Letter from the President - Alabama Beekeepers Association

The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 1
April
2013
Inside This Issue
Letter from the President
1
Letter from the Secretary/Treasurer
2
Alabama Master Beekeeper Program
3
John Mynard Retires After 29 Years
3
Clean Your Smoker
5
Another Haitian Beekeeping Report
5
Letter from the Editor
9
it beautiful and doesn't it smell good, especially after a
good day out in the beeyard.
I'm using this section of the Stinger to remind
everyone of the upcoming ABA Picnic, May 18, at the
Cullman Fairgrounds. The picnic is always a good
time, with Beekeepers getting together.
There will be a called Business Meeting of the
ABA membership. The Business Meeting is needed to
support the Association's process of applying for IRS
501(c)(3) status. Obtaining this status as a Nonprofit
Charitable organization, we will be eligible to apply
for Federal, State and private donations and
grants. Member donations to the Association conLetter from the President:
nected with ABA business or functions will be tax deFellow Beekeepers, spring is finally here! Isn't ductible. We are missing some required statements in
7
our Constitution and By Laws that are necessary to
qualify as a 501(c)(3) organization. We need a vote of
the membership to amend the Constitution and By
Laws to add this missing wording. I am very confident
that everyone will agree to this amendment because
this wording simply states in writing what the Association has been about all along. Also, the wording
complies with the Internal Revenue Regulations that
require a provision in our Constitution and Bylaws for
dissolution of the Association. Of course, we hope
that this never happens.
Agenda for the Business Meeting
- Call to order
- Conduct headcount to determine vote majority re-
quirement. Quorum is the number of members present at the meeting.
- Announce the Constitution and By Laws changes
required, including, but not limited to:
> The need for a Registered Agent
> Non-discrimination statement
> Funds distribution statement in the event the Association dissolves
> Clarification that the purpose of the Association
is educational
- Discussion of proposed changes
- Vote on changes
- Adjourn
See you in May at the Picnic!
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 2
April
2013
starts. The answer is that we do not have a definite
starting time. It’s a picnic. Some of us setting up and
getting food ready will be there as early as 8:00 AM
Letter from the Secretary/Treasurer:
and you can come then if you want. You can come at
Tax season is finally over, and I have a picnic 6:00 AM if you need that much time to prepare for a
to look forward to. The Alabama Beekeepers Associa- picnic. Most people start showing up around 10:00
AM. We usually eat at 12:00 Noon. This year, Hal
tion's annual picnic is fast approaching. It will be on
th
Hendrix, from the Blount County Beekeepers AssoSaturday, May 18 at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. This is the same location as last year. Each ciation is preparing barbeque for everyone, and Linda
Banks will be making the BBQ Sauce. We need eveof you, bring your own lawn chair. Usually I get a
lot of calls and email asking me what time the picnic ryone else to bring something to go with BBQ. You
can bring buns, a vegetable, salad, dessert, homemade
Damon Wallace, President.
ice cream, or whatever you like to have at a picnic.
We will all share it. When three hundred people all
show up with something to eat that they have made or
purchased, we have plenty of food. The association is
supplying the paper products, utensils, meat, and beverages.
Remember that Earl King of the Walter T.
Kelley Company and Fred Rossman from Rossman
Apiaries will be there. They will bring your orders to
the picnic with no shipping charges to you. This can
be a huge savings if you are ordering a lot of supplies.
Please call me or email me to say that you are
coming so that I can get some sort of head count to
know how much meat, drinks and paper supplies to
buy. We don’t want to run out, and we don’t want to
be wasteful.
You can call me at 205-625-3464 or email me
at [email protected] (preferable).
The following directions to the picnic are from
our editor, Lonnie Funderburg. Cullman County Fairgrounds - Lat. N 34.194442, Long. W 86.858077. For
those who are able to enter the Latitude and Longitude
into their GPS, these coordinates will put you at the
entrance gate. The address is 1501 Sportsman Lake
Road Northwest, Cullman, AL. I think this address
will put you within sight of the entrance gate if not at
the gate.
