After one of the most extended winters in recent memory, we are finally beginning to see some warm days and our bees are responding robustly. Many of us are rebuilding after heavy winter losses. The first group of packages have arrived. This is one of the most exciting times of the year for beekeepers.
Our May meeting will be a special event members will not want to miss. While previous meeting topics this year have focused on colony management, the subject of this meeting will cover a specialized discipline in beekeeping: removing colonies of honey bees from structures and cavities where they have become nuisances.
Please join us on Thursday 10th May 2018 at the Montgomery County Health and Human Services Building at 210 Pepper St., Christiansburg to hear this presentation.
Spring is a time for yard sales. Imagine a yard sale tailored for beekeepers. Our May meeting will feature just such an event. Upon his death, our treasurer Jack Price donated all of his beekeeping equipment to the NRVBA. Some of the equipment will be retained for our apiary and some for our meeting raffles. Beginning at 5 PM prior to our May 10th meeting (which will start as usual at 6:30 pm) we will hold a sale of the remainder of his beekeeping supplies at rock bottom prices in the health department parking lot. Among the items will be many frames of drawn comb that should be of particular interest to new beekeepers with packages. A partial list of items will be posted to the Hive prior to the event.
NRVBA May 2018 Meeting Agenda
-Business:
- Treasurer’s report
- Apiary report
- Package Bees Report
- Upcoming Beekeeping Meetings
- Report From Logo Committee: unveiling the new NRVBA logo!
-What you should be doing with your bees
-Fred’s Follies:
What you should have learned at last month’s meeting had you been paying attention!
-Featured Speaker: Jerry Borger; Cutouts
Our speaker, Jerry Borger, has extensive experience in this area and is willing to share his methods and stories. It is not everyday that people will invite you to rip open the walls of their homes and thank you for it! After Jerry’s talk, you too may want to join in the fun by partnering with an experienced bee remover.
Jerry began beekeeping in 2006. He is a two-year past president of the NRVBA and has managed the Association’s Beginning Beekeeper’s Course for the past eight years. In addition to removing honey bees from buildings, he raises a few nucs and “mini-nucs” to sell each year, and sells products he makes from beeswax.
The Buffalo Jack Raffle: Note, there will be no intermission. Buy your tickets before the meeting or, quietly, any time during the meeting in the back of the room. Items will include:
- Medium 10-frame super, unassembled
- Frame grip
- 10-frame plastic Hive Top Feeder
- Plastic 9-frame spacer (for spacing 9 frames in a 10 frame box)
- Cowhide gloves, size Medium
Close of formal meeting and, for many, the beginning of the “real” meeting. Join in for socializing, refreshments, and a time for asking questions. Please consider bringing a snack or beverage to share.
-Fred Jones, NRVBA President.
New River Valley Beekeepers' Association 