Spring has sprung and new 'beeks' are getting their bees.

 

Mentor-ship is important in any endeavor that you care about, getting good information and hands on training from a successful person is vitally important!

Did you know the Five Rivers Bee Club has an official mentorship program? I certainly didn't!

An experienced beekeeper will actually help you in times of trouble and when you question if you are likely to kill your bees. But be sure you all get along! And actually liking each other helps. So, before you ask for help or a mentor, make sure they are keeping bees (successfully) in the manner you prefer!

Link for mentor-ship agreement

(Please note, the "initial point of contacts" found on the second page partially out of date, please contact Lonnie P, Bill K, or Dawn S.)

February Meeting: Election results

 

Hello fellow Beekeepers! 

Finally! Here is the roster for this year's club officers:

President: Lonnie Perry (He says this is his LAST YEAR)

Vice President: Adam Taitano

Member at Large: Susy Beaman

Treasurer: Bill Kaebler

Secretary: Dawn Snow

Community Outreach/Sargent at Arms: David Rosenberg

The Video of February's meeting is up on YouTube here. The video has been edited for clarity and time and acts as the official meeting minutes.

No Meeting in January

Due to the severe weather forecast, there will be no meeting on Jan 16. We will resume February 20. Stay warm! & we will see you then.

Call for Officer Nominations

Prepping for January's elections.

Where has the time gone? It seems that we just had elections last month! What a year! And a great successful one at that. We have decided to take nominations for next year's officers online. Send any nominations by the end of December to fiverbc@gmail.com.

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Member at Large

Sargent at Arms

New position: Public Affairs officer (to act as club liaison for Fairs and the like.)

 

And here is last month's meeting minutes.

Dec 2023 Meeting MInutes 

 

Bee Photo Contest Winners

 

Hello fellow beeks!

We had a spectacular meeting last night with our annual Christmas Potluck. (And a big shout out to everyone who "followed the rules" and made things that were Gluten Free! You know who you are and you absolutely rock!)

We had 6 entries for the 1st Annual Photo Contest. 

The 1st place winner was taken by Bill Sandridge with the featured photo at the top of this post. The 2nd place winner was taken by Suzy Beaman and is featured below! 

They each won our admiration and a vintage 5RBC coffee mug!

Stay tuned .. more bee things and bee "adjacent" things in the works.

 

Join Us for the Season's BEE-st festivities!

 Our next meeting is December 19, 2023.

 Will Santa bring you your biggest wish? Have you bee-n naughty or nice?

Sign up here to bring a dish to the pot-luck and join us!

Photo Contest!

 Hey all. We are holding a photo contest!

Rules: 

1) Must have been taken by you.

2) Must have been taken this year. 

3) Must contain a bee/bees. 

4) Please submit only your best 3!

Deadline: December 14. 

Winners will be decided by popular vote during our Christmas pot-luck. Email your photo(s) to fiverbc@gmail.com.

Copyright release: By submitting your photos to this email, you are giving us permission to use your photo (with attribution) on our media. We will be featuring the photos on our website & on the book of faces (at least)! So, if your not cool with that, don't enter.  

Keep buzzing.

Winter Prep for Bee hives

Cold weather is approaching!

Remove empty supers. Make the space inside the hive match the size of the colony. Check for a laying queen. Check for colony size and combine small ones. Come Spring it is better to have one live colony
than two dead ones.

1.  Check for honey stores. If your hives are too light, it’s time to start feeding with a vengeance.
2. Assure that the honey frames are in the right place. They should be on both sides of the cluster and  above it in a Lansgstroth hive. Move frames around if necessary.
3. Reduce hive entrances if you haven’t already. It’s time for mice and other small creatures to find a snug and warm overwintering place– one filled with honey is especially attractive.
4. Remove weedy vegetation from the base of the hive. Vegetation is a convenient hiding place for creatures who may want to move into the hive, and it can be used like an entrance ramp or step-ladder.
5.  If you live in a wet area, make sure your lids will keep out the rain. Make any needed repairs now.
6. If wintertime moisture is a problem in your hives, add a quilt box above the brood boxes.
7. If high winds are a problem, you may consider adding a skirt around the base of your hive to reduce drafts. Although you want adequate ventilation, you don’t want a wind tunnel; secure your lids with heavy stones or tie-downs. You may want to shield upper ventilation holes from sidewinds. Consider providing a windbreak. 
8. If extreme cold is a problem, consider wrapping your hives with insulation or tar paper...but, again, don’t forget the ventilation. 
9. If winter flooding is a problem, move the hives to higher ground now while the weather is still dry.

(Reprinted from the Apiary Newsletter from Arkansas State Plant Board, Apiary Newsletter 2017)

Bees, If you please. (Current article with Arrie Goodwin!)

 

Link to Article