Driving directions: From I-65 going south (mile post
numbers are getting smaller) take Exit 310, turn left.
Go 1.2 miles, turn right onto Hwy 31. Go 0.9 miles.
Turn right onto Sportsman Lake Road NW (at the
Nissan dealership). Go approximately 0.2 miles. Turn
left into the fairgrounds.
From I-65 going north (mile post numbers are
getting larger) take Exit 310, turn right. Go 1 mile,
turn right onto Hwy 31. Go 0.9 miles. Turn right onto
Sportsman Lake Road NW (at the Nissan dealership).
Go approximately 0.2 miles. Turn left into the fairgrounds.
Coming from the east on US Hwy 278 (mile
post numbers are getting smaller), turn right onto AL
Hwy 157. Go 5.1 miles. Turn left onto Hwy 31. Go
0.9 miles. Turn right onto Sportsman Lake Road NW
(at the Nissan dealership). Go approximately 0.2
miles. Turn left into the fairgrounds.
Coming from the west on US Hwy 278 (mile
post numbers are getting larger), turn left onto I-65
toward Decatur. Go 2.4 miles. Take Exit 310, turn
right. Go 1 mile, turn right onto Hwy 31. Go 0.9
miles. Turn right onto Sportsman Lake Road NW (at
the Nissan dealership). Go approximately 0.2 miles.
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 3
April
2013
Turn left into the fairgrounds.
Editor’s Note: Potato salad, sliced tomatoes,
and store-bought ice-cream are also acceptable.
Thanks. Bonnie Funderburg, Secretary/
Treasurer
Alabama Master Beekeeper Program
The Master Beekeeping Program will be held
on September 5, 6, and 7 at Hunter Hills Church in
Prattville, Alabama. If you have any questions about
the Program, the requirements, an application to attend, or hotels nearby go to:
www.alabamamasterbeekeepers.com . If all information you need is not there contact David Kelton at
[email protected]. This year all three levels:
Certified, Journeyman, and Master will be available.
David sold all of the packages he received but
he will have some queens if you need any.
David Kelton Chairman
John Mynard Retires After 29 Years
After twenty-nine years with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, our north Alabama bee inspector, John Mynard, retired. A retirement reception was held in John’s honor at the Beard
Building in Montgomery on March 1, 2013. There
were a couple dozen co-workers present along with
John’s immediate family to help him celebrate the occasion. There were six Alabama beekeepers in attendance. Following some very appreciative remarks by
Dennis Barclift, Alabama state apiarist, everyone was
given an opportunity to say something about John
Mynard. All of the comments were highly complimentary. John has done so much for Alabama beekeepers. He will be missed. Very likely, Alabama will
not be able to find anyone with his skills to replace
him.
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 4
Although officially retired, John Mynard is
still very active with beekeeping. This past Saturday,
April 20th John led an open-hive workshop for the
Walker County Beekeepers Association at the Oakman apiary of their Secretary/Treasury, Barry Banks.
There were more than twenty-four beekeeper participating with at least one very young wannabee looking
on. John opened and inspected four of Barry Banks’
colonies at this apiary. The pristine white boxes glistened in the sun. The bees were surprisingly well behaved considering the temperature was only just
above 60° Fahrenheit. The retired inspector remained
in character. No one would have guessed that he was
conducting this workshop simply for the love of hon-
April
2013
eybees. He described in detail everything he saw on
each frame in all four hives. The inexperienced beekeepers could not fully appreciate the extent of John’s
knowledge. The experienced beekeepers were speechless in awe at all the information the former inspector
could glean from each frame. He even described how
the hum of the colony would indicate a queenless condition if only we would listen carefully. He pointed
out Varroa destructor on some drone larva. He
showed us the few small hive beetles, Athena tumida,
in Banks’ hives and stated that this was not a small
hive beetle problem. He found the queen in one colony. In another colony, he found two queen cells then
stated that the position of these cells in the middle of
the frame likely meant that
this colony was superseding
their queen. John described
how to make a split when he
found queen cells on a
frame. This man is so careful with the bees, that he
could open four colonies on
a cool day and not upset a
single bee. He speculated
that two of the colonies had
swarmed. This was confirmed by Barry Banks. For
about an hour and a half, John Mynard held the attention of all the beekeepers, veterans and rookies.
