President: Arrie
Goodwin (870) 966-3666
Vice-President: Ronda Lee (870) 613-7092
Secretary /Treasurer Jacque
English (870) 856-4987
Meeting was called to order 6:30 p.m.
by Ronda Lee at Grandma’s Country Cooking
Restaurant in Hardy, AR. We had 10 members and 2 guests in
attendance. Ronda gave opening prayer.
Treasurer Report
FNBC Checking - $452.67
Memberships – 67 paid
members. All annual dues are from
January to January.
Meeting Minutes
Minutes from October 11, 2016 were accepted
as read.
Five Rivers Bee Club By-Laws were
accepted as read.
Activity Report:
Arrie was absent from meeting because he
is very ill and needs to rest to recover.
May our thoughts and prayers help him to recover quickly.
Nominations for the following positions
to be voted on next month (has to be at meeting to vote) are as follows:
President: Arrie Goodwin
Vice-President: Vernon Lamb, Ronda Lee
Secretary /Treasurer: Jacque English
Member at Large: Ronda Lee, Martha Holder
Ballots will be made up for the meeting,
turned in for count and announced. The new Officers will assume the roles and responsibilities
January 2017.
Our guest for the night was Myron Kropf who sells Bee Packages for $85.00 and took orders.
If you missed the meeting, his number
is (870) 458-3002 to place yours.
Payment is due upon pickup, scheduled for next May timeframe. If there seems to be any issues to call him
right away and not wait a month. After a
month, he may not have a queen to replace, so no later than one week to call,
if there is an issue.
Jacob and Joey Teem brought
a new design of his Horizontal Top Bar Hives and sells them for - $125.00
(members) - $200.00
(non-members). This is the time that he
starts fulfilling orders, so place yours now.
Call Joey – (870) 844-1412 and/or – (870)
283-9382. The new design has beetle
traps, mite traps built in, and a new bar look. Jacque and Marty will be the testers on the
new design and report findings. They did
a wonderful show and tell on the product.
Ronda brought in a new base for hive beetles that an Arkansas man
created and a frame to show what beetles can do in matters of days to a frame
full of honey. She knew we had crafters
that could possibly duplicate the design and asked them to contact her @ (870) 613-7092
More Tee Shirts available to
purchase, they are $10.00 / each. We
have Medium, Large, X-Large, 2Large, 3Large.
Contact Jacque at 870-856-4987 to get yours. Please leave a message if answering machine
picks up.
Arrie did meet with the Spring
River Chronicle for the Full Feature article on us for their magazine. More information to follow.
Peter Martin wishes to do a
TV segment on us as well, to be aired on the local cable channel. Time has not been arranged yet for interview.
Bee
Calendar :
Thanks to UAEX.edu
December |
|
Bees: The bees are in a
tight cluster, alternating between generating heat with their wing muscles
and resting and eating on the outside of the cluster. The queen is taking a
much-needed break from egg production. |
Beekeepers: Leave your bees
alone. Periodically test winter stores by gently tilting the hive, but do not
open the lid. Order new tools and supplies for spring and get all of your
equipment in order. Consider expanding your apiary. Enjoy a few books and
drink some tea with honey in it. Turn your excess wax into candles and give
away a few jars of your finest honey as holiday gifts. Plan to place
your orders for spring package bees and queens early to ensure you are at the
top of the list. |
January |
|
Bees: With temperatures
still low, the queen bee should be deep in the cluster, surrounded by
workers. These workers will consume a considerable amount of honey to
generate the heat needed to survive the winter. There is little other
activity in the hive unless outside temperatures reach about 50°F, when some
workers may take advantage of the weather for a cleansing flight. Winter bees
are longer-lived than summer bees, but many will die of old age during the
cold months. It is normal to see some dead bees on the ground around the hive
entrance. A strong hive will normally remove their dead. In years with very
mild winters, the queen may begin to produce a small brood nest, even though
pollen may not yet be available. |
Beekeepers: Check the food
supply of the hive periodically by gently tilting the hive forward to judge
whether the bees have sufficient honey stores. If not, they may require
emergency feeding. In very cold weather, the bees may not be able to leave
their cluster for long periods to feed. Avoid opening the hive in very cold
weather. If there has been snow or ice, make sure hive entrances are cleared
to allow for ventilation. Also remove dead bees that may be blocking the
entrance. In windy areas,
place a brick or rock on top of your hives to keep the lid in place. Now is
the time to order new equipment, build and repair hives, frames and other
woodenware for the coming season. Clean your smoker and hive tools. Order
package bees and queens early to ensure earliest delivery. Read a good book
or two to refresh and improve your beekeeping knowledge. |
Meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Next
Meeting: 13 December 2016 @6:30 PM
Place: Grandma Country Cooking in Hardy (previously David
King’s Cat Fish)
Minutes
submitted by Jacque English