Southside Beekeepers Association November 2016

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1 Southside Beekeepers Association November OFFICERS: President: Harvey Joyner Vice President: Jerry Taylor & Bucky Moore Treasurer: Donna Rogers Secretary: Sue Moore Program Coordinators: Karen Joyner Newsletter Editor: Tammy Malkin The President s Corner THANKSGIVING PRAYER If the only prayer you say in your life is Thank you!, that would be enough. (Meister Eckhart, 13 th -14 th German theologian, philosopher & mystic) One of my favorite paintings, that I love to revisit at this time of the year, is titled Pilgrims Going to Church, by George H. Boughton ( ). It is a romantic interpretation of peculiarly clad English people, men, women, and children, some carrying rifles, accompanied by their Bible-toting parson, trudging through a snow-covered forest, presumably in route to their gathering place for worship. Although the practices of early 17 th century Pilgrims seem simple and sometimes absurdly quaint to us, we are filled with awe and respect for these American pioneers, who faced unbelievable hardship and great uncertainty all for the sake of personal dignity and religious liberty. Would we have had such courage, such conviction, such faith and foresight, such gratitude? We wonder! Lest we forget, there were other pilgrims who came to this continent from other distant shores, some forcibly, others seeking to leave their plight behind and to start over, still others leaving religious and political oppression behind, yearning to breathe freely. Prior to the arrival of the Old World settlers, honey bees were unknown to Native Americans. The first honey bees probably came from England and arrived in Virginia in By 1639, colonies of honey bees were found throughout the woods in Massachusetts, having been brought by colonists who arrived at Plymouth. Once the bees were introduced, they, like other insects, could increase their range by moving into new territory. As we know, honey bees increase colony numbers by swarming, and swarms can fly several miles to establish a new colony. I could be said that the introduction of a foreign insect has a happy ending, but the rest of the story is still being written and is largely up to us. After all, honey bees are a very important part of agriculture in this country, and we can t do without them. At our Thanksgiving tables, let us pause in gratitude for all creatures great and small, celebrating the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part. Harvey Interested in taking a winter online beekeeping course? Learn about the science, the roles and the amazing life of honey bees. Get practical advice on how to plan, purchase, and set up your hive. Learn about the threats to bees and how to keep a healthy hive. Check it out at

2 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! POTLUCK DINNER We ask that everyone bring a potluck dish to share. A list of basic suggestions will accompany this newsletter however you are welcome to bring whatever you would like. Bryant Starke and Barbara Suessman have volunteered to be at the Office at 5 PM to get everything set-up. Southside Beekeepers Association Christmas Potluck Dinner WHEN: Saturday, Dec 17 th, 6:00 PM WHERE: Emporia/Greensville Extension Office 105 Oak Street Emporia, VA REMINDER The October meeting was the last meeting of There will be no meeting in November. In lieu of the December meeting, we will hold the Annual Christmas Party. *****CHECK YOUR TOMORROW ***** Sue Moore will be sending an for everyone to sign up for dishes to bring. GIFT EXCHANGE A Pollyanna/Dirty Santa gift exchange will begin shortly after dinner so start looking for that perfect gift now! The gift should be valued at approximately $15.00 and should arrive wrapped. It is hard to predict what the most popular gift will be. This is the one time you will want to be the last one to choose a gift because when it is your turn you have the chance to steal any gift that has been unwrapped before yours, so the last person has the pick of them ALL! Please come and enjoy the holiday music, decorations, food, gifts and fun! You won t want to miss this so mark your calendars for Saturday December 17 th and prepare to have a great time!