After this most enlightening open-hive workshop, all of us returned to Barry and Linda Banks’
country home for a barbeque dinner. If anyone left
hungry, it was their own fault.
Next Saturday, April 27th John Mynard will be
conducting another open-hive workshop for the
Blount County Beekeepers Association at the apiary
of Jane Dobbs McKissack in Blountsville.
Clean Your Smoker
This is something I do about once a year. As
stated in previous issues of the Stinger, unlike most of
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 5
you, I am cheap. So I burn pine needles or pine straw
in my smoker because the stuff is free. Also once a
year, I walk down the street and rake up a thirty-three
gallon garbage bag of the needles along side the road.
My friend, Wil Montgomery, says that the needles
that have been run over by a vehicle three hundred
times are the best. It has something to do with them
being fuzzy, I think. Anyway, by the very nature of
pine needles burning without excessive oxygen, there
is excessive creosote coating the inside of my smoker.
I am not sure that it is creosote; but that is what I call
it. So, once a year, I burn out my smoker. Look at the
picture. The black vacuum hose is from the exhaust
April
2013
side of my shopvac. The two bricks simply hold the
hose in place. Notice that the hose does not have to be
too close to the smoker to be effective. Also, I have
removed the bellows from the smoker. I have started
the pine needles burning in the smoker just as if I was
going out to inspect a colony. Very carefully, I place
the smoker in front of the blowing vacuum hose and
adjust its position until I have the desired air pressure.
The pine needles will burn rapidly and much hotter
than when using the bellows. This hotter burning will
burn the creosote out of the smoker. There may be a
little ash left in the can; but usually this ash will fall
out with just a little tap with my hivetool. After the
smoker can cools, it will be shiny again, really, and
the lid will fit on like the smoker is new. It’s just a
suggestion. Try it. See if it works for you.
Another Report on Haitian Beekeeping
A year ago back in April 2012, Damon Wallace of Opelika, Alabama began the beekeeping project at Creve, Nord Quest, Haiti. Wallace is a Master
Beekeeper. He completed the requirements for his
Georgia Master Beekeeper at the Young Harris Beekeeping Institute in north Georgia in May 2008. Currently, he is the president of the Alabama Beekeepers
Association. During this first segment of the beekeeping project, Wallace instructed nine new beekeepers
and supervised the construction of two Langstroth
type hives including bottom board, brood box, surplus
honey super, inner cover, and telescoping lid. This
woodenware constructed during Wallace’s trip was
still in use in the demonstration garden at Creve. Also
still in use is a Kenya topbar hive, a non-standard
box, and two hollow log hives.
After his trip to Haiti in 2012, Wallace had
both hips replaced. According to Wallace, “It’s not
the age, it’s the mileage.” After two surgeries for hip
replacement, Wallace did not feel he was up to a return trip to Creve. The relatively short, ninety minute
ride from Mole Saint-Nicolas in northwest Haiti and
the all-day, eight hour ride from Creve to Port au
Prince, convinced this writer that Wallace had made
the right decision to wait until his hip replacement
had completely healed before attempting a return trip.
In preparation for the 2013 portion of the beekeeping project, Wallace prepared a detailed list of
beekeeping supplies needed at Creve. Everything on
his list was purchased and packed in two totes. There
were fifty deep frames with beeswax foundation, fifty
shallow frames with beeswax foundation, two spools
of cross-wire, brass eyelets, two eyelet insertion tools,
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 6
April
2013
and two spur embedders for cross-wiring, seven longsleeve white shirts, four veils, two bee brushes, four
hive tools, four pair of extra-large gloves, and three
copies of the Canadian Honey Bee Diseases and
Pests. In the current edition, the pictures are in color.
