June Club Meeting – Queen Rearing with Devin Gentry 🐝
Monday, June 2nd
6:30–8:30 PM
Back by popular demand… it’s our 2nd Annual Smoker Competition!
We’ll kick off the evening with a friendly smoke-off to see whose smoker reigns supreme. All beekeepers are encouraged to bring their smoker and preferred fuel source. Show off your lighting skills, smoke control, and creativity—bragging rights (and maybe prizes!) are on the line.
Featured Presentation: Queen Rearing – A Key to Sustainable Beekeeping
We’re thrilled to welcome Devin Gentry, President of the Transylvania County Beekeepers Association, as our June guest speaker!
Devin began beekeeping 17 years ago in Brevard, NC with just two backyard hives. Today, he and his wife Lindsay run Bee. honey + hive, the largest beekeeping operation based in Transylvania County, managing around 200 colonies across 12 apiaries. Their work focuses on honey production, nucs, and beeswax candles, and they also offer removals, educational programs, and apiary tours. Learn more: www.beehoneyandhive.com
Devin’s talk will cover:
Why raising queens improves sustainability
Selecting breeder queens & propagating genetics
Queen bee biology & life cycle
Queen rearing systems (splits, queen cell cutting, Nicot, grafting)
Cell builder colonies
Mating nucs
Drone biology & mating flights
Evaluating & introducing new queens
Whether you’re a beginner or advanced beekeeper, this is a must-attend night of learning, inspiration, and community fun.
💨 Come ready to compete. Come ready to learn. See you June 2nd!
