groups to see who keeps bees in our local areas.  We'll also take some time for question and answers.

Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring, conversations about your bees, and an opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

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Bee School March 23rd & 24th

This Spring's School will be open to all - and held in the auditorium of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC on Saturday, March 23 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday, March 24 from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. The School will cover basic beekeeping with an emphasis on preparing first time beekeepers for the challenges of this rewarding activity.

Cost is $45 per person - which includes $10 membership in a local Beekeeping Chapter. Experienced beekeepers interested in a "refresher" course are welcome - at a discounted rate of $35 per person if they are dues paid members of a local Association.

Please register online, then pay with credit card using the PayPal button - or print the form and mail with check to: 2013 Bee School, Center for Honeybee Research, 22 Cedar Hill Road, Asheville, NC 28806. Please do not mail cash.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Where: Folk Art Center, mile post 382 Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville NC

When: Sat. & Sun. March 23 & 24, 2013

Cost: $45 per person

Register: Online or through the Mail

Click here to register:  http://centerforhoneybeeresearch.org/Happenings/2013BeeSchool.aspx

This event is necessary to complete the Certified Beginner Level of the Master Beekeeper Program! Take the written test on April 2 at the Extension Office on 94 Coxe Avenue and the practical-in-the-hive test at our June 8^th field day at the 4H Camp in Swannanoa. You must sign up with the Education Secretary, Janet Peterson first. (janetpeterson9@bellsouth.net)

Master Beekeeper Program

What’s all the fuss about the Master Beekeeper Program? As a BCBC club we want you to grow in your bee knowledge and one way to do that is to participate in the stair-step, well-thought-out program that has made our state NCSBA a leader in the bee world. Read more about it on our website, www.wncbees.org

 

To complete the Certified Beginner Level you will need to attend a Bee School and we just happen to have one on March 23-24.  Sign up here:

http://www.honeybeeresearch.org/Happenings/2013BeeSchool.aspx

Take the written test on April 2 at the Extension Office on 94 Coxe Avenue and the practical-in-the-hive test at our June 8^th field day at the 4H Camp in Swannanoa. You must sign up with the Education Secretary, Janet Peterson first. (janetpeterson9@bellsouth.net)

            To complete the Journeyman (woman) Level you can take the written test on April 2^nd but you will have to take the practical test at the next NCSBA meeting. The best notes to study for both tests are here: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/Bee_notes.html

Journeyman applicants will need 5 service credits. Here are two immediate opportunities to get these under your belt:

Talk to second grade at Glen Arden Elementary school. Contact dynamite teacher Andrea Bassett at andrea.bassett@bcsemail.org

The Buzz on Bees event is coming up at Chimney Rock Park on April 27, 11 am - 3 pm. Last year, the event featured bee hives, chats with local beekeepers, displays about the basics of beekeeping and honey production. The focus would give information about how people can help bees.

Phyllis Stiles <beecityusa@gmail.com> wants to partner with someone to go. Contact her and Dayna  <daynareggeropr@gmail.com> who is organizing the event.

March 4, 2013 BCBC Meeting

Join us Monday for a program by the brilliant Diane Almond on "The Forager's Shopping Cart."

Did you know that water foraging bees spread their load on the brood and ‘lash’ their tongues to cool the young? And did you know that nectar foragers that take the last bit of nectar mark the flower with a pheromone so foragers that follow won’t bother to stop? Most of us learned that bees forage for four items: nectar, pollen, water and resin (propolis). But how do they know what to collect, how much, when, where? And what does the hive do with these resources? Here’s a in-depth look at some of the amazing details involved in the dynamic deployment of the foraging force which can number in the 10's of thousands, and some ways we can put this info to use as beekeepers. We'll touch on some of the fascinating research in Wisdom of the Hive (Thomas Seeley) and The Buzz About Bees(Jurgen Tautz).

7:00 pm on Monday, March 4th at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.
Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring, conversations about your bees, and an opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

Never Stop Learning in 2013

In addition to learning about top bar hives at our February BCBC meeting on Monday, February 4, we will also discuss the following:

Master Beekeeper Program

Whatever happened to the stair-stepped program of beekeeping knowledge in our state... going from Beginner to Journeyman to Master Beekeeper and Master Craftsman?

Janet Peterson, Golden Achievement Committee Chair with NCSBA, will fill you in at the February meeting so you can get started.
*

On February 6 we have the opportunity to go to Warren Wilson College to hear Aaron Birk, who wrote "The Pollinator Corridor" book.  He will be speaking at 7:00 pm.  Admission is free.  For more info click on http://warren-wilson.edu/blogs/blog/2012/09/07/the-pollinator%E2%80%99s-corridor-creator-to-speak-feb-6-at-warren-wilson/
*

Then, in March, we will have Bee School!  The Center for Honey Bee Research will host a bee school at the Folk Art Center on March 23 and 24, 2013.  Click here to register:  http://centerforhoneybeeresearch.org/Happenings/2013BeeSchool.aspx

Bee Supplies Galore

Wild Mountain Bees (Supply Store) is moving to Asheville to accommodate growth and make access more convenient, which for me means less off-roading in my 1997 Geo Prizm! In addition to beekeeping classes and an even more complete selection of beekeeping supplies, they will be offering these additional items: local honey, beeswax candles, bee jewelry and art, mead making supplies, bee friendly plants/seeds, herbal products and soaps made using honey/beeswax, and more! If you produce bee products, art, beeswax, honey, pollen, or any locally produced good and are interested in marketing, give Jon Christie (pictured above) a holler at wildmountainbees@yahoo.com.