The group of fifteen volunteers arrived in
Creve on Friday, March 29th. Eight flew to Mole Saint
-Nicolas in two flights in a Cessna 206. The other
seven came by truck. The two totes of beekeeping
supplies arrived at 2:00 AM Easter Sunday. There
were two totes that Wallace used to bring his supplies
last year. Some of his supplies had not yet been used.
Because the plan was to instruct the beekeepers in the
technique of cross-wiring their frames, the instructor
spent Sunday afternoon constructing a cross-wiring
jig. Although built with scraps and few tools, the cross
-wiring jig functioned very well.
On Monday morning, one of Wallace’s students, Gaèl Desir, arrived with a bucket of bees that
needed a home and a topbar hive in need of repair. In
an effort to begin this instruction session on a positive
note and to develop a good rapport with the beekeepers, the instructor, with Gaèl’s assistance, replaced the
bottom of the topbar hive and assembled a migratory
lid. Gaèl had a plywood cover for the topbar hive with
an opening sized for a Langstroth super. This arrange-
ment of woodenware is a transition from topbar hive
to Langstroth hive. Gaèl left to install the bucket of
bees in the topbar hive.
The instructor began with the assembly of
frames, cross-wiring, inserting foundation, and embedding cross-wire with a spur wheel embedder.
Other volunteers, Patrick McIntyre, Bob Zik, and
Bino Rains constructed four screened bottom boards
for Langstroth hives. Patrick McIntyre cut the parts
for five Langstroth type deep supers. With very judicious use of his circular saw, McIntyre successfully
cut rabbet joints for the corners of the deep supers and
the frame rest. McIntyre did excellent work in spite of
the location and available tools. Frequently, the in-
structor reminded everyone that “the bees don’t care.”
On Monday afternoon, the class of Gaèl, Farris,
Fiarilien Choute (the interpreter), and the instructor
assembled one Langstroth deep super and seven
Langstroth deep frames for Gaèl to use with his
swarm of bees. Typically, the instructor would demonstrate the assembly of each item only one time.
Then, either Gaèl or Farris or another beekeeper,
would continue assembling more of that item. The
students were quick studies.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Gaèl and Farris
assembled more Langstroth deep supers and deep
frames, installed wire mesh in three more bottom
boards, and constructed another migratory lid. On
Thursday, the fifth bottom board was completed with
the remaining wire mesh and enough deep frames for
five hives were completed, fifty frames in all. Gaèl
and Farris assembled four spacers to provide room
under the lids for Ziploc® baggies of sugar syrup to
left Gaèl, Farris, and Fiarilien Choute (the interpreter)
feed the bees, and they assembled three more migratory lids. Recalling an example he had seen at Dr.
Tew’s Auburn Beekeeping Symposium and after
some contemplation, the instructor fabricated a jig for
cutting handholds in the sides and ends of the supers.
Surprisingly, this jig functioned as designed. Gaèl and
Farris mixed water and sugar to make two gallons of
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 7
sugar syrup to feed the bees that they planned to transfer from two log hives into the new Langstroth hives.
First thing Friday morning with the aid of a
truck, Gaèl and Farris moved all the required wooden-
April
2013
ware and tools to the demonstration garden. Two
empty totes were used as a work surface in the garden.
Two concrete blocks served as a hive stand. Gaèl lit
his smoker and began cutting the new comb out of the
log hives. The new comb was very fragile. Farris as-
left Fiarilien Choute (the interpreter) and Farris with
assembled Langstroth supers
sisted the instructor with fastening the new comb into
the new Langstroth frames with string that Damon
Wallace had brought the previous year. To encourage New honey comb in a log hive. This comb was transferred to a
Langstroth hive.
the bees to accept the Langstroth hive as their new
home, a Ziploc® baggie containing about three quarts
of sugar syrup was placed on top of the new frames.
