Nelson County September 2020
Nelson County Beekeepers
What’s The Buzz
Volume 6 Issue 6
September 2020 MEETING
YIPEEE
YAHOO
We're Back In Business Officers
September 17th @ 6:30 pm
President-Steve Hutchins Vice President-Darrell Hester Secretary-Carolyn Hurd Treasurer & Editor-Susan Zhunga Hospitality-Monthly Volunteers Newsletter Publisher– Georganne Collins
Inside this issue: Meeting Minutes
2
For Sale
3
Bee Calendar
4
Meeting Safety Guildlines
8
Information on the program will be posted on Facebook.
If you are planning to attend our meetings, and want to be added to the list of members who will be enjoying a meal, you will need to call the Extension Office (502)3489204. We need a solid head count to help when ordering food. Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture
Page 2 Meeting Minutes Nelson County Beekeepers July 27th 2020 Monday Evening Meeting Steering Committee Meeting Attending: Robbie Smith, Steve Hutchins, Darrel Hester, Ricky Humphry, Carolyn Hurd, Gene Englert, Henry Wilkerson, and Susan Zhunga.
Discussed: The bee club meetings going forward and how to proceed. We were told that masks would be mandatory for any future meetings, and there will be no “Pot Luck� provided by the membership as was done prior to the pandemic. The club will provide prepared food as best as we can. We may have to as for financial support from the membership to carry on this feature. The club has had no opportunity this year to raise funds to provided for some of the extras we supplied in the past. We will try to have Kevin Hale attend this meeting either in person on through the Zoom feature provided by Robbie Smith and the Extension Office. It will be set up in a manner that will enable you to speak to Kevin and ask your questions. We also discussed inviting Keith Deliplain Extension Specialist at Georgia University. Susan suggested pushing the election of officers until next year, all agreed not to make any more unnecessary changes. Carolyn Hurd Secretary
Page 3 ITEMS AVAILABLE FOR SALE Test kits for American Foul Brood (AFB) and European Foul Brood (EFB) are available for purchase from Extension Office for $14.00 each. Please call me (Susan 507-8789) for availability. ATTENTION ATTENTION There are 2 extractors complete with all that you need to extract honey. It comes with a refractometer to test you honey. $10.00 for usage, with a 3 day maximum. All members are encouraged to join us on Facebook. Ask questions, show your progress, and share your pictures. “Nelson County Beekeepers”. We would love to hear from you.
Financial Statement
Opening balance 1/1/2019 $2,365.33 Gross Income
$1,398.00 Due/Extractor
Net Expense -$1,846.85 A&C Fair/Food/Door Prizes Bank Balance
$1,916.48
Page 4 Below are several Beekeepers Calendars for the Upcoming Season Read them all and take the information to your bee yard. We need to prepare for the fall and the winter. Also information on when to treat for Varro Mites.
Early/Mid August through October (Preparing for Dormant Season) https://glorybee.com/blog/beekeeping-calendar/ Completing preparations of ripening the incoming nectar and fall preparations for overwintering. Time for the beekeeper to finish harvest and perform mite/disease treatments •
Early/Mid August remove all "honey supers" using bee escapes or "honey robber" products.
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Be on the lookout for "honey robbers"(aka other bees, wasps, skunks etc) toward the end of the season. Use entrance reducers to minimize likelihood of robbers.
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Inspect bees and look for eggs, not larvae. Eggs mean the queen was present within last 3 days.
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Ensure the top brood boxes are full of honey, you want about 50 - 80 lbs, to hold the bees over during the winter. If you have less, feed sugar syrup (60 %
sugar / 40% water) beginning late Aug-early Sept. An average deep 9 1/8 frame that is full holds 7-10 lbs of honey. •
Start mite treatment as early as possible and immediately after honey harvesting.
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Feed and medicate (2-1 sugar syrup with Fumagilin) until they stop or the temperature drops and they form a cluster.
Natural Alternatives - Essential Oil Patty. Add an inner cover to the hive to increase ventilation. Total hours spent on beekeeping: 3-5 per week.
September https://beewellhoneyfarm.com/beekeepers-calendar/ Hive population continues to drop and drones start to disappear. The queen is laying fewer eggs. Some or all colonies may need feeding. Some or all colonies may need re-queening. Pollen should only be fed dry in outside feeders or mixed in syrup. No patties should be fed due to increased small hive beetle activity. Look out for robber bees-reduce the entrance. •
Feed if necessary (especially if re-queening) pollen and syrup
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Equalize colony strength
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Continue mite evaluations
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Attend bee meetings
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Update “bloom calendar”
September https://backyardbeekeepers.com/wp/the-beekeepers-year/ The Bees. The drones may begin to disappear this month. The hive population is dropping. The queen’s her egg laying is dramatically reduced. The Beekeeper. Harvest your honey crop. Remember to leave the colony with at least 60 pounds of honey for winter. Check for the queen’s presence. Feed and medicate towards the end of the month (the first 2 gallons is medicated). Apply mite treatment. Continue feeding until the bees will take no more syrup. Attend bee club meetings. Time Spent. Estimate 2-3 hours.
September kybees.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/beecalendar1.pdf What’s Happening Inside the Hive? Brood rearing begins to taper off and drone brood has disappeared. Often, a second honey flow comes in September. Goldenrod and aster bloom at this time. With a good location and good weather conditions, the beekeeper can make a significant crop. Have an empty super on the hive to take advantage of this possibility. Your experience from previous years will tell you whether bees can make a late season crop in your area.
Beekeeper Chores Put those mite treatments on! Hot September weather may keep you from putting the Apicure gel packs (for varroa) or menthol (for tracheal mites) on. Wait until daytime temperatures are regularly below 85o. Beekeepers often face a September dilemma. If they put their Apistan on in early September, they will not be able to harvest the honey made in that time. If they wait until late September, the varroa mites may be out of control and the hive lost. The best approach is to monitor your varroa numbers through late summer. That information will allow you to make an informed decision. The last weeks of warm weather are the time to assess which hives are ready for winter. There is still time to feed syrup to those without sufficient stored honey and to unite the weakest hives with stronger hives.
Observations and Ideas Late summer and early fall is yellow jacket season. These wasps are often confused with honey bees by non-beekeepers. If your neighbors have yellow jackets disrupting their picnics, they may blame you. Show them the differences : yellow jackets have less hair than the fuzzy bees, are slightly smaller, live underground, and are interested in many foods like meat that bees don’t care for. Yellow jacket nests die when winter comes. Only the queens survive, hibernate through the winter, and start new nests alone in spring.
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Bardstown KY 40004
317 S Third St
Nelson County