Minutes for November 8, 2016

 

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