A spacer was placed around the baggie to provide
room for the bees to get to the sugar syrup. Gaèl
shook the bees out of the log and into their new home
and placed the migratory lid on the Langstroth hive
that was located exactly where the log had been. See
photo. All went as planned. After lunch on Friday,
Gaèl and Farris returned to the garden to transfer the
colony in the second log into a new Langstroth hive.
On Saturday, Gaèl and Farris began constructing shallow Langstroth frames for surplus honey. The
instructor cut the ends and sides to make two shallow
supers for surplus honey. Gaèl assembled the two
shallow supers. Gaèl and Farris had become very
adept at frame assembly, cross-wiring, and embedding. Both have the knowledge, experience, and nec- Gaèl coaxing the remaining bees out of the log hive
(Continued on page 9)
essary tools. In the future, all they will need to expand
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 8
Membership
Report:
+
-
711
42
128
625
Members as of February 13, 2013
New Members
Non-renewing members
Members as of April 21, 2013
April
2013
Webmaster—Bob Fanning, [email protected]
Editor—Lonnie W. Funderburg, 1260 Easley Bridge Rd., Oneonta,
AL 35121-4110
2013 Officers and Board of Directors
President Damon Wallace, 2003 Highpoint Drive, Opelika, AL
36801-2005, [email protected], 334-745-5312
Vice-President Jeff Lee, 102 Whitfield Dr, Athens, AL 356132716, [email protected], 256-874-6067
Sect/Treas Bonnie Funderburg, 1260 Easley Bridge Rd, Oneonta,
AL 35121-4110
ville, AL 35456-2532
Director - 2013 Mike Stoops, PO Box 35, Excel, AL 364390035
Director - 2015 Gerry Whitaker, 910 CR 153, New Brockton,
AL 36351-8213
Director - 2013 David Kelton, 1590 Tabor Cutoff, Gadsden,
AL 35904-9755
Past-President Phillip Garrison, 178 County Road 1327, Vine-
Director - 2014 Barry Banks, 577 Blackwell Loop, Jasper, AL
35501-7016
Director - 2015 Bill Miller, 2991 Eddins Rd. Dothan, AL
36301-7478
mont, AL 35179-6871
Director - 2014 Bill Hewett, 12751 Bear Creek Rd, Duncan-
Regional Clubs/Associations
Baldwin County: Eugene Fernandes, Pres. P.O. Box 553; Robertsdale, AL 36567; [email protected]. Meet 7:00 P.M.
1st Monday at Robertsdale Fire Dept, St. Paul & Racine Streets,
across from water tower. (Updated 07-11-2011)
Blount County Beekeepers Association: Contact Hal Hendrix,
Vice-Pres. [email protected] , Meet 4th Thursday at 6:30 PM at
Blount County Resource Center, 62561 US Hwy 231, Cleveland,
AL (Lat. N33.993546, Long.W86.57759) (Updated 01-24-2013)
Central Alabama Beekeepers Association: Allyson Andrews,
Pres. [email protected]; (334) 799-2254. Meet 6:00 PM
1st Thursday of every month. Call for meeting place. (Updated 0312-2010)
Choctaw County: No current information available. Please update.
Cullman County: Phillip Garrison, Pres. 178 County Rd 1327,
Vinemont, AL 35179-6871, Tel (256) 734-5963, Meet 2nd Tue at
6:30 P.M. every odd month at Main Alfa Building, 307 Main Ave
N.W., Cullman, AL 35055 (Updated 11-12-2002)
East Alabama Beekeepers: Tom Harris, Pres. 270 Oak Hills Dr.
Wedowee, AL 36278, (256) 363-2181, [email protected].
Meet at 6:30 P.M. at Clay Co. Extension Office in Ashland.
