Buncombe County Beekeepers Club (BCBC) A Website by Beekeepers in Western North Carolina, for Bee Keepers everywhere!

Everyone, We hope your summer has been great, and that your bees are happily buzzing around as they use the remaining days of Fall to prepare for their winter break. The arrival of fall also signals the arrival of the North Carolina Mountain State Fair! For those of you contemplating entering into the various levels of honey competition, it’s still not too late! This year they have the ability to register for the various categories online!  To review the various categories for competition here http://tinyurl.com/jy37gvu There are lots of categories that cover a wide variety of products. There’s even a category for Mead! (are you mead makers listening?!!!) Today is the last day of registration for this year’s events. However, with the online entry form,Read More

There are lots of opportunities for BCBC members to watch and learn about extraction of honey this year with the good late honey flow in Buncombe County.  BCBC is hosting 2  Extraction Gatherings at personal homes of 2 gracious members. You can come and observe the process, or go ahead and extract your own honey.  Either way, you must call Janet Peterson and make a reservation if you want to attend. There’s a maximum of 2 supers (20 frames of capped honey) per person.  Space and time are limited — there’s a small amount of room in each home.  However, there is plenty of space to watch and learn! All participants will be asked to chip in some $ to cover rental costs. Monday, AugustRead More

  Everyone, Weather permitting, we will have the mite assessment workshop at the Club beeYard at the Lords Acre in Fairview on Saturday, 8/6 at 10:00am. We will be doing a hive inspection, and demonstrating the accuracy of two different methods of mite assessment on the same hive. Directions:   From Asheville, follow 74-A toward lake lure. After you cross the top of mine hole gap, continue toward lake lure. After you pass the stoplight at Emmas grove road, go approximately 1 mile . Angelo’s restaurant will be on your left, Joe Jenkins road is directly across the road on the right. Turn right onto Joe Jenkins road, go approx. ¼ mile. Turn left onto the dirt road at the lords acre. The bee yardRead More

Hello, fellow beeks! We hope that you all are looking forward to the BCBC August meeting as much as we are.  This meeting features Nancy Ruppert, one of our 6 very talented state apiary inspectors (and the only female, by the way). Nancy has been an NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services apiary inspector since August of 2010 and she covers the 17 counties along the North Carolina coastal region.  A registered nurse since the 1980’s, Nancy worked almost 20 years as a family nurse practitioner before changing to what she calls a less stressful occupation.  Nancy’s Montgomery county residence has been home to her own apiary for 15 years.  Her particular apiary interests include hive pests and diseases, honey bee nutrition, and reducingRead More

Howdy, bee neighbors!  Our monthly meeting on June 6 will feature a local allergist who will present our epi-pen training and certification.  Local Beekeepers will also relate stories on epi pens and their uses in the field. The BCBC picnic and field day will be held on June 11th out at the 4-H camp in Swannanoa.  This will be primarily a social event with a few mini-bee trainings thrown in.  Did somebody say ice cream?  NO, left that off of last week’s email blast – sorry!  The Hop ice cream parlor will be supplying us with ice cream at the picnic, and all flavors are sweetened with honey! But that’s dessert – make sure you bring your lunch, a drink, and a blanket or chair.  We promise to haveRead More

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 BringRead More

This month’s meeting will be a ‘working’ meeting! We will have examples/demos of how to do splits, wax , how to render wax and products of the hive, Pheromones and their role in hives and how bees use them, and a Top bar demonstration/work station for those of us interested in top bar beekeeping.   Also, if anyone has questions or would like some ‘1 on 1’ time before the regular meeting, mentoring time will be from 6:30 – 7:00pm.   The BCBC Bee Yard Committee is also meeting between 6:30 and 7:00pm, prior to the meeting, if anyone is interested in joining the Bee Yard Committee, feel free to join us at 6:30pm!                                                                           BCBC meets the first Monday of each month. Meetings areRead More

Everyone,  We have had ‘timing’ issues with the arrival of nucs this year. Tomorrows scheduled event of hiving a nuc/package is being postponed for now. We hope to reschedule this event after the bee yard is more refined, and we have better timing of nuc or package arrivals in early May.  Thank you!

Tonight’s meeting will cover local flower and plant expert visiting to discuss flowers — the kinds that bees like, and the kinds that we like. Did you know that honeybees only work certain flowers for nectar and only certain ones for pollen? We will also have a local arborist who will speak on various trees with flowers that attract bees. Mentoring time – 6:30pm – 7:00pm /  Meeting starts at 7:00pm. For new beekeepers (and maybe not so new) we will also have a small example of how to see eggs in comb during the mentoring time. See you all tonight! BCBC meets the first Monday of each month. Meetings are at: Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd, Asheville, NC 28805 Scott Scott Davis PresidentRead More

The Beginner Certified written test has been scheduled for April 11, 2016 on a Monday evening between 5:30-8 pm at 122 Lyman Street in Asheville. You must RSVP to Janet before April 11 about what time you are coming between 5:30 and 8 PM. Bring a pencil, and plan to spend 30 minutes…20 to take the test and 10 to go over it. It consists of 45 multiple choice questions. If you would like to become NC certified here are the requirements (and in this order): Be a current NCSBA member and Buncombe County Beekeeping Chapter member. Pass a written test, through our chapter or given at one of the statewide conferences. Pass a practical test (involves manipulating a hive of bees), administered by another certifiedRead More