Mailing list for the Person County Beekeepers Association, Roxboro, NC

[Lynn S Wilson <wilsonls AT esinc.net>]

Glad we all got our cold-busters tonight!   Carol says that Alma Allen is sick so keep her in your thoughts.  

Here's a draft of the minutes.  Let me know what needs to be corrected.  

Hope to see you on Saturday at 2 PM at Tom and Linda's house for the extraction demo followed by potluck supper.

Person County Beekeepers Association

Minutes

Date:  June 20, 2013

Location: Person County Office Building, Room 165 

MINUTES.  In Mary’s absence, Inge opened the meeting and May minutes were approved.  

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT.  Inge reported that extractor and presentation materials have been purchased.   She recommended, and the group agreed, to reimburse Cecil White in the amount of $40 for candle molds and wicks.

FINANCIAL REPORT.  Amanda’s report (attached) shows a beginning balance of $2346.27 and an ending balance of $2386.27, but does not reflect recent expenditures.  Also, Todd noted that PCBA is not tax exempt so additional monies are due to one vendor.

UPCOMING FIELD DAY.   HONEY EXTRACTION demo, followed by potluck, begins at 2 pm at the home of  Tom and Linda Savage, 609 Whitmore Road, on Saturday, June 22.  

HIVE OBSERVATIONS.    Bees are building comb between frames.  What to do?  Todd recommends cleaning it off.   Should brood chambers be reversed now if brood is mostly in upper chamber?   Todd says, worry about that when prepping the hive for the winter.   Best time to go in the hive?   Mid-day when the sun shines.  

LISTSERVE.  Save this address if you want to send mail to participants in the list serve for Person County Beekeepers <person_county_beekeepers_association AT lists.ibiblio.org>.  (Go to http://www.personcountybeekeepers.org/ to subscribe.)

PRESENTATIONS ANYONE?   Todd took “beekeeping” to summer camp at Pleasant Green Church today.  If your church offers a summer camp, consider doing a presentation on bees.   Bring out the observation hive last because it takes all of their attention!

HEALING WITH HONEY (GUEST SPEAKER:  INGE KAUTZMANN)    Inge reported that early writings, such as The Holy Vedas, the Koran and the Bible prescribed honey for various ailments.  History’s healers from Hippocrates, Cornelius Celsius, Li Shizhan, Charles Butler,  Alfred Vogel, and Peter Molan, to contemporary Dr. Frank Steele, a wound specialist near Asheville NC have understood honey’s antibacterial qualities and advocated the use of honey for everything from burns to upper respiratory disease, eye care, hangovers and insomnia.

While Americans are increasingly concerned about antibiotic-resistant bacteria, honey as medicine is still largely treated as folklore in the US though some doctors and hospitals are using honey for wound care, especially in other countries, like Britain, with a longer history with honeybees.   Since 25% of medicines are derived from plants, why is it hard to accept bees as the perfect delivery system (reducing the moisture content, lowering the pH, and adding enzymes) for a product that comes from pollen and nectar?   Pharmaceutical companies spend $7000 per doctor to convince them to prescribe their synthetic drugs.   Who advocates for honey? 

How does honey work?   For wound healing, it works by osmotic debridement... pulling damaged tissue from the base of the wound, providing a moist environment AND antibacterial protection.  It reduces odors and is anti-inflammatory.  When honey is used for a wound dressing, antibacterial hydrogen peroxide is produced.  

All honey is not equal for medical purposes.  Manuka honey has been most researched and some manuka honey sold for medical purposes has been measured for its Unique Manuka Factor.   A factor of 15+ is best for medical uses.   Tualang and buckwheat honeys also have medical uses.  Medihoney is the most available brand.   

At home uses of honey have included treatment for acne, as a hair conditioner with olive oil (1:1) or for a bath (1 cup milk:1/2 cup honey).   Inge’s recipe for a “cold-buster” is: 1 T apple cider vinegar + 1 T honey + 1 cup warm water + a dash of cayenne pepper.

MEETING ADJOURNED.  Inge adjourned the meeting so members could taste three cold-buster recipes she’d made and for refreshments provided by Tokso Pak.

NEXT PCBA MEETING

July 18, 2013, 7 PM, Room 165, Person Co. Office Bldg.

ACTION:  Refreshments by Mike, Kate and Nicki Lagaly

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED

Lynn S. Wilson    

POST-MEETING NOTES:

ACTION:  Inge will route the proposed Extractor Use Policy by e-mail.  

ACTION:  Carol requests that we keep Alma Allen who is sick in our thoughts.