(Updated 08-25-2011)
Escambia County— Queen’s Castle Beekeepers Association
Lucy Evans, Pres. [email protected] Contact O.J. Blount, 334222-0751. Meet the last Saturday of every month from 9:002:00. Also contact at [email protected]. (Lat, N
31.152958, Long. W 86.745510) (Updated 02-13-2013)
Etowah County: David Kelton, Pres. [email protected]
Meet 1st Thu at 6:30 P.M. at Carnes Recreation Center, 103 Case
Avenue, Attalla, AL 256-570-0202 (Lat. N33.998267, Long.
W86.108728) Updated (2-13-2013)
Jackson County Beekeepers Association: Contact Ray Latham,
256-574-5234, [email protected]. Meet 6:30 PM the first
Thursday of even numbered months at ALFA Insurance office,
23625 John T. Reid Parkway, Scottsboro, AL (Updated 04-022011)
Jefferson County: Paul Mancill, Pres. Meet 7:00 P.M. 3rd Thu
Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 2612 Lane Park Rd. Birmingham,
AL 35223-1802 County agent, Sallie Lee (205) 879-6964 Ext 11
(Updated 03-10-2010)
Limestone County Beekeepers Association: Jeff Lee, Pres.
[email protected] 256-874-6067. Meets 2nd Thu of even months at
6:00 PM in ALFA building, 524 Hwy 72 West, Athens, Al 35611
(Updated 03-18-2010)
Madison County: Laura Cambron, Pres.1012 New Hope-
Cedar Point Rd. New Hope, AL 35760-9656, 256-723-2608
[email protected] . Meet 6:30 P.M. 2nd Thu in oddnumbered months at Botanical Gardens, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave,
Huntsville, AL (Updated 08-25-2011)
Mobile County Beekeepers Association--John Haaseth, pres. 601916-0019. Meet at 10:00 AM on second Saturday of each month at
Wilmer Hall on Springhill College campus, 3811 Old Shell Rd.
Mobile, AL 36608-1317 (Updated 02-21-2012)
Monroe County: Contact Toria Sims at 4349 Turkey Hollow Rd.
Frisco City, AL 36445-5154; 251-267-3520;
[email protected], meet 7:00 P.M. 2nd Thu of third month
(Mar. Jun. Sep. Dec.) at Southern Pine Building. (Updated 1-142009)
North-West Alabama Bee Club: No current information on this
club. (12-19-2011)
North-East Alabama (Calhoun County & surrounding area): Joe
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 9
April
2013
Abernathy, Pres. 256-835-1214, [email protected]. Meet 6:30
P.M. 2nd Thu 17th & Noble Sts, Auburn Extension Administration Building, Anniston, AL (Updated 12-10-2009)
St. Clair County: Nick Thomas, Pres. [email protected].
www.sccba.net Meet 6:30 PM 4th Thursday at Riverside Marina Building next to the Riverside Fire Dept. (Updated 03-05-2013)
Sand Mountain Beekeepers (Blount, DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall & NE
AL): Lyle Greenwood, Pres, Tel (256)586-2206, [email protected].
Meet 6:30 P.M. on 3rd Thu of even numbered months at Guntersville
Public Library, 1240 O’Brig Ave. (Updated 02-21-2013)
Saugahatchee Beekeepers Association meets the first Tuesday of every
even numbered month (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug. Oct, Dec) 6:00 PM at the
Lee County Extension Office which is located at 600 S. 7th St. in Opelika, AL. Contact Linda Schotz, President at [email protected] or
334-826-8322 for additional information. (Updated 12-08-2012)
Shelby County Beekeepers Association: Margie Robertson, Pres. 205672-9604, meet on the 1st Thursday of each month at the Chelsea Senior Adult Center (Lat. N33.317724, Long. W86.666318) on Hwy 36
from 7-9 PM. George Baldwin 205-516-0918 (Updated 01-09-2013)
South Alabama (Mobile County): This local association has ceased
meeting and disbanded. (Updated 10-26-2007)
Southeast Alabama Beekeepers Association: Gerry Whitaker Pres.
