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* Doug is in need of a dehumidifier to dry out some uncapped frames of honey.
* Is there anyone in our ACBA that could loan one to Doug for a few days? Thanks!
* Contact Doug at 954-682-3848 (C) or 828-386-1398 (H) or send him a message, e-mail = dskee@aol.com.
* Open the below link to learn more about the "Miteathon" being held on the Pollinator.org website...
* The September regular meeting of the ACBA will be held on Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 7:00 PM.
* Here are some of the particulars:
- We had a fun time with Randy and his lesson on extracting last month! He put a few members to work practicing their extracting skills, including visitor Joel, the good-natured son of our president, Ken.
- Jim Rash will be the featured speaker at the meeting Thursday, and you won’t want to miss it! He’ll cover beekeeping month by month - what’s going on with the bees each month, and what we need to be doing. With winter approaching, this is particularly timely.
- Speaking of what the bees are doing now, Randy was called to get a swarm yesterday, and he did a split. First time for either (for him, anyway) in September.
- First time happening for me was a lulu of a sting in the temple a couple of weeks ago. I apparently unwittingly walked smack dab in the path of a 'girl on a mission' who had built up so much momentum, the stinger was buried deeper than usual. I don’t know if that set off the systemic reaction or not, but when the crazy itching and red rash appeared on my arms and trunk, I landed in the ER, where I received the works and orders to get an Epi-pen. The nurse in charge relayed an incident with another woman with a ‘reaction’ who also had no trouble breathing, but by the time she was whisked to the exam room, they feared they might have to intubate her.
- Meanwhile, our visiting daughter missed out on the hurricane excitement in Charleston but was stung in the upper eyelid while standing in what she thought was a relatively safe zone. She didn’t have a systemic reaction, thank goodness, but the time spent trying to get the/a bee out of her hair delayed the removal of the stinger about a minute. She decided the hurricane would have been preferable.
- Meanwhile, Part 2, one of our members, Shelia, reported that her son had been stung a few times on the hand while helping work in the hives and also had a bad reaction. Benadryl was sufficient for him this time, but they’ll be on the alert for a potential next sting.
- If you haven’t subscribed to Bee Culture it’s loaded with info! This looks like it might be a particularly enticing article, so check it out!
- The Autumn Leaf Festival will be held at the Museum of Ashe County History on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10-2. If you have something bee- and/or honey-related (or maybe even something else?), please come out! We’ll have a table or two (or three) set up with honey, products made with beeswax, etc., in the ‘bee’ section, and we’ve always had plenty of room for expansion :) There is no fee for participating in this festival, which has always been fun, and you keep all of the proceeds from what you sell. If you haven’t had a chance to take a peek inside the museum, this is a great opportunity to see what an incredible museum we have. Click here to learn more about the festival, but ignore the date in the link - it’s outdated! If you don’t have anything to show and/or sell but would like to come help, PLEASE DO! It’s great fun to meet folks, and the 4 hours pass quickly. For more info, contact me via email or phone (336-982-8289).
- Besides all the eggs Teri Goodman has graciously brought to the past few meetings for door prizes, Doug Ehrhardt brought a bag full of hive tools and other treasures to hand out as door prizes. Everyone should win SOMEthing this time - a bonus reason for coming!
* Meetings are always held on the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Ashe County Agricultural Center Office located at 134 Government Center Drive in Jefferson, NC (click here to open a map, if needed).
* The June regular meeting of the ACBA will be a "cookout, shop tour, demonstrations and bee supplies for sale at HS Greens's Hidden Happiness Bee Farm located at 1106 Chestnut Mountain Rd, Deep Gap,NC 28618.
* Click here for a map to Hidden Happiness Bee Farm.
* Send Maggie McClelland an e-mail below and include a head count of attendees as well as the pot luck side dish you plan to bring to the cookout...
* Alternatively, you can call Maggie at 336-982-4104.
* The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on May 9, 2019 beginning @ 7:00 PM...in support of early arrivals, there will be food as well as a Q&A session, if desired.
* Lyn Soeder is our guest speaker; her topic is bee-friendly plants. To say she's multi-talented is an understatement! We’re excited to have her talk about bee-friendly plants, and not only will she be talking about them, she’ll also be selling some! Click on the below downloadable files: first attachment for flowers, shrubs and trees, the second for tomatoes. Tomato plants are $3/each; prices vary for the rest.
IMPORTANT!!! If you’d like to order something from Lyn’s lists, you must contact HER (mathomhous@gmail.com) before noon on Thursday so she’ll know to bring your item(s) to the meeting.* Meetings are always held on the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Ashe County Agricultural Center Office (click to open a map, if needed), located at 134 Government Center Drive in Jefferson, NC.
Other important news for the meeting:
* The drawing of the raffle for a hive built by Randy Baldwin, a 7-frame or 10-frame hive (winner's choice), will be held at the conclusion of the meeting.
*HS will have swarm catchers available for purchase, and pick up a free swarm lure and the recipe print out when you arrive.
* As in prior years, the ACBA is making a host of information available to both our members and others visiting our website of many important resources. Click here to open/read/print a document that can be utilized all year to make your own beekeeping efforts successful.
* Thanks in advance for your participation in ACBA and for helping to make sure it continues to assist local beekeepers and our bees, wherever possible.
MORE NEWS!
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Raffle tickets for the complete hive (built by Randy Baldwin) will be available thru the end of the meeting Thursday, at which time the drawing will be held! You do not need to be present to win; however, the winner will have a say in how a few parts of the hive are finished, and Randy will be on hand to discuss options. Ticket prices: $5/each, 3/$10. Many thanks to Doug Ehrhardt for once again providing us with beautiful raffle tickets!
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If you haven’t already paid your dues, Liam will be taking those up.
ACBA membership: $10 - individual, $15 - family.
NCSBA (optional): $15/person. New dues and renewals can be made online.
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Door prizes will be given away. If you’d like to donate something for a door prize, let Maggie know, or just bring it!
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Our June meeting (13th) will be a cookout at Hidden Happiness Bee Farm! H.S. Greene will prepare hot dogs and hamburgers, and members will provide sides, condiments, desserts, etc. Please contact Maggie at mmcclelland@skybest.com no later than June 10 to RSVP and to sign up for an item to bring (a reminder with more info and directions will be sent out. You can also find directions on the HHBF web site). If you haven’t been to H.S.’ bee farm store, this is a great opportunity! It’s beautifully done.
* Lyn Soeder was our guest speaker at the May meeting of the ACBA. As part of her presentation, Lyn recommended an excellent resource for information about plants that are friendly for bees and beekeepers...check it out.
* RAFFLE WINNER!
* Congratulations to beekeeper and ACBA treasurer, Liam Jerkins who was the winner of the complete 10 frame hive made by Randy Baldwin at the regular meeting raffle drawing on May 9...
* Thanks to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket, or tickets, to help with funds for our ACBA!