3 Our very own bee ambassadors, Bucky & Sue Moore, debuted Beaver Dam Apiary s honey at the Tidewater Academy Jingle Fair. Many people stopped by their booth to sample and buy honey, and most importantly to talk bees. One gentleman was very familiar with SBA, as he is at the Peanut Festival each year, and he said he has known Lucky & Amy for years! (Sorry, but I can t remember his name! )

4 (Courtesy of Ashland Beekeepers Assoc.) Continue checking the hive weights by lifting the rear of the hives. Hives will need to contain a minimum of 50 lbs. of honey (60# in total). Add entrance reducers or place mouse guards over the hive entrances. Also be certain you have ventilation for the hive. Screen bottoms board are good, but there is still a need for upper ventilation especially in colder weather. Bees do breathe and exhale moisture. In winter this moisture will condense inside the bottom of the top cover and will either freeze and/or drip back onto the bees. It is desirable to have the top cover lean slightly to the front of the hive so any water will drain towards the front. Raise the outer cover a minimum 1/4" with a stick between the inner cover and the outer cover at the rear. Clean (scrape propolis) from any empty hives and store for winter. Freeze and bag any good frames with "pulled" comb both supers and hive frames. Keep empty hives off the ground and stack out of the weather or cover with hive outer covers. This is absolutely the "last call" for feeding and preparing your bees for winter. Your must have enough honey reserves to last through the winter months. Feed your bees a syrup of 2 parts sugar : 1 part water. Actually there are no guarantees that there is enough time, but feed it as long as you can and be sure to remove all top feeders when it does gets cold. It taxes the bees to attempt heat a larger area. Over the winter they will consume more foodstuffs. Entrance reducers should be in place. One 3 X ¼ opening will allow the bees to make the needed cleansing flights and also prevent mice and unwanted visitors from entering the hive. An alternative would be using ½ X ½ rat wire mouse guards. EAS 2017 ~July 31-August 4, 2017 The Eastern Apicultural Society of North America was established in 1955 with the purpose of promoting honey bee culture, the education of beekeepers, and excellence in bee research. Every summer, EAS organizes an annual conference in one of the member States/Provinces. About 500 people from around the world, attend this conference every year. Delaware beekeepers host the 2017 conference at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE. Beekeeping Short Course & Conference lecture sessions will be conveniently located in the Clayton Conference Center and connecting Pencader Hall. Participants may stay in University dorms or in fullservice Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, both immediately adjacent to the Center or at over 20 motels in the immediate region The Short Course includes several one or two day mini-courses appropriate for beginner/hobbyist, intermediate Sideliner and for Advanced beekeeper interest. The presenters will include Larry Connor, popular author and Wicwas Press Publisher, Mike Embrey, Univ of Maryland Eastern Shore, Maryann Frazier, retired from Penn State University, Clarence Collison, Allan Hayes, Landi Simone, and a host of local experts and EAS Master beekeepers. The EAS Conference begins on Wednesday, with Short Course participants included, extending through Friday afternoon. There will be keynote presentations to begin our daily programs followed by multiple tracks of presentations continuing through the afternoon. Speakers include Tom Seeley, Marla Spivak, Michael Palmer, Michael Young, Northern Ireland beekeeper extraordinaire and chef, popular author James Tew, our Hambleton and student award winners, Clarence Collison our 2007 Roger Morse Extension/ regulatory award winner, Jay Evans, USDA, Beltsville, Past EAS President Tammy Horn and many more. The full program will be posted by the beginning of 2017 to the EAS website:

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6 Honey-Apple Cake Honey Mustard Dressing (allrecipes.com) 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice Preparation In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator. Yummy Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice Mix the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice together in a bowl. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight. Honey Sauce (myrecipes.com) 1 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup honey 3 large eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apple Honey Sauce (recipe below) ****************************************** Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan; sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/4 cup pecans. Set aside. Beat sugar, oil, and honey at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla, remaining 3/4 cup pecans, and apple. Spoon over pecans in pan. Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan, and place on a wire rack over wax paper. Pour 1/2 cup Honey Sauce over warm cake. Cool. Heat remaining Honey Sauce; serve with cake and, if desired, ice cream. 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup milk Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes.

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