[email protected], Meet 7:00 P.M. 1st Thu of each month at the
Coffee County Farm Center in New Brockton, AL (Updated 11-302012)
Tallapoosa River: There has been no communication from this organi-
zation.
Tennessee Valley Beekeepers Association: Mary Gibson, pres. Lamar
Roberson, VP, David Hicks Sec/Treas [email protected] (256) 5654020. Meet 2nd Thu of even months at 7:00 P.M. at the Moulton City
Hall, 720 Seminary St, Moulton, AL (Updated 03-11-2013)
Walker County: Lonnie Funderburg, 1260 Easley Bridge Rd, Oneonta,
AL 35121-4110 Tel (205) 625-3464. Meet 6:30 P.M. 4th Mon at Ext Svc
Bldg, 1501 N. Airport Road, Jasper, AL except July and December,
picnic in July. (Lat. N33.863387, Long. W87.265301) (Updated 02-1313)
West Alabama Beekeepers Association (Bibb, Tuscaloosa, Hale, &
Pickens Cos.) Bill Hewett, Pres [email protected] Meet 6:00
P.M. 3rd Thu monthly at County Extension Service Auditorium,
714 Greensboro Ave.,Tuscaloosa, Al 35401. Current website
http://www.HewettsHoney.com. (Updated 01-09-2011)
Wiregrass (Houston County): Roslyn Horton, Pres., 334-795-6201
home 334-790-2087 cell, [email protected]. Meet 7:00 P.M.
1st Thu every month at Houston County Extension Office, Ross Clark
the number of colonies is additional material.
In the next phase of the beekeeping project at
Creve, there should be additional instruction in colony
manipulation, disease and pest diagnosis, harvesting,
bottling, and marketing the honey crop. The transition
from log hives to topbar hives to Langstroth type
hives must be monitored to insure that the students are
not regressing. It will require some experience with
Langstroth equipment for the students to fully realize
Company donated for the soft drinks at Dr. Tew’s Auburn Symposium. It has been variable weather here in
Blount County. After almost no winter, we seemed to
have an early spring. Then it turned winter again. The
last time I checked, I was surprised to find that I still
had four live colonies in my back yard. I am afraid to
look now. With this screwy weather, my scale hive
weight has continued to decline. Usually, my scale
hive has begun to get heavier by now. Is global warming over? Barry Banks already had some full supers of
surplus. Don’t let the bees get ahead of you. Dr. Tew
says, “Anticipate, don’t react!” Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If you have a sample squeeze bear or simply a
small container of your honey that you want tasted at
the Farm Home & Wildlife Expo, bring it to the picnic
with the information you want displayed. I am looking
to have thirty samples to taste this year. The Alabama
Beekeepers Association is making an impression in
the advantages of using modern equipment.
Letter from the Editor
Circle #4; Dothan, AL. (Updated 8-30-2011)
Please check you local club listing. I do not
attend your club to verify location, date, and time.
Send me an e-mail with “Club Roster” as the subject
to receive the Excel file designed by Bob Fanning to
maintain your club membership and attendance record. It’s really cool and it works. Send Bob Fanning
a thank you note for all his work maintaining our webChilton County. Lonnie W. Funderburg, Editor
site. We have more information on our website than
many commercial websites. At the picnic, be sure to
thank Earl King for the $100 that Walter T. Kelley
April 2013
The Stinger, Newsletter of the Alabama Beekeepers Association—Page 10
The Stinger
1260 Easley Bridge Rd.
Oneonta, AL 35121-4110
Place
Stamp
2013
Here
April
March/April
2013
Vol. 26 No. 2
NEWSLETTER OF THE ALABAMA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
Inside This Issue Page 1
John Mynard Retires After 29 Years