OPEN: March 1st 2013 through September 2013 (w/ special holiday hours in December)

            Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 5:30pm

Other bee supply sources (for those whose mamas told them to shop around) can be found here!

In other news, as a fun read you might want to check out Wolfgang Laib's pollen art installation featured at MoMA! "Since the 1970s, his trademark activity has been gathering pollen from trees and plants in the countryside near his home in southern Germany. He puts the pollen in bottles and flies to distant places around the world to create ephemeral installations of yellow dust on museum and gallery floors and inseminate the minds of viewers with thoughts of harmony between human civilization and nature." Watch a video interview with Mr. Laib here.

See you all at our February meeting at 7pm this Monday, Feb 4th at the Groce United Methodist Church (954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC). Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring, conversations, and an opportunity to talk to other beekeepers. BCBC is proud to host Tom Knaust, who will be speaking about top bar hives. Also, whatever happened to the stair-stepped program of beekeeping knowledge in our state, from Beginner to Journeyman to Master Beekeeper and Master Craftsman? Janet Peterson, Golden Achievement Committee Chair with NCSBA, will fill you in at the February meeting so you can get started.

February BCBC Meeting reminder

We are lucky to host Tom Knaust as a speaker at our February BCBC meeting! He will be discussing the best methods of populating a top bar hive, management techniques, and some pros and cons versus Langstroth hives.

See you at our next meeting!

7:00 pm on Monday, Feb. 4th at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.
Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring, conversations about your bees, and an opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

Save the Date! To learn even more about top bar hives, be sure to attend Les Crowder's lecture during the weekend of August 3rd and 4th. This event will be hosted by the Center for Honeybee Research, and you can find more information on Les Crowder's website www.fortheloveofbees.com.

Losing Hives to... ?

Many people have been reporting dead hives this winter, often at a loss as to what exactly went wrong. One club member discovered a dead hive with 30lbs of honey still in it. Another, who keeps two hives every year, also loses two every winter. She thinks her problem is location -- living in town might expose her bees to more pollutants than they can handle.

If you lose hives this winter and just can't figure out why but want to go beyond speculation, a great option is to send a sample of dead bees to:


Bee Disease Diagnosis
Bee Research Laboratory
Bldg. 476 Room 20
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center - East
Beltsville, MD 20705

To prepare the sample, collect about 100 of the sick bees in rubbing alcohol. Let them soak overnight. Drain off the alcohol, then put them in a ziplock bag. Put the bag in a small cardboard box so the samples won't get crushed. Mark the box with your NAME, ADDRESS, & BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM so they know where to send the results.

Best of luck!

Organic Growers School & February Meeting

Spring is coming, and bringing along with it tons of new opportunities for building on our beekeeping knowledge.

Diane, of Honey Bees and Heather Farm, will make her 30-minute Introduction to Pollinators presentation to the Asheville Tree Commission on Tuesday, January 22 around 12:30 at the Public Works Building (161 South Charlotte Street,  Asheville, NC 28801). (The meeting actually starts at 12:00.) If interested in attending, contact Phyllis Stiles (beecityUSA@gmail.com) for a parking pass.

In addition to many exciting topics, the Organic Growers School in Asheville (Sat & Sun, March 9th & 10th) is featuring two sessions on beekeeping, one of which is hosted by our own shining star Debra Roberts:

 

Natural Beekeeping for BEEginners 

Debra Roberts & Mary Beth Gwynn CLASS LIMIT= 25

Come explore natural beekeeping, honeybee basics, hive equipment and tools, start-up costs, what “organic” beekeeping really means, and good stewardship practices. Session tailored for BEEginners with very little to no experience. 

 

The Kenyan Top Bar Hive: Thinking Outside the Box

Tom Knaust

This class will cover best methods for populating a Kenyan top bar hive, managing bees in such a structure, the pros and cons versus a commercial Langstroth hive, and the basics of constructing one yourself.

But why wait until March? We are lucky to host Tom Knaust as a speaker at our February meeting! He will be discussing the best methods of populating a top bar hive, management techniques, and some pros and cons versus Langstroth hives.

Save the Date! To learn even more about top bar hives, be sure to attend Les Crowder's lecture during the weekend of August 3rd and 4th. This event will be hosted by the Center for Honeybee Research, and you can find more information on Les Crowder's website www.fortheloveofbees.com.

See you at our next meeting!

7:00 pm on Monday, Feb. 4th at Groce United Methodist Church
at 954 Tunnel Rd in Asheville, NC.
Come early at 6:30 for informal mentoring, conversations about your bees, and an opportunity to talk to other beekeepers.

2013 Beginner Bee School Opportunities

Henderson County Bee School begins this Monday, January 14.  

McDowell County Bee School begins February 2.

Stay posted for other bee school opportunities! 
Nothing is more fun than learning about beekeeping and honey bees!