Annual Picnic and Field Day arrangements!

Members, here’s the agenda for our picnic/field day coming up on June 11th out in Swannanoa.
Also attached are directions on how to get there and what to bring.  We really think you’re going
to enjoy your day out with WNC beekeepers!

                                  PICNIC/FIELD DAY AGENDA

                                     June 11, 2016

                                 The former 4-H Camp in Swannanoa

9:30                      Registration

10:30                    Mite Assessment, Bottom Board Forensics, Sugar Shake method of doing mite counts

Hands-on activities: Check the resident hives for mites, diagnose what’s found on the bottom boards of these hives, then apply the sugar shake method as a more accurate method of determining mite counts.

Supplies to make your own Sugar Shake jar will be available to attendees – first come/first served.

11:45                    Lunch

Bring your own lunch, drink (let’s stay hydrated out there!), and a chair or blanket.  Limited “gazebos” will be available in the field to sit under, plus there is abundant shade around the perimeter of the field. You’ll be able to network and discover other beeks from your locale with which to mentor, be mentored, or just to compare notes.

12:15                    ICE CREAM!

Our friends at The Hop Ice Cream Parlor will provide us with 4 different, yummy flavors of ice cream – some sweetened with local honey!  We’ll provide the eating utensils, you just provide the need to cool off!

12:30                    Smoker Contest

Those of you who participated in this contest last summer will surely remember the fun of it all!  But it’ll be a bit more of a challenge this year – no propane torches, just matches!  Who can start it and then keep it going on its own for a few minutes?  We’ll see who’s the best smoker-starter!

Bring your own smoker, and if it needs a tune-up, we’ll have folks available who may be able to help!

1:30                      Games!

Janet Peterson has promised some fun games for us!

2:00                      Let’s Split!

Learn how to make a very easy split to keep your hive from swarming, or to simply make increase.  You want more bees, right?

 

            DIRECTIONS TO THE 4-H CAMP

Take I-40 to Exit 59 toward Swannanoa

Turn right onto US-70E and go .3 miles

Turn left at the light onto Whitson Avenue (across the road from the old Beacon factory)

Whitson Avenue immediately crosses a bridge over to Old US Hwy 70; take a right and drive 3.1 miles from here.

Pass Owen Middle School

Turn left onto Lake Eden Road, and go .2 miles.

Turn left on Clover Lane (paved; signs point to the NC State Veterans Home)

It’s the next road to the left past the signs that point to NC Forest Service Headquarters and the NC Division of Prisons facility.  If you go past the Black Mountain Home for Children, you’ve gone too far on Lake Eden Road.

Pass the Veterans Home, go another .2 miles and you’ll see the field on the left.  Park your car on the edge of the field on the left, along the side of the road.

 

Don’t forget to bring your lunch, a drink, a chair or blanket, sunscreen, and your bee suit!

We’re your WNC Bees board, and we thank you!