Clinch Valley Bee Club
Introduction to our Bee Club
The goal of the Clinch Valley Beekeepers Association is to attract people into beekeeping and to educate the public about bees for the ultimate benefit to our environment.
Click here for a short video about the Accomplishments of the CVBA: Accomplishments of the CVBA
Bees and Beekeeping in May
From: Back Yard Beekeepers Association (www.backyardbeekeepers.com)
THE BEES. Now the activity really starts hopping. The nectar and pollen should begin to come into the hive thick and fast. The queen will be reaching her greatest rate of egg laying. The hive should be bursting with activity.
THE BEEKEEPER. Spring mite treatments should be completed, and removed prior to adding any honey supers. Add a queen excluder, and place honey supers on top of the top deep. Watch out for swarming. Inspect the hive weekly. Attend bee club meetings and workshops.
Flowers for the Bees
Get Ready for Summer
Tom Ramey obtained seed packets of "bee friendly" flowers earlier this year. The remaining inventory is now on sale at a reduced price. A collection containing 8 seed packets with different flowers in each envelope is available for only $3.00. Buy some for yourself or as a gift.Let your neighbors know important they are to our bees.
Try "The Shops" menu item on this page.
Locally Raised Queen Bees
The featured speaker at the February 2013 CVBA meeting was Wayne Yates of Bloomingdale Apiary, who spoke about his queen bee breeding operation. Wayne is a certified master beekeeper, a state bee inspector and a Tennessee queen breeder. His goal is to breed queens that are locally adapted to improve bee colony hardiness to climate, pests and diseases in East Tennessee. Queens that are at least 42 days old sell for $15. Bloomingdale Apiary is located at 2238 Idle Hour Road in Kingsport TN. For more information, contact Wayne at (423) 288-6536 or (423) 302-7901 (cell).
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Important Announcements
May Meeting
The speaker for our May meeting is Jim Brown, who will speak about organic beekeeping. Mr. Brown is vice president of the Guilford Beekeepers Organization in North Carolina.
Please bring lasagna, salad, bread, or dessert to share. If you plan to bring lasagna, call Wanda Coleman (423-944-3230) so she can make sure we have enough. Remember to taste our featured cookbook recipe this month: Yeast Rolls (made with honey, no sugar)
Mark Your Calendars
June 20 – Dr. John Skinner, State Apiculturist and a professor with UT’s Extension Program, will give a presentation
July 18 – Annual picnic
August 15 – Queen Rearing Class presented by Kirk Fenner, Joyce Capps, and Wayne Yates
Beekeeping Photos
If you have any original beekeeping photos that might look nice on a calendar, please contact Tom Ramey (423-944-3223). Our club will be putting together a 2014 picture calendar later this summer, much like the 2013 calendar we are selling. We need quality photos, taken by you or somebody you know (not copyrighted) that relate to beekeeping—photos of your hives in different seasons, or you working your hives, or bees on a blooming plant, or honey robbing activities—the possibilities are endless. We will pick the best 12 photos for the calendar, which we expect to have ready before the holiday gift-giving season. This is another great way you can help our club raise funds.
Membership Dues
CVBA membership dues $15 for a family, $10 for a single membership, and $5 for a youth member. Please pay your dues to Joyce Capps or, in Joyce’s absence, to Denise Parker, at the meeting. or mail a check payable to CVBA to: CVBA c/o Joyce Capps, 7382 Circle Point Dr., Talbott TN 37877
Half Price Sale!
Our one-of-a-kind 2013 beekeeping calendars and Bee Garden flower seeds are on sale now for half price! Calendars are $4 each ($3 each for five or more) and are filled with beautiful beekeeping photos and helpful beekeeping advice. The Bee Garden flower seed collection is only $3 and includes 8 seed packets (catnip, bachelor’s button, lemon balm, borage, purple coneflower, lemon mint, phacelia, and cilantro). What a deal! To get calendars or flower seeds, just ask Tom Ramey. First come, first served until they’re gone.
Honey Labels
Do you sell honey? One insurance company recommends labeling your honey “100% Pure Raw Honey, Not Commercially Filtered or Processed” to protect against lawsuits. Junior Snelson (423-626-5538) has sheets of self-adhesive labels with the aforementioned text for $1.20 per sheet.
We Need Help with Meals
We still need somebody to coordinate food at our monthly meetings. This is not a commitment to cook, but rather to set our monthly menus and to coordinate food for special events. Volunteering is a great way to meet other beekeepers and to become more involved with CVBA.